Looking for a quick way to practice speech or language skills at home? This one NEVER fails me and is perfect this time of year.
I grabbed some bat cut outs on Amazon (or at Target dollar spot) and hid them around my office. I turned off the lights, handed the kiddos a flashlight and we went on a "Bat Hunt". I tailored the activity to each child's goals and every.single.one wanted to keep playing when the session was over.
Many of my students struggle to just sit and complete tasks, so I like to add some movement and an element of 'fun' when I can. And what better way than holidays to add some excitement?
Possible ideas:
Draw a cave on a piece of paper and have the bats fly 'in' and 'out'. Do they want to sleep at the 'top' or at the 'bottom' of the cave?
Make bats different sizes/colors and sort them by attribute. Tell a sentence about them ("I got a big black bat")
Work on plurals and tense agreement ("The bat is flying in the cave" "The bats are flying in the cave")
Irregular past tense verbs ("The bat is flying" "The bat flew")
Write a number on the back of the bat and have the child say their target sounds that many times.
Brainstorm words that have their target sounds and use them while you play
K/G Sounds: "I put the bat in the cave" "It's in the back" "Look!" "Here we go!" "It's big!" "Goodnight, bat"
S-Blends: "Spooky cave" "I'm not scared" "Stop" "I stick one in the cave" "Fly in the sky", "The bat is sleeping"
L: "Look, a bat!" "My flashlight" "Fly in the sky" "Black bat"
SH/CH: "Shine the light" "My flashlight" "Watch me!" "Catch it"
7. Take turns finding a bat and trade who is holding the flashlight. Practice saying "My turn" and "Your turn".
Super easy, engaging, and effective!