19 TOP Speech Therapy Materials (SLP Must Haves)

Here are my TOP speech therapy materials- the MUST HAVES for being a school SLP! When I’m working with my speech and language students, there are certain “must have” materials that I need by my side the entire day. These are items that provide quick ways to motivate students or help me provide speech therapy effectively.

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How To Store Your Must Have Materials for Speech Therapy

First, you’ll need a place to store all of these materials, games, and items! I recommend purchasing an art caddy to store the smaller items that you’ll use in most sessions. An art caddy has compartments so you can easily organize your smaller materials. I also prefer an art caddy with a handle, so I can carry it with me “on the go” to speech therapy sessions. You can also leave the art caddy on the desk or speech therapy table if you prefer.

The MUST HAVES: Speech Therapy Materials List (Amazon Picks)

Here is the complete list of my top must-have speech therapy materials.

• magnetic wand and chips
• dry erase dice
• regular dice
• foam dot dice
• sand timers
• Spot It
• jumping frogs toy
• generic board game pieces
• daubers
• play dough
• dry erase boards
• dry erase pockets / sleeves
• WikkiStix
• Sensory Fidget Toy
• Echo Microphone
• Kids Card Games
• Travel Tic Tac Toe Game
• Uno
• Typodont

How To Use Each MUST HAVE Speech Therapy Material

Although having the list is helpful, it’s nice to know WHY I’m recommending these materials for speech therapy. Materials were chosen based on how motivating they were for my students, and how much easier they made it to teach my students.

I tend to prefer doing “hands-on” activities in speech therapy. I also like to incorporate brain breaks and multisensory activities. That said, the day in the life of a school SLP is non-stop. We need materials that are ready to go at that very second.

Here are some ideas for using each of the recommended speech therapy materials:

Simple Motivators for Speech Therapy

• Magnetic Wand and Chips: You can easily use a magnetic wand and chips as a simple motivator during your speech therapy sessions! Cover an articulation card or question on a worksheet with a chip. After your student says a word or answers a question, he or she can use the wand to pick up the chip. You’d also love pairing your magnetic wand and chips with this articulation tic tac toe activity or this reading comprehension activity.

• Dry Erase Dice: I like using dry erase dice in therapy because I can quickly write any target on the dice using a dry erase marker. For example, if my student is working on naming items in categories, I might write categories on the dice like “holidays”, “days of the week”, and “months of the year”. We erase the word after landing on it, and try to get the dice “clean” before the session ends!

• Regular Dice: It’s nice to have regular dice on hand. You can pair it with any game, or perhaps your student can say their target articulation word that many times. I often pair a target word with a target number on the dice. We try to roll each number, then cross all of the numbers off, in order to win the game.

• Foam Dot Dice: I like to keep larger foam dot dice around. This is especially helpful if your student has fine motor difficulties. Plus, they’re just fun!

• Sand Timers: Sand timers are great! It’s fun to watch time flow as the sand travels! You can use them as brain breaks. If your student is motivated by a sand timer, try pairing it with a toy or sensory fidget of their choice.

• Glitter Daubers: These are truly a must have material in your speech therapy room! Daubers are wonderful for students with fine motor difficulties. They’re really just perfect for ANY student, however. They make worksheets magical, or just let your student daub after saying a target articulation word!

Quick Games and Toys for Speech Therapy

• Spot It: I absolutely love playing Spot It in speech therapy! Students across grade and age levels are interested in this game. It’s a super easy way to get a quick brain break in after drill work.

• Jumping Frogs Toy: This is a quick and easy way to make articulation or phonology practice more fun! Place this phonology worksheet on a table and see if your speech therapy student can make a frog hop to the target word!

• Generic Game Board Pieces: These are just nice to have on hand- you never know when you will need extra players! Also, you can create your own sticky note or poster board games using these pieces.

• Kids Card Games: I have this particular card game pack for my own kids. My favorite game in this pack is Slap Jack. No reading is required to play this game. Each player takes turns going around in a circle placing a card down without looking at it first. When a red card with a mosquito is placed down, everyone tries to be the first to slap it! This would make any drill-play session exciting.

• Travel Tic Tac Toe: Tic tac toe is another motivating activity to use in speech therapy. Try out a small travel version for on-the-go sessions, or keep it near on your therapy table.

• Uno: this classic card game is perfect for your elementary speech therapy students. It’s also small and easy to take on the go, or store in your art caddy. Try pairing it with this articulation activity.

Multisensory Activities and Ideas for Speech Therapy

• Play Doh: Play dough is a staple in my speech therapy room. I like to buy the small party favor size play doh containers, so my students can have their own. I just feel like this is way more sanitary! Try pairing play doh with s-blend snake smash mats, multisyllabic word mini smash mats, or this articulation manicure activity. First, you’ll just have your student select a play doh color. Then, your student can practice saying a target word. After that, your student can roll up the play doh. Finally, they can practice saying a target word before smashing the dough over the word!

WikkiStix: WikkiStix is a nice hands-on activity to try in speech therapy! These are essentially wax-covered pieces of colorful yarn that can be shaped, molded, and twisted into whatever creation your student comes up with.

Sensory Fidget Toy: There’s no question that having a few sensory fidget toys on hand during your speech therapy session is a smart move. These can be motivating for many students on your caseload, and can easily be paired with AAC activities.

Echo Microphone: This is a fun way to encourage making noises and sounds during your speech therapy session. This is especially motivating for younger students on your speech caseload. You could also pair it with a turn-taking activity.

Instructional Materials for Speech Therapy

• Dry Erase Boards: These are an absolute MUST HAVE. I especially love having dry-erase boards around when I’m teaching grammar and sentence structure to my students.

• Dry Erase Sleeves: Don’t run to the copier 30x during your chaotic school day! Make a few copies, then use them over and over again with a dry erase marker and dry erase sleeve.

• Typodont: If you need to show your student lingual-palatal contact, then you’ll want to have a typodont on hand. It’s the perfect visual for showing your student where he or she should be placing their tongue while producing specific speech sounds.

Explore More Must Haves for Speech Therapy

I hope this post gave school SLPs some ideas for must have materials to use in speech therapy!

Be sure to also read about my favorite speech therapy games for upper elementary, as well as the top 5 articulation activities.