Creative Play at Home: Using Household Items to Boost Speech and Language Skills

As a speech-language pathologist, I always love to find fun and accessible ways to help children build their communication skills. Play is a natural way for children to learn. It's how they explore the world, practice problem-solving and build social skills. Play helps to create a fun environment to practice speech sounds, learn new vocabulary and build sentences together while having fun. By incorporating household items, you can create endless opportunities to target specific goals such as articulation, vocabulary, following directions or storytelling. Here's some ideas on ways you can turn common household objects into powerful tools for speech and language development.

Household Items to try:

1. Spoons and Cups (Kitchen Treasures)

   • What to Do: Set up a pretend tea party or cooking show. Use spoons to “stir” imaginary soup or cups to “pour” pretend juice.

   • Language Goals: Practice action words like “stir,” “pour,” or “drink.” Work on requesting (“Can I have more?”) or describing (“The soup is hot!”). For articulation, focus on target sounds—like /s/ in “spoon” or /k/ in “cup.”

   • Bonus Tip: Add real water or snacks to make it multisensory and even more exciting!

2. Cardboard Boxes (Imagination Stations)

   • What to Do: Turn a box into a car, spaceship, or house. Climb in and narrate the adventure: “We’re flying to the moon!”

   • Speech Goals: Build narrative skills by creating a story together. Encourage sequencing (“First we blast off, then we land”) or descriptive language (“The spaceship is shiny and fast”).

   • Bonus Tip: Pair it with sound effects (e.g., “Zoom!” or “Beep!”) to practice speech sounds in a playful way.

3. Sock Puppets (DIY Characters)

   • What to Do: Grab an old sock, draw a face with a marker, and voilà—a puppet! Have it “talk” to your child or act out a silly scene.

   • Language Goals: Work on conversational skills like turn-taking or asking questions (“What’s your name, puppet?”). Target specific sounds by giving the puppet a name like “Sammy Sock” for /s/.

   • Bonus Tip: Use different voices (high, low, silly) to practice intonation and expression.

4. Paper Towel Rolls (Sound Tubes)

   • What to Do: Speak or sing through the roll to amplify your voice. Take turns making animal noises or saying silly words.

   • Speech Goals: Focus on articulation by practicing clear sounds through the tube. It’s also great for auditory feedback—kids can hear themselves better!

   • Bonus Tip: Tape two rolls together for a “telephone” and practice back-and-forth dialogue.

5. Buttons or Coins (Sorting Fun)

   • What to Do: Sort them by color, size, or shape into piles or containers. Describe what you’re doing as you go.

   • Speech Goals: Build vocabulary (“big,” “small,” “shiny”) or practice following multi-step directions (“Put the red button in the cup”).

   • Bonus Tip: Turn it into a treasure hunt—“Find three round coins!”—to work on listening skills.

Tips for Success

• Follow Their Lead: Let your child’s interests guide the play. If they’re obsessed with dinosaurs, make that sock puppet a roaring T-Rex!

• Keep It Simple: You don’t need elaborate setups. The goal is fun, not perfection.

• Model Language: Use clear, short phrases and repeat them often. For example, while pouring water, say “Pour, pour, pour!” and pause to let them try.

• Celebrate Effort: Praise their attempts, even if the words aren’t perfect. “Great job saying ‘spoon’!”.

Happy Playing!