How to Target Multisyllabic Words in Play Based Speech Therapy

Targeting Multisyllabic Words in Play-Based Speech Therapy

1. Puzzle Pieces & Bugs! We love using puzzles in therapy! You can place them in sensory bins, hide the pieces around the room, or cover the pieces with tinfoil to unwrap to make puzzles fun and engaging for your students. Use puzzles that have items that use a variety of multisyllabic words - a great theme for this is BUGS! Bug names naturally have multiple syllables (e.g., bumble bee = 3, spider = 2, grasshopper = 3, caterpillar = 4, etc.). 

2. Smash Mats! Smash mats often include a variety of themed vocabulary or speech sound target themed objects. Whether you use playdough, mini erasers, bingo daubers, or something out to cover the smash mat targets you can practice each the variety of targets while working on a variety of word syllable shapes. Have the child say the word before covering it up. They could also tell you how many syllables are in each target word before covering them up to practice syllable segmentation!

3. Games & Game Pieces! Pop-Up games are some of our favourite types of games to use for therapy! Why? They come with MULTIPLE pieces which means LOTS of opportunities for productions! The Banana Blast game is awesome to practice a functional multisyllabic word "banana" multiple times as you play the game!

4. Little People Figurines! Little People are a great way to practice multisyllabic words. Talk about what each person does, what career they have. Careers are great multisyllabic words to use through play. You can use mini objects and have the child tell you who they should give it to (e.g., firefighter = 4, student = 2, construction worker = 5, etc.). 

5. Surprise Toys! Students LOVE being able to open something up and find a hidden mini object inside! Place multisyllabic word based objects inside your surprise containers for a child to practice when they name what they have found inside. The child can also practice syllable segmentation and tell you how many syllables each word has as well!