Do you want a FREE therapy material that your student are guaranteed to love? Holiday toy shopping ads! Shopping ads are an inexpensive way to engage your students and use functional materials that they will use in the future. With shopping ads, you can address a variety of learning targets including articulation and language. Did I mention that they are also free? Here are several ways for how to use toy shopping ads in speech therapy.
For use during therapy, you can allow your students to cut and glue images on a piece of paper. I grab several copies of the shopping ads to make this option possible. You can also put select pages in a clear, sheet protector and have students circle or write on the pages using a dry erase marker.
Describing- Encourage students to describe the toys by identifying a variety of attributes (e.g., category, function, size, texture, shape, colors, etc.). You can use this describing mat to help support their responses.
Object Function- Student can find items in the shopping ad based on the function you identify. For example, “Find a toy that drives.”
Sorting- Instruct students to cut out several toys. Practice sorting the toys based a variety of attributes: category, function, parts, age group, etc.
Social Communication- Students can practice taking turns showing and telling about the toys they selected. They can also practice topic maintenance while asking and answering questions.
Comparing and Contrasting- Encourage students to select two toys. Practice identifying how the toys are similar and how they are different.
Making Inferences- You can describe the toy based on various attributes (category, functions, parts, etc.). You can also prompt students make an inference based on your description (e.g., “I want a toy that has two wheels and I can ride it.”).
Perspective Taking/Problem Solving- Create situations that require students to take the perspective of other and solve a problem (e.g., “You have $20 to buy a toy for Sarah. She loves cooking and doing science experiments).
Commenting with AAC- Encourage students to make comments about the toys they see (e.g., I like the ________, I don’t like the ______”).
Articulation- Encourage students to find toys with their target sound(s). They can make a list or cut/glue the toys on these pages.
I hope you and your students love using shopping ads in speech therapy!
