When you plan a themed therapy unit, one of the best ways to keep the engagement up in your speech therapy session is by pairing a themed book with an extension activity.
An extension activity reinforces or reviews concepts from the theme or book that you just read. So, that can include sensory bins, an informational YouTube video, a game, a writing assignment, task cards, or a craft!
Themed crafts can be an easy way to plan your mixed groups or whole class lessons. Today, I will be sharing three ocean crafts you can use in speech therapy.
Craft Supplies You Will Need
For these ocean crafts, you need basic supplies, which means it is nice on your wallet! You may find some or all of these things in your school supply room. Amazon affiliate links are included for your convenience.
- Glue
- Streamers (Dollar Tree)
- Paper plates (Dollar Tree)
- Cardstock
- Acrylic paint, water color paint, or dot markers
- Plastic eyes (optional, you can draw in with a marker or cut out with black construction paper)
- Markers
Ocean Crafts for Speech Therapy That Work on Goals
When it comes to crafts, you want to consider the prep time needed to make the craft. If it isn’t too complex and targets many goals, then the craft is worth the prep.
To make this “Who is hiding in the seaweed?” you print off the template in the ocean language lesson plan guides. Then, print the verb and vocabulary seaweed strips on dark green and light green colored cardstock or white cardstock.
Students can paint their ocean animals with dot markers or watercolors. Then, your students can glue the seaweed pieces to hide their ocean animals. During the craft, you are working on the concepts on/off, colors, turn-taking (only have one glue per table so students can share), and “who” questions. Students can practice the verbs or vocabulary on the seaweed before gluing it on.
You can put it on a bulletin board or send it home for additional practice.
Books That Will Pair Well With This Ocean Craft
This craft pairs well with the following books:
Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck
Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae
Crab Craft To Use in Speech Therapy
This crab craft has a lot of possibilities to be used as a therapy tool after your students create it!
It would help if you had a paper plate, red paint, and construction paper. Print out your ocean images or pictures of your student’s speech words. Have ocean-themed vocabulary words to glue on the inside of the crab included in the ocean language activities unit. Or, you can use the Any Craft Companion to print out speech or language targets.
Your students will paint the plate red and cut out crab legs with red construction paper. Glue the speech or language targets on the inside of the craft. Once the paint is dry, students can use the crab to catch things with their mouth. So, pull out your flashcards and have your students feed the crab the cards after practicing. Or, your students can follow directions with their crabs!
Watch the Crab Craft Tutorial on YouTube
Books the Would Pair Well with the Crab Craft
There are several crab-themed books you can use with this craft. Here is a list of them:
You’re a Crab!: A Moody Day Book by Jenny Whitehead
The Brave Little Crab by Beth Costanza
The Happy Snappy Crab by Tiger Tales
If you want to have visual supports with this craft to use on the SMARTboard or laptop, you can get access to Visual Themed Crafts in the Themed Therapy SLP membership re-opening summer 2022. You can get on the waitlist HERE so you don’t miss any details.
Jellyfish Ocean Craft for Speech Therapy
With this jellyfish craft, you can work on basic concepts and follow directions after you make it!
The blue streamers can help your students understand the verbs “sway’ and “float” while moving the jellyfish craft up, down, high, low, right, left, and around.
Cut a paper plate in half and either paint or glue blue construction paper to the plate. Then, cut out blue streamers to be the jellyfish’s tentacles.
Students can write their speech or language words on the back or use the Any Craft Companion to glue them on the craft.
Books to Pair with This Jellyfish Craft
You can use Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae because it features a jellyfish in the book. If you are looking for some books specifically with jellyfish in the storyline, check out these:
Peanut Butter and Jellyfish by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
I am Not a Fish! by Peter Raymundo
Jellyfish (A Day in the Life: Sea Animals) by Louise Spilsbury
If you are looking for more craft ideas to use in your speech therapy sessions, check out these easy paper plate craft ideas!