Not enough time?
Thematic speech therapy units and print and go activities are about FINDING SLP’s time! Have you ever said, “there is not enough time in the day?” I know I have and a lot. In my CFY year, I turned 35 and had a 5 and 9-year-old. I had gone back to school and started on a new career when I unexpectedly became a single parent a few years earlier. During grad school, there wasn’t enough time in the day nor when I started working. I learned quickly as an SLP that I would never have ENOUGH time, so I had to FIND the time. Huh… Yes, I had to learn to FIND the time by prioritizing and planning. A few essential components to FINDING more time have been thematic speech therapy units, Boom Cards™, and print-and-go activities.
SO MUCH TO DO!
As an SLP, I have had a caseload that ranged from 40-67 students. Like most of y’all my caseload includes a wide age range and needs. We work with high numbers, various need areas, wide age range, lots of paperwork, and so much more! Just not enough time!
FINDING time vs CREATING time!
I watch plenty of SciFi shows that do all sorts of creative things with time, but I can not CREATE or MAKE more time. Early in my career, I realized I had to FIND time. One of the ways that I FIND time is through creating and cultivating resources that save time. These are some strategies that I use to FIND time through resources and planning.
- Thematic Units: Check out this blog post on ASHAWIRE about using themes in speech therapy. By using themes, I have a structure to start with. This gives me ideas for vocabulary, books, games, and activities. I use these themes across needs and ages.
- Thematic bins and resources: I put together thematic bins with a variety of resources. I love to get real-world items at the Dollar Store and or GoodWill. I add books and games that can be incorporated into the theme.
- Print and go activities: I purchase and CREATE Print and Go language and articulation therapy activities. Whether I am working on language or articulation, I love having NO PREP activities that I can quickly print and go for therapy.
- Digital resources: I love to create as well as purchase Boom Cards™ for speech. Boom Cards™ are such a quick and easy tool for both in-person and teletherapy. Check out my post on using Boom Cards™ in speech.
- Monthly Plan: I created a monthly plan with activities for my groups. I will add an extra activity or 2 just incase. Then I can use this again each year with small alterations. This allows me to improve the monthly plan without having to recreate it each month/year.
To see more of my time-saving thematic and print-and-go activities, visit me on TeachersPayTeachers!
