Interactive and Movement Books for Speech Therapy
I love using interactive and movement books for speech therapy, and have even gained a new appreciation for them during virtual learning! I recently went on a major DIVE for more interactive read aloud books, trying to get my hands on as many as I could find, and wanted to share some of my favorites. I'm also sharing some ideas for how I use them each during speech therapy!
No time to read? Grab these in a quick clickable list here!
It was tough, but I've narrowed down my top 15 interactive read aloud books for you. Here are they are, in no particular order!
Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson
I absolutely love this one for springtime, especially for working on sequencing! I also love that it has very simple illustrations, so we can focus on each single item on each page to expand vocabulary. If working in group therapy, it's great to give each student a page for them to complete/imitate (and wonderful for simple directives!). You could also have the other students try to guess what each student in the group is doing from the story! Find it on YouTube here.
Don't Wake the Dragon by Bianca Schulze
Oooo... we are OBSESSED with this one! I think it's the thrill of seeing the dragon has been woken up by any of the loud noises that go on during the story! I love working on intonation with this one: whispering, yelling, apologizing, worrying... it's such a blast! This is also a great choice if working on verbs, pronouns, and/or present progressives; "he is sleeping," "she is cooking," "he is partying" etc. (which means it's great for past tense verbs once you've read the story, too!). Find it on YouTube here.
Don't Push the Button Series by Bill Cotter
These include wonderful, bright graphics, and are simplest enough for your littlest ones! I love them fore core vocabulary, AAC, and early predicting skills. Big bonus? They are even seasonal ones for your thematic therapy plans! (Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and a brand new one as of April 2021: Let's Say Goodnight). Find it on YouTube here.
Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America's Test Kitchen
This interactive book has been a huge hit during my cooking and baking themed lesson plans. There are SO MANY VERBS to target within this story, and my students love the bright illustrations and cute kitchen characters. This one is fantastic for sequencing baking, but also really nice to use alongside or before some pretend play activities with a kitchen/baking set! When targeting verbs with this book, I have each student complete the action on a page while the other students tell me what he is doing; "Look at Matt stirring the eggs in! Ben, what is Matt doing?" etc. I've also found that this one is particularly good for working on the /k/ sound! Find it on YouTube here (with real life baking in the video!).
Herve Tullet books
Say Zoop ; Press Here ; Mix it Up
There are my absolute favorite interactive stories for working on following directions! Even my older students in the past have gotten a kick out of this one. It's so simple, yet so mesmerizing. Follow the different directions, and see what happens next... we love it!
Find Press Here on YouTube here.
Find Mix it Up on YouTube here
Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
This one is simple and sweet, and I love using it during our discussions about seasons! It's also really fun to pair with a leaf/tree craft in the fall! Use fingerprints to make leaves, and write target words or goals on/around the tree/leaves! Find it on YouTube here.
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
I like this one for my older students! The book has humor that my elementary students can understand, and we've worked on grammar goals by writing our own similar stories after reading this one! We tend to get a lot of laughs from each other's creations. Find it on YouTube here.
This is...(series) by Usborne
This is Owl; This is Squirrel; This is Crab
My students have begun requesting these books by name! The animals are so cute, and the actions within the story are so much fun. I especially love getting up and MOVING when we read these, because you can make the actions bigger and louder. Bonus: they also have lift the flap pages that we all love!
Wake Up Sleepy Sloth by Molly Wigand
This is a newer interactive read aloud to my collection, and I'm so excited I found it. We spend our time trying to wake up the adorable sloth! I found that it's been great for /s/ blends, and during teletherapy I ask my students to get UP and do each action (we all need those movement breaks!). Find it on YouTube here.
The Serious Goose by Jimmy Kimmel
This book is SO SILLY. I borrowed it from the library, and it's now on my "must buy" list! When we read this story, we pulled out ALL the adjectives and verbs we heard. My students asked for it again the next day! It has a cool mirror in the book so that we could make silly faces, so the YouTube read aloud doesn't quite do it justice. In my social skills group, we talked afterwards about times when it is and is not appropriate to make someone laugh, and some appropriate ways we could make someone laugh. It was a great conversation starter!
Follow the Line by Laura Ljungkvist (entire series!)
I just recently discovered this series of follow the line books from Laura Ljungkvist, and I'm obsessed! These are an SLP's dream... there are SO MANY options, from "Follow the Line at School" to "Follow the Line at Home," and a great way to work on categories, describing, where questions, etc. The possibilities seem endless! Find it on YouTube here
Grab this roundup of interactive and movement books for speech therapy in a quick clickable list here!
And a few more honorable mentions!
Can you Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas (obsessed with this one during Halloween to work on /s/ blends!) on YouTube here
Chubby Chubby Kitty Fluff by Merideth Avren (written by an SLP!)
High Five by Adam Rubin (great for elementary age) on YouTube here
Bunny Overboard by Claudia Rueda (love it for an ocean theme) on YouTube here
Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson (gorgeous illustrations) on YouTube here
I'm a Dirty Dinosaur by Kane Miller on YouTube here
LMNO Peas by Keith Baker (great for plural pronouns + verbs) on YouTube here
Enjoy this list of interactive and movement books for speech therapy! Don't forget to get creative and stretchhh your thinking with ALL the different ways these can be used in therapy! Sometimes it's just fun to get up and act SILLY together
You can easily shop all my favorites here!
Thanks for being here--
