Five Circle Activities for SLPs

Where Are My Shoes? 

Targets: Prepositions, Ask and Answer Where Questions

Materials Needed: Shoes, chair, “Where did my Shoes go” from Talk it Rock it (optional), Visuals

How to Play: 

1. Take off your shoes. Place them under, beside, on, in front, or behind the chair, depending on your preposition. Sit down. 
2. If you are using the song “Where Did My Shoes Go?” play it first. You can find the link to the song here. It is pretty long, so I usually play a part of it. When the song is done, look down and pretend to be surprised/sad/confused and point out that your shoes are missing.  
3. Ask the children for help. The children will often point and say, “there.” Point the visuals as you look around for your shoes.  
4. When you find your shoes, reinforce where you found them. Have the children close their eyes and hide your shoes again. You can go through this a couple of rounds.
   

Feed the Puppets

Targets: pronouns, categorization

Materials needed:  two puppets, two categories of food.

How to play:

1. Put a puppet on each hand.
2. Have the food in a large basket or spread out over the floor.
3. Talk about how the puppets are hungry and need help to eat.
4. Tell the children what food to pick up and which puppet to feed. E.g., “She wants a fruit.” The child would then pick up an apple and feed the appropriate puppet.  

Have the puppets pretend to eat the food if the child gives you the right food. Pretend that the puppet loves it and thank the child. If the child picks food from the wrong category, have the puppet overreact that they don’t want to eat that food. E.g., “No, No, No! I don’t like …” I will also have the puppet close its mouth and turn away from the child. Encourage the child to pick food from the correct category.

Matman

Targets: identifying emotions, body part vocabulary

Materials needed: whiteboard, dry erase markers, eraser, “Matman” song (optional)

How to play:  

1. Draw Matman. If you are playing the song, draw Matman as you listen to the music.
2. Ask a child, “How does Matman feel?” Draw the feeling. 
3. Have the children close their eyes. Draw a new emotion. Have the children open their eyes.
4. Ask the children, “How does Matman feel now?” Have the children identify the emotion.
5. Talk about why Matman feels that emotion.

Do this a few times. Tip! Show the emotion on your face and body as well.  For more ideas on how to use Matman, go here.Pres

Action Spinner

Targets: Identifying and naming actions

Materials needed: Cards with different actions on it, “All Turn it Spinner” and a switch (optional), materials to help do the actions (e.g., if you have an open card, have a box with a lid).  

How to play: 

1. If you use a spinner and a switch, place the cards around the spinner. 
2. Have the children come up one at a time and push the switch.  
3. The child then names and/or acts out the action on the picture of the card. Depending on the actions chosen, I will have the children also act out the actions. 

Alternatively, if you don’t have a spinner, then have them pull some cards from your hand and then complete the activity as above.

What’s Missing?

Targets: vocabulary

Materials needed: a blanket, five objects that are related to a theme or book. You can also use artic words. 

How to Play:

1. Place the five objects in a horizontal line.
2. Go over the names of the objects and place a blanket over the objects.
3. Have the children close their eyes. Take one object away, then have the kids open their eyes.
4. With a flourish, remove the blanket.
5. Pick a child or have the children name what object is missing. 

Here are five of my favorite preschool circle activities for SLPs . Click here for lesson plans. If you would like some tips to thrive during whole-group activities, go here. What are your favourite whole group activities?