I’m definitely guilty of having a bag obsession… and that obsession doesn’t stop when it comes to therapy bags! I am a pediatric SLP and I work for a company that is part-time in-clinic, and part-time travel. I loveeee having a job that lets me do both – I get the perks of having an office and seeing my co-workers every week, but I also get to hop in my car and have a change of scenery throughout the day! Right now, I’m traveling to homes and daycares all day on Monday and Wednesday, and I’m in the office on Tuesday’s and Thursdays. The best part? I get Friday’s off!!! (I can’t ever go back to a job that requires me to work Friday’s… I’ve definitely been spoiled here). As much as I love having a 2-in-1 job, it does make it difficult lugging all of my therapy toys and materials around. I have tried different techniques to make this easy on me though. I’ve tried keeping everything in the office and just grabbing what I think I’m going to need (I always forget things though and wish I had brought something that I didn’t) and I’ve tried keeping everything in my car, but then, again, I sometimes would leave what I need in my car! It definitely wasn’t doing me any good out there. So what I’ve decided to do was get one huge bag to take with me everywhere. I did tonssss of research to find the BEST bag (and for the best price too!) and now I LOVE having everything with me – everywhere I go! Keep reading to see which bag I decided on, and 10 of my favorite toys and activities that I have filled it with! Links included!
My new favorite bag!
After reading countless reviews and blogs about SLP’s favorite therapy bags, I finally decided on the “GhvyenntteS Extra Large Utility Tote Bag”. Let me tell ya, I do not regret this decision. I wanted a bag that was big, sturdy, waterproof, could hold heavy materials, had outside pockets, and was cute! This bag is exactly that. There is a metal wire frame which helps that bag stand up on its own even when it is empty. This extra large tote bag is 2.5 × 10.5 × 12 inches when fully opened which allows you to hold everything you could need – up to 50 pounds! You can fold this bag flat for storage, or expand it easily. It has 3 outside pockets which easily allow you to store flashcards, small toys, or even your phone and keys! It’s also water proof which is soooo nice if you’re working with little ones, or providing therapy in locations that aren’t always super sanitary. It also is pretty easy to hold, even being large in size and filled to the rim with toys! I purchased this bag in Grey on Amazon for only $23.99.
GhvyenntteS Extra Large Utility Tote Bag
Now for the fun part… what’s in the bag!?
If you’re anything like me, it’s impossible to go to Target without checking out the dollar section for new therapy trinkets, or the toy aisle, or the craft session… bottom line is I LOVE buying therapy toys. So to preface this next section – my therapy bag is always being refilled and updated with my new favorite toy. So below you will find what is in my bag now, but that’s not saying it won’t change next week! I would love for you to leave me a message with your favorite materials that I’m leaving out!
*** Most of my clients are ages 2-4, many of them with goals to improve their language delay or articulation skills. I also see a variety of clients with other diagnoses who require more specific therapy materials which are not included in this post.
1. Peekaboo Learning Farm
The Peekaboo Learning Farm is by FAR my favorite toy in my therapy bag. This toy includes 5 barns with different colors and numbers that each open by removing the lid, and 5 different farm animals. This toy can target so many different things, and is so fun too! What I target with this toy: requesting (“more,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), producing and imitating animal noises, producing and imitating words and phrases (“open,” “lid off,” “close,” “knock knock knock,” labeling and identifying colors and numbers, exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” etc.), identifying and labeling animals, and following multistep directions. You can play with this toy for an entire therapy session without your kid getting bored, and you can target so many goals while you’re at it!
2. Fisher-Price Little People See ‘n Say
Fisher-Price Little People See ‘n Say
My kiddos LOVE the See ‘n Say toy. This can entertain kids for so long, while targeting so many early language goals! What I target with this toy: requesting (“more,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), producing and imitating animal noises, singing/dancing along to music (“Old McDonald” + a song about zoo animals), exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” etc.), identifying and labeling animals, following directions, and maintaining attention. This toy includes 2 pages of different animals (farm and zoo animals). Point the arrow at an animal and pull the level to hear the animal noise, point at the question mark to hear a question, and point at the music note to hear a song.
3. Melissa & Doug Sound Puzzles
Melissa & Doug Pets Sound Puzzle
I’m not sure who likes the sound puzzles more… my kiddos or me!!! They are SO fun and interactive. Every time you place a piece in the puzzle, the board makes the corresponding sound. I only have the farm animals, zoo animals, and pets sound puzzles, but Melissa & Doug also have musical instruments, vehicles, and train sound puzzles! What I target with this toy: requesting (“more,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), producing and imitating animal noises, exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” etc.), identifying and labeling animals, following directions, expanding speech (“I see a _”, etc.) and maintaining attention. Puzzles are also a great learning tool to encourage our kiddos and keep them engaged.
4. Kitchen Cutting Vegetables Crate Pretend Food Playset
Kitchen Cutting Vegetables Crate Pretend Food Playset
This playset is a new staple in my therapy bag. It comes with 9 plastic vegetables and a plastic knife to “cut” them. Each vegetable is split in half and connected by velcro so that they easily separate and re-connect. My kiddos love getting to pretend to cut the food over and over! This keeps them entertained for so long, while being therapeutic! What I target with this toy: requesting (“more,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), producing and imitating words and phrases (“cut,” “chop,” “down,” “push,” etc.), exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” “yum,” etc.), identifying and labeling vegetables, following multi-step directions, expanding speech (“I have a _”, etc.) and maintaining attention. This can also be used as a reinforcement activity because the kids love it so much!
When I say you have to buy this toy, I mean you HAVE to buy this toy. This was the very first toy I bought myself after grad school and I have been using it ever since. On my very first day of my CF, I saw a kid at a daycare who wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. He would yell and turn away and refused to even look at me. I had no idea what to do, but then I decided to pull out this toy, and let me tell you, immediate change of heart. This kid whipped around when he heard the noise of the crocodile’s mouth shutting and was ready to engage with me. This toy is a great encourager, reinforcement toy, and direct therapy toy. I use it all the time!! What I target with this toy: requesting (“more,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), taking turns, producing and imitating words and phrases (“open,” “chomp,” “yum,” “bite,” etc.), exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” “yum,” “oh-no,” etc.), quantitative concepts (“some,” “one,” “all,” etc.), following multi-step directions, expanding speech (“I want a turn”, etc.) and maintaining attention. Trust me, your kiddo will love this toy!
This game is another must-have. Pop-Up Pirate can be used for direct therapy or reinforcement in between articulation drills. The game comes with a pirate, barrel, and plastic swords. One-by-one, you insert a sword into the barrel until the pirate pops up – it’s such a fun and exciting game! I like to use this game while working on artic – every time my kid says a designated amount of words, they get a sword. This game can also be used to target basic language skills. What I target with this toy: requesting (“more,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), taking turns, producing and imitating words and phrases (“pop,” “push,” “go,” etc.), exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” “oh-no,” etc.), quantitative concepts (“some,” “one,” “all,” etc.), following multi-step directions, identifying/labeling colors, and expanding speech (“I want a turn”, etc.).
These popper toys are so fun and come in so many different types of animals. All you have to do is squeeze the toy and watch the ball pop out! Having a variety of animals is also a fun way to incorporate different therapy goals into your session, such as identifying animals, requesting using 3+ words (“I want dinosaur,” etc.), and even playing with multiple poppers at a time to have “competitions” of which popper can shoot the ball the farthest, etc. What I target with this toy: requesting (“more,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), taking turns, producing and imitating words and phrases (“pop,” “squeeze,” “go,” “up,” etc.), exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” “oh-no,” etc.), following directions, and expanding speech (“I want a turn”, “go up,” etc.).
8. Learning Resources Baby Bear sorting Set
Learning Resources Baby Bear Sorting Set
This bear sorting set is a staple that every SLP needs in their therapy bag. It seems like a simple toy, but it can target so many goals and keeps kids entertained! A lot of my kids even choose to play with the bears, even just as a reinforcement game! What I target with this toy: identifying/labeling colors, counting, identifying 1st-person pronouns (“give a bear to me,” “you get a bear,” etc.), following multi-step directions (“put a red bear in the blue cup,” etc.), requesting (“more,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), taking turns, exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” “oh-no,” etc.), and expanding speech (“I want a turn”, etc.). I sometimes even put boy/girl pictures or dolls in front of certain cups and have my clients practice identifying 3rd-person pronouns (“give him a bear,” give the bear to her,” etc.)
I LOVE using Crazy Dot Markers in my therapy sessions. There are so many free dobber activity sheets out there (I will post links below to a few of my favorite websites that post them!) that I love to have my kiddos color during speech therapy! These are fun to use while drilling articulation, working on language goals, or to color as a reinforcement activity. It also is a coloring activity that doesn’t take much time – even for your kids who are perfectionists! What I target with this activity: identifying/labeling colors, counting, following directions (“put 1 red dot on the page” etc.), requesting (“more colors,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), taking turns, exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” “oh-no,” etc.), spatial concepts (“put a dot on the top”), and expanding speech (“I want blue”, etc.). I sometimes even print off 2 worksheets (one for “me” and one for the client) and practice 1st-person pronouns and multi-step directions (“first, put one dot on your picture, then one dot on mine”).
https://www.theresourcefulmama.com
printables for busy moms & kids
https://roshambohomeschooling.com
Playskool Mr. Potato Head Tater Tub
Lastly, every SLP needs a Mr. Potato Head set in their therapy bag. Mr. Potato Head is such a versatile activity that can target SO many goals. Also it’s so fun! What I target with this toy: identifying/labeling body parts, following directions (“put the eyes on” etc.), requesting (“more,” “all-done,” “help,” etc.), taking turns, exclamations (“yay,” “wow,” “oh-no,” etc.), spatial concepts (“put the hat on top”), expanding speech (“I want eyes”, etc.), identifying/labeling colors, identifying/labeling adjectives (“big,” “little,” “long,” etc.). I sometimes even like to use two Mr. Potato Head bodies and target 1st-person possessive nouns (“put this hat on my Potato Head,” etc.) or label one Potato Head as a girl and one as a boy and target 3rd-person pronouns (“put this arm on him,” etc.).
My therapy bag is filled to the rim with different toys and activities, but these 10 are definitely some of my favorites! I would love to hear what’s in your therapy bag, leave me a comment!!!
— Courtney B SLP