I don’t know about you, but I certainly have a countdown going for days left of school! Of course, this always keeps me focused on all of the tasks I have left to complete before I can officially “finish” the school year, which is always a little stress-inducing!
I’m one of those SLPs that sends homework with her students on a regular basis. I know everyone has different opinions on speech-language homework, but I prefer to at least give my students and their families a chance to practice at home. I must admit, this year has been busier than usual, so I haven’t sent home suggestions every week, but I am definitely preparing packets for over the summer!
For most of my students, I send home pages from my Summer Homework Packet. While most of my monthly homework pages are designed to be for one-time-use, I have designed my Summer packet to provide multiple ways to practice over and over again.
For example, for the articulation pages, there is a one-page word list that students can add words with their target sounds to as they come across them over the summer. There are also 3 pages of picture flashcards for each sound, with a blank page of flashcards for students to add words and pictures with their sound. Then, there are suggestions of games and activities that parents can do with their children throughout the whole summer with these pages to practice articulation.
Similarly, for language, there are worksheets to target specific skills (such as describing, categorizing, and similarities/differences), but I also include “extension” activities so parents will know how to target these skills throughout the summer.
I generally send summer homework packets with my students in kindergarten through about fifth grade. But what about older students? I know my older students have ZERO interest in doing extra homework over the summer, to the point where they might “accidentally lose” any sort of packet I might try to send home with them. However, I do want to make sure that their parents have some idea of what sort of activities would help build their speech and/or language skills over the summer.
My solution? A one page handout with suggested games and apps to promote language development. I plan on copying this onto brightly colored paper and stapling it to my students’ progress reports, which are sent home with their final report cards for the year. You can find this freebie here. As a bonus, it would be great to send home for Better Speech & Hearing Month or to hand out during an open-house type event!
Tell me, do you send home activities for summer practice with your students?
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