10 Best Books
We LOVE books. They can be used to target and develop any and all skills.
These books are great for...
- Good Dog Carl by Alexandra Day (wordless): using imagination and building narrative skills
- Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? By Eric Carle: filling-in cloze sentences with animal names and colors
- Simple First Words: Let’s Talk by Walter Priddy (sound book): learning/labeling/pointing to familiar items (shoes, boat, flower, etc.)
- Where is Baby’s Belly Button? by Karen Katz (lift-the-flap): identifying body parts and learning basic prepositions
- A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by Mercer Mayer: sequencing events and discussing emotions
- The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen: looking at rhymes and learning new vocabulary
- The Red Book by Barbara Lehman (wordless): making inferences and understanding perspectives
- From Head to Toe by Eric Carle: following directions and identifying body parts
- Llama Llama Nighty Night by Anna Dewdney: familiarizing one with (nighttime) routines and self-care skills
- I Am Love by Susan Verde: understanding compassion and self-regulation
10 Best Games
I play games…a lot! Often, I will target speech sounds before each turn but have also used them for a variety of language skills, including targeting figurative language, vocabulary (synonyms/antonyms), and grammar (formulate or correct a sentence).
- Connect 4: a favorite for speech sounds and targeting core words with AAC
- Candyland: fun for mixed goal groups
- Cards: no lugging around a lot of materials…go-to for middle schoolers
- Dominoes: so many ways to use these!
- Guess Who?: great for asking and answering questions and describing
- Hedbanz & Hedbanz Jr.: another fun game for asking/answering questions and describing
- Pop the Pig: brings so much excitement to sessions!
- Indoor mini basketball hoop: can use this for following directions (and so much more)
- Fishing game: play by completing a task and then catching a fish
- Puzzles: these are versatile and engaging for many
Read more about these games (and others!) in our post!
10 Best Toys
Toys are great ways to work with clients in a naturalistic environment. They provide many opportunities to model new concepts and vocabulary.
- Wooden blocks: love the versatility of these
- Carrot Harvest Toy: an engaging way to work on fine motor skills/hand-eye coordination
- Treehouse toy: kids of all ages can have fun with this
- Kitchen set: can be used for many communication functions: requesting, commenting, and more
- Magna-tiles: I have yet to see someone NOT like these
- Color and Shapes Matching Egg Toy: a unique way to sort various colors and shapes
- Wooden race track: another great toy for communication functions and short phrases and sentences
- Busy Board: entertaining and easy to travel with for times on-the-go!
- Wooden Farm & Animal Set: one of our all-time favs for prepositions and pretend play
- Sensory bin: versatile and fun and easy to change up
10 Best Office Items
Whether your office is at home or in a building, you want to be comfortable and create a space where you can be at peace but focus well.
- Laptop stand: this can be great for your neck/shoulders!
- Wireless keyboard and mouse (combo): a more ergonomic (and comfortable) setup
- Blue light glasses: can help prevent headaches when you're spending hours looking at a screen
- 18-month planner: keep all of your appointments and meetings organized
- Studio recording microphone: for recording videos, podcasts, and attending meetings
- Under desk foot rest: great, especially if you're more vertically-challenged
- Small space heater: why must some offices be SO cold?!
- Desk pad protector: prevents scratches, scuffs, and more
- Sleek file cabinet: store all your paperwork and paper materials efficiently
- Simple daily planner sheets: love this for helping me organize my day
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