If you’re looking for games for speech therapy that’s easy to prep and gets results, you’re not alone. Whether you’re supporting students with articulation, phonological awareness, or expressive language goals, the right speech therapy activities can make all the difference—especially when they’re playful, predictable, and built around repetition.
Read on to find tips for choosing effective speech therapy games, how to adapt phonics resources to your speech sessions, and why my low-prep favorites (like Roll and Cover) are a hit with both SLPs and classroom teachers.
Why Games Work in Speech Therapy
Repetition is key in speech therapy, but getting students to repeat target sounds or words 20+ times in a session can be a challenge—unless it feels like a game.
When a student rolls a die, pulls a card, or moves a game piece, they’re getting multiple practice opportunities without realizing how much work they’re doing. Games also create low-stress environments where students are more willing to take risks and try again.
The best speech therapy activities offer:
- High repetition with low pressure
- Simple rules that allow for quick play
- Visuals or supports that reinforce sound targets
- Flexibility for both 1:1 and small group use
A Favorite Speech Therapy Game: Roll and Cover
One of my go-to resources for articulation and phonological awareness work is Roll and Cover—a no-prep game that combines dice rolling with picture or word identification.
Here’s why it works so well as a speech therapy activity:
- Students say the target word (or sound) before covering the space
- You get built-in repetition with every roll
- Boards can be customized for different phonics skills or target sounds
- It works well for both general education and intervention settings
Want more sound-based phonics games? This post on No-Prep Literacy Centers Every Teacher Needs shares my favorites!
Help Students Hear the Difference Between Similar Sounds
If your students struggle with pairs like /ch/ and /sh/, building auditory discrimination skills is key. Instead of drilling sounds in isolation, I recommend practicing minimal pairs in the context of meaningful words and playful formats.
My blog post, Minimal Pairs SH and CH: How to Get Students to Hear the Difference, offers strategies for helping students isolate and internalize tricky digraphs—plus activity ideas using word sorts, Roll and Read, and sound-based board games. These tools blend well with traditional SLP methods while making learning visual and hands-on.
Add Flexibility to Your Therapy Block
Whether you’re an SLP, interventionist, or classroom teacher supporting speech goals, having ready-to-use games makes planning easier. Many of the activities you already use for phonics—like Word Bump, Roll and Cover, Word Sorts, or Phonics Board Games—can double as speech therapy activities.
The key is selecting a resource with clear target words, consistent structure, and room for repetition. Pair that with visuals and teacher modeling, and you’ve got a strong foundation for sound development.
If you’re interested in learning more about how these concepts connect to structured literacy and the science of reading, check out my post on Best Practice in Literacy Instruction or dive deeper into Phonics vs. Phonological Awareness.
Explore My TPT Store
Looking for no-prep, high-impact tools that support both phonics and speech?
Visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Primed for Primary, to explore Roll and Cover, minimal pair activities, and phonics-based games designed for real classroom routines and speech interventions.
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