Welcome to Speech Therapy: First Day Ideas

If you are new to teletherapy, the most important thing to remember during your first session is to have FUN! This is a big day for you and your student. Although you are not physically in the classroom, you can make the session just as engaging.

• Have a fun welcome sign on your screen for them to see the moment they log in. For example, WELCOME to xyz’s Speech Therapy Room in fun colors and images. You can create your own on your platform whiteboard or download an image to share…there are so many cute ones to choose from. .

• Start your session with a Get to Know You game or activity. These can be created for all developmental levels. I often embed questions into a dice or card game to encourage turn-taking. What is your favorite way to spend a rainy day? Tell me about a book you read over the summer. What is your favorite book, color, subject in school, etc? Remember to share your answers too! These simple questions will give you a quick speech sample to assess articulation, language, and pragmatics.

• Ask them about their goals for speech therapy. If they are able to state a goal, that tells you a lot! Wow! If not, share a few goals with them and have an age appropriate discussion as to why they will be working on them. I recommend keeping it brief the first day. If they leave knowing one reason why they are there…hooray!

• End the session by reviewing their schedule with them. Identify some ways to help them remember…write it in their planner, set a reminder on their phone, ask their teacher to give them a cue, etc. Attendance is so important and can be a challenge with teletherapy. Start the year with a plan!