Weirdest Therapy Items

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As SLPs, we will do just about anything to motivate our students to participate in therapy. We’ll even use gross or weird items because they seem to be the most engaging. I saw a post in a Facebook group recently that inspired this post.

1. Gooey Louie – I’ve definitely used this one before. You pull boogers out of Louie’s nose and try not to make his brain pop out. Gross? Yes! Delightfully fun for kids? Yes! Lots of language opportunities here.

2. What’s In Ned’s Head?: Ned has a huge, soft head and you can pull all sorts of weird things out of his nose or ears. I’ve also put other items/cards in his head for my students to pull out. And yes, it’s definitely scared a few of my coworkers because it’s just chillin’ on top of my bookshelf staring at you.

3. Sticky hands: These are sticky, gel like hands that you hold one end and try to make the hand stick to something. I’ve used these to have students grab cards from the table. They love them.

4. Splat balls: These are different colored sticky sort of balls that you can throw at the wall. I’ve hung pictures on the wall and had kids throw the ball and try to hit them. If you have an assortment, you can have your students describe them.

5. Pie Face Game:  I don’t have this one and it might be a tad messy, but it’s hilarious. You have to move the lever a certain number of times and hope that you don’t end up with a pie in your face.

6. Wash My Underpants: I got this one from Target’s Dollar Spot (all hail the Dollar Spot). While it may seem weird, there are lots of goals you can target, including description, complete sentences, functional communication and more.

7. Phil’Up Chuck Game: I don’t have this one, but it seems on par with Gooey Louie. Feed Phil’Up food until he…well loses it all. Kids are sure to get a kick out of this one!

 

When it comes to motivating your students, it seems the weirder/most disgusting wins most of the time. It gets kids talking and keeps them wanting to engage in therapy tasks. While I don’t always play games in therapy, a carefully placed and monitored game every now and then can be a great way to spice up dry sessions.

What are your favorite weird things to use in therapy?