Fall October Speech Therapy Activities for Young Children

October is one of my favorite months for speech therapy sessions! The crisp fall air, colorful leaves, big chunky sweaters and the excitement of Halloween make it the perfect time to introduce engaging and seasonal activities that help build speech and language skills.

Over the years, I’ve found some go-to activities that my students look forward to each autumn. Here are a few of my favorites that have helped my students work on speech and language goals while having tons of fall fun!

Fall Speech Therapy Activities That I Love 🍂

1. Pumpkin Play dough Smash Mats

I can’t get through a fall season without these! I like to use themed smash mats (such as pumpkins, apples, or leaves) with playdough. These mats are great for working on target sounds, following directions, and sentence expansion. Students can “smash” a playdough ball when they find a picture or word that matches their sound or language goal. It’s always a hit, and it’s a tactile way to reinforce skills while having fun.

2. Fall-Themed “I Spy” Activities

I love creating and using fall-themed “I Spy” sheets! These are great for working on expressive and receptive vocabulary. Students take turns describing what they see, practicing prepositions like “under the pumpkin” or “next to the witch’s hat,” and making inferences. They also help with visual scanning and attention.

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3. Sensory Bins with Fall Elements

Sensory bins filled with dried leaves, acorns, mini pumpkins, and little fall-themed objects provide a hands-on way for students to explore fall vocabulary. I often hide small toys or pictures related to our books, and we “hunt” for them while practicing articulation words or using target phrases like “I found a…” or “It’s hiding under…”

Halloween-Themed Activities 🎃

Halloween is such an exciting time for students, so I love incorporating a bit of Halloween magic into speech therapy sessions. Here are a few activities that have worked wonders in my sessions:

1. Haunted House from a Box

One of my favorite activities is creating a haunted house out of an Amazon box (we all have a spare box handy!). I cut out doors and windows and then use it alongside the book Inside a House that is Haunted. As we read, students place corresponding pictures or objects in different areas of the house, working on spatial concepts like “inside the window,” “through the door,” and “up on the roof.” It’s a fun, hands-on way to reinforce spatial language while tying into a Halloween story!

2. Trick-or-Treating Scenarios

We take our haunted house activity a step further by acting out trick-or-treating scenarios! Students take turns sticking their heads inside the box and “knocking” on the door. We practice social language skills by saying, “Trick or Treat,” “Happy Halloween,” and “Thank you.” This simple but effective role-playing game helps students with greetings, requests, and polite language in a context they love.

3. Digital Halloween Activities

For no prep digital activities “Who is Knocking on My Door” is a fun activity to target answering and asking “who” questions while also working on Fall vocabulary. A way to target the following sounds: B, P, T, D, K, G, F, V, S, Z, L, R , TH, DG, CH, SH is with the Pumpkin Articulation Match game for your computer or tablet! Kids LOVE competing with this fall match activity!

4. Spiders and Monsters for Non-Halloween Themes

If Halloween isn’t your cup of tea, don’t worry! I often turn to spider and monster themes, which are just as fun. My students love making “spider eggs” by wrapping small plastic spiders in playdough and hiding them inside. Then we take turns unwrapping the “eggs” to see who can find the spider. This activity is perfect for targeting core words like “in,” “out,” “look,” and “see” as well as phrases such as, “Find it,” “Not there,” and “It’s scary.” For those working on speech sound targets, we sneak in some /sp/ blends with words like spider, spy, and spooky.

5. Monster Blobs with Playdough

For a fun fine motor and language activity, we make “Monster Blobs” by pushing googly eyes into playdough. This activity strengthens pointing skills and can be adapted to work on speech sounds. Students practice producing correct sounds before they get to push an eye into the monster, which adds a playful and tactile twist to articulation practice.

Wrapping Up October with Fun and Learning

With the right mix of fall-themed books and interactive activities, October can be a time of both learning and fun in speech therapy sessions. My goal is always to keep students engaged and motivated, and bringing in seasonal elements helps make each session feel new and exciting.

Favorite Fall-Themed Books 🍁

1. The Leaf Thief: This fun and engaging story is about a squirrel who’s convinced one of his leaves has gone missing. With help from his friend Bird, they set off to solve the mystery of the missing leaf. The playful language and vibrant illustrations keep my students engaged, making it perfect for working on problem-solving, sequencing, and expressive language. I love to have my students guess who might be the leaf thief, and it always leads to fun discussions.

2. We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt: If you’re familiar with We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, this fall-themed version is a wonderful choice for early learners. It’s about three friends who venture through the forest, collecting leaves and encountering fun obstacles along the way. The rhyming text and repetitive patterns are perfect for targeting early language skills, and my students love chiming in with the sound effects. We often go on our own “leaf hunts” around the classroom or outside, finding different shapes and colors of leaves, which opens up opportunities to expand vocabulary and descriptive language.

3. Leaves, Leaves Falling from a Tree: This interactive book is such a gem because it lets students get involved in the story. I use printable leaves that students can move around during the story to “catch” or “fall” as we read. It’s ideal for following directions, matching, and describing what happens to the leaves as they fall from the tree. This story is also available as a no-prep digital version, which I sometimes use for teletherapy or for a change of pace. The interactive elements make it easy to turn the story into a game—students love pretending to catch falling leaves or finding leaves that match certain descriptions.

   (affiliate links included. I earn a small amount of money from Amazon links and only recommend books and activities that I use personally)

Engaging Preschoolers with Interactive Storytime: Using Books, Props, and Play

As a speech-language pathologist, I often use books in my therapy sessions to create engaging and interactive themes that help target communication goals. Using books with young children encourages receptive and expressive language skills, facilitates “reading” and listening comprehension, expands vocabulary and syntactic skills, and promotes a love of reading.

“Language and literacy develop concurrently and influence one another. What children learn from listening and talking contributes to their ability to read and write and vice versa. For example, young children's phonological awareness (ability to identify and make oral rhymes, identify and work with syllables in spoken words, and the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds—phonemes—in spoken words) is an important indicator of their potential success in learning to decode print,” according to a Preschool Policy Brief by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University, April 2006.

Research tells us that children who fall behind in oral language and literacy development before formal schooling are less likely to become successful readers, and their achievement lag is likely to persist throughout primary grades and beyond. Therefore, it is crucial for SLPs, teachers, and parents to make reading and literacy fun and engaging. It’s not about sitting down to read or listen to an entire book; it’s about engaging children in the story, the pictures, and the words. We can do this by giving kids a “part” in the story with their words, sounds, movements, or props.

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Engaging Children with Props:

Using props during storytime can make stories more meaningful and memorable for children. Props can include pictures, stuffed animals, and toys that children can hold and move as the story progresses. For example, books like "5 Little Ducks," "The Gingerbread Baby," and "Tip Tip Dig Dig" are perfect for incorporating props to engage children. I have a variety of book companions ready-made in my store that include props and activities to use in speech therapy, the classroom, and at home.

Types of Books That Engage Children

Books with Repetitive Text: Repetitive text helps children comprehend and remember the story due to repeat phrasing. "The Pout Pout Fish," "5 Little Ducks," and "It’s Mine" are excellent examples of books with repetitive text included in my water-themed companions.

Books That Encourage Movement: Movement helps children attend to longer stories and builds imitation skills and memory. Books like "Tip Tip Dig Dig," "The Napping House," and "Dinosaurumpus" are great for incorporating actions such as stirring, pouring, and whisking, using real-life objects. Click here for Movement themed book companions

To grab the bundle of book companions for year-round props and activities, including books with incorporated movement, repetitive text, lift-the-flap books, and interactive books, click below.

Want to know more about the types of books that best engage preschoolers? 

Click to see this blog post, Top Children’s Books for Speech and Language Development. I’ve highlighted the top children’s books, linked all of the books and categorized them by type. 

By using books, props, and play, we can create interactive and engaging storytimes that not only make reading fun but also support the speech and language development of young children.

Happy reading!

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Top Children’s Books for Speech and Language Development

“Remember, the best part is not just reading the books but also engaging your child in conversation, asking questions, letting them add to a story with words and phrases and creating new language with literacy.”

As a speech-language pathologist, I get to dive into the magical world of children's books every day, and if my bookshelves could talk they would tell you I have a bit of an obsession! 

There's something about watching kids light up as they explore the wonders of language through books. Not only do I love books, but I love sharing them with friends!

I'm excited to share some of my top picks for children's books that nurture speech and language development. I have divided them into categories that promote engagement and language learning. (Amazon affiliate links included on titles)

BOOKS WITH INCORPORATED MOVEMENT

Who says reading has to be a sit-still activity? Incorporating movement into storytelling is a genius way to keep those little minds engaged. So, get ready to wiggle, jump, and roar as you read some fantastic books that'll have your kiddos imitating animal moves and dancing with joy!

Movement helps kids attend to longer stories. By incorporating movement it builds imitation skills and assists with memory or concepts.

1. Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia

2. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Rosen and Oxenbury

3. Press Here by Herve Tullet

4. Is Everyone Ready for Fun? By Jan Thomas

5. I’m a Dirty Dinosaur by Janeen Brian

6. Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia

7. Tap Tap Bang Bang by Emma Garcia

8. Plinka Plinka Shake Shake by Emma Garcia

9. 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Eileen Christelow

10. Stir Crack Whisk Bake by America’s Test Kitchen Kids

BOOKS WITH REPETITIVE TEXT

Children's books with repetitive text are like musical earworms that stick in your head (in the best way!). They'll have your little ones predicting what comes next and filling in the blanks like pros. So get ready for some rhyming, rhythmic fun!  Familiar text  helps children comprehend the story and remember due to repeat phrasing.

1. Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson

2. Too Many Carrots by Katie Hudson

3. The Seals in the Bus by Lenny Holt

4. The Bear Came over to My House by Rick Walton

5. Today is Monday by Eric Carle

6. Thank You Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

7. Brown Bear Brown Bear by Eric Carle

8. Polar Bear Polar Bear by Eric Carle

9. The GingerBread Baby by Jan Brett

10. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

11. Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

12. Pout Pout Fish books by Deborah Diesen

13. Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough

14. Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw

15. I say Ooh You say Aah by John Kane

LIFT THE FLAP BOOKS

Surprise! There's nothing quite like the excitement of lifting a flap to reveal hidden treasures within a book. These interactive gems not only captivate kids' attention but also help target important language skills like answering questions, predicting what's behind that flap, and learning about "open and close" concepts.

1. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

2. Oh Dear by Rod Campbell

3. Peek a Who by Nina Laden

4. Open the Garage Door by Christopher Santoro

5. Find Spot books by Eric Hill

6. Do Cows Meow by Salina Yoon

7. Gotta Go Buffalo by Haily Meyers

8. Tree by Britta Teckentrup (Peek through book)

9. Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd (Peek through book)

10. How Does Bunjee Feel?: An Interactive Lift Flap Book by Josie Mott

INTERACTIVE BOOKS

Moveable parts and tasks to complete during storytime? Yes, please! These interactive books keep those little hands busy and their minds buzzing with curiosity.Interactive books keep kids engaged and moving with moveable parts. Kids love to have a task during book reading!

1. Nita’s Day by Kathy McMillian (sign language)

2. Nita’s First Signs Kathy McMillian (sign language)

3. Find the Duck by Stephen Cartwright

4. Find the Puppy by Stephen Cartwright

5. All Better by Henning Lohein

6. The Cheerios Play Book by Lee Wade

7. Print and Laminate Books by SpeechieTrish

8. Hey, Seymour Books by Walter Wick

9. Drive the Firetruck and Drive the Car by Dave Mottram

10. Poke-a-Dot: Construction Vehicles (Board Book with Buttons to Pop) and other “Pop” books by Melissa and Doug

11. Hi-Five Farm! (A Never Bored Book!) by Ross Burach

CHAIN OR CIRCULAR STORIES

Wait, did the story just go back to the beginning? You bet! Chain or circular stories are like literary roller coasters that take you on a looping journey. Not only are they entertaining, but they also help reinforce storytelling skills and make kids feel like master storytellers themselves.

The storyline is linked so the ending goes back to the beginning in these books. 

1. The Napping House by Audrey Wood

2. If you Give a….. Books by Laura Numeroff

3. I know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a …Books by Various Authors

4. Little Blue Truck Books by Alice Schertle

5. 5 Little Ducks  by Various Authors

6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

WORDLESS OR LIMITED TEXT

Who needs words when pictures can speak a thousand of 'em? Wordless or limited text books are a feast for the imagination. They encourage kids to create their own stories, build vocabulary, and improve their narrative expressive language skills.

1. Carl’s Birthday by Alexandra Day

2. Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

3. Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis

4. Mix it up By Herve Tullet

5. Moo Baa La La La by Sandre Boyton

6. Maybe by Chris Haughton

7. Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

8. Flashlight by Lizi Boyd 

9. Big Bear Little Chair by Lizi Boyd

10. Let’s Go Puppy by Holly Rosensweig

11. Wishy Washy: A Board Book of First Words and Colors for Growing Minds by Tabitha Paige

12. Gravity by Jason Chin

 Let the language adventures begin!

Remember, the best part is not just reading the books but also engaging your child in conversation, asking questions, letting them add to a story with words and phrases and creating new language with literacy. Happy reading! 📚✨