Happy Tuesday, SLP’s! I’m thinking spring over here in Michigan, even thought it’s a gray and dreary day. Spring time gives me a fresh sense of functional tasks to work on in speech therapy: Gardening, ordering mulch, home projects, new recipes, lawn care, outdoor social events. I have multiple sections devoted to these topics in the Home Sweet Home Series!
Today I’m updating an oldie but a goodie: The Functional Toolbox posts explore how we could use functional, real-life items in speech therapy, to exercise language or cognitive skills, or practice strategies that improve function. Instead of using stale worksheets or unrelateable games, using functional, tangible items is another vehicle we can use to target patient-centered goals or strategies.
Affiliate links from Amazon are included to link the exact items I use. Thank you for considering using these links as a way to support the efforts of Honeycomb Speech Therapy.
Toolbox Item: Garden Seed Packets!
I ordered these packets from Amazon because of the clear, bright images, but you could pick up a variety of seed packets nearly anywhere!
For YOU:
I created a Sample Planting Instructions that may help you in speech therapy with adults, depending on your goals! These are specific to the seed packets I use (I didn’t love the instructions that came with the seed packets).
Here you go! GardenSeedPackets
Sample Therapy Ideas:
I hope these ideas are useful or help you easily target a patient-centered goal using a relevant topic! If you would like other ideas like this, please check out my Home Sweet Home Series or Back To Work Series!
To Target Strategies or Skills in This Area: | The Patient Could Do This: |
Verbal Expression | *Name plants (cover words)
*Explain steps required to ready garden *Describe differences in seed, plant directions, size of plants, etc |
Written Expression | *Write sentences for neighbor to care daily for garden
*Write a proposal for garden size and set-up, including rationale for placement of plants |
Auditory Comprehension | *Use written seed instructions to challenge comprehension across 1-4 units of information.
*Practice using strategies such as note-taking to enhance comprehension. |
Reading Comprehension | *Locate care instructions for 1 specific plant
*Use all written instructions to select 6 plants for 6 by 6 foot garden bed |
Motor Speech | *Challenge ability to carry-over motor speech strategy or skill while reading or relaying instructions for plant care |
Attention | *Sustain attention: Sort by color, organize by seed size, alphabetize seed names
*Divide attention: Do above task while also listening to plant instructions and check recall |
Memory | *Short-term recall for seed instructions (immediate or delayed), can add multiple units of info to increase complexity. |
Thought Organization | *Organize a list of factors to consider or plan for when planting a garden |
Problem-Solving / Reasoning | *Create a scaled drawing of a 10 ft by 10ft garden bed, considering plant growth needs and size
*Determine all solutions for using produce |
Executive Function | *Evaluate strategy success during task or planning how to adapt strategies for new situation.
*Plan home program task that could be a similar challenge |
Pragmatics | *Use appropriate social language for a verbal task (Practice adjusting to situation: peers vs calling a garden store vs selling produce to others).
*Use appropriate eye contact, facial expression, gestures for presentation. |
Make sure you get the latest functional therapy updates: Follow Honeycomb Speech Therapy on Facebook , Pinterest, or Instagram, or sign up for email updates below.