CASLLS-Based Therapy Activities for Kindergarten – 5th Grade

Kindergarten – 1st Grade (Early Language Development)

1. Listening & Sound Awareness (Pre-Verbal – Single Word Level)

Activity: Sound Hunt

• Objective: Improve sound awareness and auditory discrimination.
• How to Play:
  • Play different environmental sounds (e.g., doorbell, dog barking, water running) and ask the child to guess or point to the corresponding picture/object.
  • Use real-life situations: “What do you hear? Listen… It’s a bird!”

Activity: Mystery Object Bag

• Objective: Strengthen auditory memory and vocabulary.
• How to Play:
  • Put common objects (ball, spoon, toy car) in a bag.
  • Describe one without showing it (“It’s round, you can throw it”).
  • Have the child guess before pulling it out.

2. Vocabulary & Sentence Expansion (Single Word – Combination Level)

Activity: Picture Walk Storytelling

• Objective: Encourage vocabulary and sentence development.
• How to Play:
  • Use a wordless picture book and describe each page (“Look! The boy is running.”).
  • Ask the child, “What do you see?” and expand on their response (“Yes! The big dog is jumping.”).

Activity: Speech Smash Mat (Themed Vocabulary)

• Objective: Help children practice category-based vocabulary and articulation.
• How to Play:
  • Print a themed smash mat (e.g., farm animals, foods).
  • Have the child name the object and use it in a short phrase before smashing (e.g., “Red apple”).

2nd – 3rd Grade (Expanding Language & Comprehension)

1. Following Multi-Step Directions (Combination – Complex Language Level)

Activity: Simon Says – Auditory Version

• Objective: Improve listening comprehension and ability to follow multi-step directions.
• How to Play:
  • Start with simple commands (“Touch your nose”).
  • Increase complexity (“First, clap your hands, then spin around.”).

Activity: Barrier Drawing Game

• Objective: Enhance auditory comprehension.
• How to Play:
  • The therapist describes a simple picture (“Draw a big sun in the sky”), and the child follows the instructions without seeing the therapist’s version.

2. Conversation & Social Skills (Complex Language Level)

Activity: Social Scenario Role-Play

• Objective: Improve problem-solving and conversational turn-taking.
• How to Play:
  • Present real-life situations (“Your friend is sad. What can you say?”).
  • Have the child role-play and practice responses using full sentences.

Activity: Guess the Feeling

• Objective: Develop emotional vocabulary and perspective-taking.
• How to Play:
  • Show pictures of people with different facial expressions.
  • Ask, “How do they feel? Why do you think that?”
  • Encourage full-sentence answers (“He is sad because he lost his toy.”).

4th – 5th Grade (Higher-Level Language & Critical Thinking)

1. Inferencing & Predicting (Complex Language Level)

Activity: What Happens Next?

• Objective: Develop inferencing skills using context clues.
• How to Play:
  • Show part of a picture or read the beginning of a story.
  • Ask, “What do you think will happen next? Why?”
  • Encourage children to justify their answers.

Activity: Hidden Meaning (Idioms & Figurative Language)

• Objective: Teach figurative language and comprehension beyond literal meanings.
• How to Play:
  • Introduce idioms (“Spill the beans”).
  • Have the child guess what it means and use it in a sentence.

2. Narrative Skills & Expanding Sentences

Activity: Story Cube Challenge

• Objective: Encourage storytelling with expanded sentences.
• How to Play:
  • Roll a story cube or pick random images.
  • Have the child create a story using the images (“First, the boy found a magic key…”).

Activity: Sentence Expansion Ladder

• Objective: Strengthen complex sentence formation.
• How to Play:
  • Start with a simple sentence: “The dog runs.”
  • Add details (“The big brown dog runs fast in the park.”).
  • Encourage the child to build on each sentence.

Additional Free Resources for CASLLS-Based Activities

1. Hearing First – Listening & Language Learning Activities
   https://www.hearingfirst.org

2. Speech Therapy Store – Free Printable Speech & Listening Mats
   https://www.speechtherapystore.com

3. AG Bell Association – Auditory Verbal Therapy Resources
   https://www.agbell.org

4. Boom Learning – Digital Language & Listening Games
   https://www.boomlearning.com

5. LessonPix – Custom CASLLS-Based Materials
   https://www.lessonpix.com