Tips For Your First Day of Therapy as a School Speech Therapist

Whether you’re fresh out of grad school, transitioning from a different setting, or moving to a new school, here are some essential tips and strategies to help you navigate your first day of therapy with confidence.

Start Here

🔴 Introduce yourself

🔴 Show students how to locate your therapy room

🔴 Go over routine & expectations (Note: Some SLPs like to implement some type of reward system, but I highly recommend avoiding this. Focus on connecting with students, fostering intrinsic motivation, and making therapy sessions meaningful for students instead.)

Activity Ideas

🟠 Have students create goal cards

🟠 Introduce students to their folders/ workbooks if applicable

🟠 Play icebreaker games: Would You Rather, Two Truths & a Wish, Put a Finger Down If

🟠 "All About Me" activity (grab a free one here)

🟠 Read: Strictly No Elephants, Chrysanthemum, We Don't Eat Our Classmates, How to Catch a Class Pet

🟡 Use these YouTube read alouds

🟡 Here's a free book companion for The World Needs More Purple People

🟡 If you're looking for something comprehensive, try one of these book companions

🟠 Play: HedBanz, cooperative games, popping games (e.g. Pop the Pig, Pop Up Pirate)

🟠 Just play! (:

Forget the Data

🟢 Focus on connection over compliance

🟢 Observe students in self contained classroom & ask their teacher/ aides about their likes, dislikes, habits, etc.

🟢 Try taking qualitative data rather than quantitative

I hope this has been helpful! 😊

You might also be interested in checklists for:

✔️ Your First Day of School

✔️ Organization & Planning

✔️ Planning Therapy for the Year