best toddler books speech therapy

13+ Best Children’s Books for Speech Therapy

Today I am beyond excited to share my latest blog post outlining a few of my favorite children’s books for speech therapy.

Plus learn a fun way a Speech-Language Pathologist could use one of these great books in their next speech therapy sessions to target specific goals.

In addition, I’ve included digital versions of the following books. **Please be sure to preview the digital versions of the books prior to reading or watching with your child or student. I have previewed all the videos myself, but you know your child or student best and your/their comfort levels with different words or detailed illustrations.**

Children’s Books for Speech Therapy

Here is a list of over 13 of the best children’s books for speech therapy that are perfect for a Speech Language Pathologist or parent looking for a fun and engaged way of working on different speech sounds and language goals.

Be sure to check out the additional growing list of great activities at the bottom of this page and add some of these children’s books for speech therapy to your school supplies list this year.

1. Bear Snores On

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman is one of those favorite books of young readers that is all about a bear who sleeps through the long winter while his friends join him inside his cave inorder to find safety during a winter storm.

BONUS: If you like these types of books then it would be worth it to check out the new books in this bear series. There are a lot of books perfect for adding to your book collection. Such as the following books: Bear’s New Friend, Bear Can’t Sleep, Bear Stays Up for Christmas, Bear Feels Scared, Bear Feels Sick, Bear’s Loose Tooth.

Articulation:

S- Blends- snores, sleeps, stays

Language Skills

Sequencing – Read this book and have your stores retell the order of animals that come into the bear’s den while he is asleep to practice sequencing and order.
Vocabulary – This book has some great elementary vocabulary. Have students describe the words heap, slurp, scuttles, tunnel up, flutter, mutter, twitter, clutter, den, lair, cave, woods, winter, and bear.
What does bear feel like in the winter?
What do you think bear is thinking when he wakes up?
What do you think bear feels when he wakes up? How do you know?
How do the other animals feel when bear sneezes and why?
What do you think will happen when mouse starts the fire?
What do you think the hare will do?
What do you think badger will do with mouse and hare?
Do you think the animals will wake bear up?
Who do you think will wake bear up?
How do you think the animals will make bear feel better?
What animal was sleeping?
What season was it in the story?
Why was bear sleeping?
What are the three different animals that go into bears cave?
What food did the animals eat?

Language Expansion

Making Requests – A great activity to practice language expansion is to make hot cocoa or chocolate milk with your child or student. Practice correct conversational skills, following directions or have them describe how the drink tastes.

Social Skills

During this story, bear wakes up and sees that his friends are having fun without him. He feels upset, and then his friends find a way to include him. This is a great situation to discuss with students to increase social skills.

Digital Version:

2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a beautiful story about a caterpillar who eats a variety of different foods before emerging as a butterfly. This book is perfect for students with a language disorder and working on new words, such as hatches, searches, days of the week, names of fruit, and more.

Articulation:

This is a great book to go on a sound hunt using all the pictures in the book! Have your students look and listen for worlds that have a specific sound. Use some of the ideas below to get started!

/K/ sound – Caterpillar, came, cone, cake, cocoon
/S/ Blends – started, still, strawberries, slice, stomachache, small, stayed
/L/ Sound (initial, medial & final) – light, little, lay, leaf, look, lollipop, caterpillar, watermelon, small, hole, apple

Language Skills:

Basic Concepts – This book is a great tool to go over basic concepts with your student. Go over descriptive concepts by recounting topics in the book such as big vs little, and all the colors. You could also cover quantity concepts by ordering the days one through five. This book also covers temporal concepts such as days of the week, morning, day and night.
Vocabulary – The Hungry Caterpillar is a book filled with some great vocabulary practice words. Here are some ideas: Chrysalis, butterfly, nibbled, cocoon, metamorphosis, larva, pupa, hatch, emergy, wiggle, slice, hungry and the days of the week.
Grammar – Practice grammar with this story as well! Target the present and past tense verbs as you read. Also practice marking the plural nouns that are read. Have your students practice the verb actions they see in the pictures.
Sequencing – This is a great story to practice sequencing with. Have students retell the story while focusing on sequencing concepts such as first, then, next, when, after, last. You can also have your students sequence the order of foods the caterpillar ate. (EXAMPLE: First he ate an apple. Second he ate two pears etc). Another idea is to sequence the days of the week. (EXAMPLE: Mon – 1 apple, Tuesday – 2 pears, Wed – 3 plums etc)
Describing – This book has some amazing illustrations that are great for providing description practice. Have your students describe a caterpillar vs a butterfly. You could also prompt your students to describe the different food in this story. Turn it into a taste testing activity and describe different fruits as juicy, sour, sweet, crunchy, the color, size and shape, or the category of food.
Past Tense Verbs – This story uses many irregular past tense verbs such as lay, came, ate, was, felt, built and some irregular past tense verbs such as stayed, called and started.
Show me the butterfly and tell me your favorite color on it.
Count the number of holes on the leaf and then turn the page.
Point to a red piece of fruit, and then touch the orange.
Put your finger onto the caterpillar and then slide your finger toward the sun.
Put a finger onto the egg and tap your thumb on the moon.
Who is this book about?
Where is the egg on this page?
What happened to the caterpillar when he ate all the food and then the green leaf?
What is a caterpillar’s small home called?
What did the caterpillar in the story turn into?
2 Syllable – morning, tiny, cocoon, apple, hungry
3 Syllable – lollipop, butterfly, chocolate, strawberry
4 Syllable – Caterpillar, watermelon, stomachache
Opposites – There are lots of opposites in this story! Look for these as you read – moon/sun, caterpillar/butterfly, junk food/healthy food, skinny/plump, small/big, and hungry/full.
Category Ideas – Practice language expansion skills by practicing categories with your students. After reading the book, practice sorting fruits, vegetables and junk food. You could look at what the caterpillar eats and sort food vs insects. This is a great bridge into a quick discussion on if the food eaten was healthy food or junk food.
Comparing and Contrasting – As you read through this story, compare and contrast the food. Discuss with your students how two foods are the same and different (EXAMPLE: Both the strawberry and apple are red, but a strawberry is soft and an apple is crunchy.)

3. Happy to Be Me

Happy to Be Me by Emma Dodd is a great way to work on identifying different body parts which are functional words that might be some of your students’ first words. The story goes through each body part and thanks each of them for the amazing things that they help us do. Plus the best part is the book teaches our students to celebrate what makes them, them!

Practice TH Articulation with the “Thank You” repetition in this story.

Language Skills:

Body Part Vocabulary – Use this story to go over the following body parts: mouth, toes, thumbs and fingers, hands, ears, eyes, head, nose, tongue, legs, lips, teeth
Rhyming – Practice rhyming with your student and highlight the multiple rhymes in the story as well: wiggle/giggle, to/you, hold/told, smell/well, lap/nap, chew/you, above/love.

4. Press Here

Press Here by Herve Tullet is one of those favorite interactive books that many Speech Pathologists love to use when working in the schools and is a huge hit with younger children. This is a silly book filled with verbs allowing your child to work on their language development by following directions of the action given, such as press here and then making more dots appear on the next page.

Colors – This book is great for your young children who need a little extra help working on identifying colors. Simply give them a simple direction, such as “Touch the red dot.”
Following Directions – Read the story and have your student follow the 1-step directions. For example, “blow on the page” or “tap the circle.” Some of the directions do get a little more complex, such as “tap only the yellow circles” or “tilt the book to the left”.
Basic Concepts – Descriptive Concepts (small, medium, large, colors, gently, hard), Quantity Concepts (counting, all, just, only, more, once, twice), Location Concepts (left, right, middle).
Vocabulary Action Verbs – shake, tap, blow, rub, turn, tilt, or clap.
Past Tense Verbs – Have the student retell you what action they or their classmate just took. For example, Sam could say, “Jason just tapped the red dot.”
Answering WH-Questions – Ask your student’s simple questions about what they or their classmate just did. For example, “What color of dot did you just tap?”
Predicting – Have the child or student try to predict what will happen before you turn the page. “What do you think will happen next?” My students always loved the fun element of surprise when reading this story.
Expressive Language – Expressive language is an important skill to work on your student’s communication skills. Start by having your student explain what happened on each page. For example, if you have them tap the red circle 5 times and the next page shows 5 red circles in a line your student could explain that when they tapped the red circle 5 times it made 5 individual circles appear on the following page.

5. Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is perfect for all of those language therapy goals on your caseload. The repetitive text helps children with speech disorders to anticipate what might come next in the story.

Articulation

B Sound – bear, bowl, balloon
G Sound & G-Blends – goodnight, great, green
L Sound – little, light, lady, old, telephone, balloon, bowl, full
M Sound – mitten, mouse, mush, moon, jumping, comb, room
Vocabulary – As you go through the story, have your child or student label the different household items, toys, animals, and clothing. (moon, light, clock, sock, star, bear, chair, red balloon, cow, telephone, mittens, toy house, comb, house, and brush).
Prepositions – There is a mouse hidden in every picture which is great for working on prepositional phrases.
Colors – This book is great for your young children working on identifying colors. Simply have them sort the different vocabulary words by color.
Categorization – As you read the story, have your student category sort the different vocabulary words into one of the following categories, such as toys, clothing, animal, or furniture.

Here are a few additional ideas to expand on the book activity.

Categorization – Give your child or student a room within their school or their house and have them say night night while naming 3-5 objects within each room. For example, if you give them the kitchen they could say, “night night refrigerator”, “night night oven”, “night night toaster”, etc.
Following Directions – If you have a play house or toy animals you could give the student a 1-step or 2-step direction to follow using the toy objects. For example, “put the bear on the chair.”

6. A Bad Case of Stripes

A Bad Case of Stripes (Scholastic Bookshelf)

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon is one of the best books for student’s with a communication disorder working on different perspectives and making inferences. You could have your older students work on interpreting facial expressions and talk about how other people might feel in a given situation.

Why do you think Camilla got stripes?
What do you think will happen when she goes to school?
What could cure Camilla?
Why did the old lady give Camilla lima beans?
Vocabulary – There are some great vocabulary words to target while reading this story! Look for lima beans, examine, normal, experts, therapist, afraid, specialists, multi-colored.
Sequencing – To practice sequencing, have students sequence the events in order of first, next, then, and last.

Social Skills:

Identify Facial Expressions – A good reason to work on facial expressions is that it helps your students interpret how others feel.

7. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen is perfect if you’re looking for one of those repetitive books that you can use in therapy over and over again. This book follows a family getting out into nature and exploring the world before coming back home.

B Sound – bed, beautiful, bear, big, back, bedroom, and stumble.
S-Blends – snowstorm, stairs, splosh, splash, swishy-swashy, stumble, squelch, squelch, and scared.
K Sound – cave, covers, catch, can’t, back, dark, and thick.
W Sound – wavy, wet, we’re, what, whirling, and we.
Story Retell/Sequencing – Due to the repetitive nature of the book along with a clear sequence of events makes this story a great one for story retelling/sequencing.
Spatial Concepts – Have the student practice putting the bear, “over”, “under”, “through”, “up”, “down”. You can grab a bear cutout here .
Descriptive Words/Opposites – As you come across the different descriptive words throughout the text have your students identify the opposites for example, long/short, cold/hot, deep/shallow, wavy/straight, thick/thin, big/little, dark/bright, wet/dry, narrow/wide.
Answering WH-Questions – Ask your students wh-questions. For example, “who is going on a bear hunt?”, “what animal are they hunting?”, “where are they now?”
Vocabulary – As you go through the story, have your child or student label the different nature nouns (snowstorm, bear, mud, cave, grass, river, forest, and trees. You can grab some of these vocabulary words from this Boardmaker Board simply sign in to download your copy here .

This book is filled with different sound effects so here are a few additional ideas to expand on the book activity.

Sound Effects – Have your child or student act out the different sound effects, such as “splashy river” or “howling snowstorm”.
Prepositions – Have your child act out the different prepositions (over, under, and through) with hand gestures or have your child on a bear hunt by printing out some bear pictures or grab a couple of stuffed animal bears and hide them around the house. Then have your child tell you where they found the bears. For example, “the bear was under the chair”.

9. The Little Old Lady That Wasn’t Afraid of Anything

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

The Little Old Lady That Wasn’t Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams and Megan Lloyd is one of the best children’s books out there. This story follows a little old lady who goes on a walk through the forest looking for herbs, nuts, and seeds and on her way home meets various clothing items that try to scare her, but she keeps telling them that she is not afraid of anything! This book is great for your older children who wouldn’t be afraid of scary clothing items following a lady home.

BONUS: If you like this story then it would be worth it to check out the different old lady series of books to add to your list of great speech therapy books. Covering the following favorite topics: There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Clover, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Bell, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Rose, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Chick, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Turkey, etc.

L Sound – lady, little, left, long, look, locked, old, walk, suddenly, stumbled, whistled, bravely, silly, middle, wiggle, still
L-Blends – clomp, gloves, sliver, black, clap, closed
S Sound – seeds, suddenly, so, safe, sat, saw, said, seemed, forest, whispered, whistled, inside, once, nuts, pants, pace, us
S-Blends – spices, started, stopped, stop, sliver, stumbled, scary, scare
Z Sound – closed, was, herbs, spices, seeds, shoes, gloves
R Sound – ran, rocked, afraid, afternoon, forest, orange, early, farther, through, shirt, scary, started, sliver, herbs, dark, whispered, garden, her, far, were, hear, faster, near, door, chair, fire, answer, ear
T Sound – time, two, talk, tall, afternoon, cottage, started, faster, nuts, pants, startled, brighten, whistled, left, not, went, forest, collect, night, shirt, white, hat, out, quite, fast, sat, quiet, next
Clothing Vocabulary – As you go through the story, have your child or student label the different clothing items (gloves, hat, shoes, pants, shirt).
Verbs – Have the student retell you what action each clothing item took. For example, “The pants wiggled.” To take it one step further you could have the child act out the action verb.
Answering WH-Questions – Ask your students wh-questions. For example, “Which item goes clap, clap?”, “Why was the old lady in the forest?”, “Where was the old lady headed to after it got dark?”, or “What action does the hat do?”
Sound Effects – Have your child or student act out the different sound effects, such as “pants wiggling” or “gloves clapping”. (Shoes – stomp your feet, Pants – wiggle your body, Shirt – shake your arms, Hat – nod your head, Gloves – clap your hands).
Categorization – If you have some play clothes or pictures of clothing items you could have the child practice separating out the clothes into different categories. For example, you could have your child or student identify clothing that fall into summer clothes versus winter clothes.

Digital Version: Ends at 3:45

11. Dear Zoo

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell is one of those highly engaging flap books about a young boy who writes to the zoo asking them to send him a pet. The illustrations along with the lifting of the flaps helps to encourage joint attention in a fun and interactive way.

B Initial – This book is perfect for working on the b sound, because on every page you send the animal ‘back’ and each animal comes in a ‘box’.
Basic Concepts – You can have the child or student work on the concepts ‘ open ’ and ‘ close ’ as they use the flaps. In addition, each animal is given a description, such as “the elephant is too big ” or “the giraffe is too tall ” allowing the student to work on even more concepts.
Answering WH-Questions – This book is perfect for wh-questions. For example, after reading the story together you could ask, “Why couldn’t the boy keep the giraffe for a pet?” The child could then answer, “Because the giraffe is too tall and it couldn’t fit through the front door of my house.”
Answering Yes/No Questions – As you go through the story you could point to an animal and then ask a yes or no question about that specific animal. For example, you could point to the elephant and ask is an elephant purple?
Vocabulary – You can have your child or student practice filling in the blanks at the end of the repetitive sentences by naming the animal under the flaps.
Multisyllabic Words – Another fun activity you could try would be to count or clap out the number of syllables in naming each animal. For example, el-e-phant has 3 syllables.
Categorization – Categorization is a great vocabulary activity. Have your child or student identify animals that fall in all three animal categories of pets, farm animals, and zoo animals. If you have some play animals you could have the child practice separating out the play animals into the different categories.
Reasoning Skills – You could also work on reasoning skills by asking your student what their favorite animal is and have them explain why it is their favorite animal.
Nursery Rhymes – You could even throw in a nursery rhyme, such as Hey, Diddle, Diddle and categorize the animals or make their symbolic noises as well for some extra fun!

12. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst is all about a boy named Alexander who ends up having one thing after another go wrong. However, it might make these very bad days easier when you know it happens to other people as well.

Why did the author write a story about a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?
Is there a lesson we can learn from the story?
Did Alexander behave appropriately?
Is there any time in the story when he could have behaved differently? Would this have helped make the day better?
Did he make good choices?
What did Alexander’s mother say to help him solve his problem?
Could she have said something that would have helped him solve his problem?
Sequencing – After reading the story, have students practice sequencing by ordering the events first, next, then, to last.
What happened to Alexander’s sweater?
What did Alexander find in his cereal box?
What number did Alexander skip when counting at school?
What did Alexander draw in his invisible picture?
Vocabulary – This story is filled with some great vocabulary practice words such as cereal, sailboat, skateboard, shoestore, downstairs, carsick, crybaby, railroad, undercover, cupcakes

Language Expansion:

For language expansion, carry on from your prediction lesson and predict that Alexander wakes up the next morning to the start of a great day! Have your students write a story about his day. You could also prompt your students to write a story about a terrible, no good, very bad day in their own life. How would their day go badly from waking up to going to bed to fall asleep? Have them title their own story similarly.

13. Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are: A Caldecott Award Winner

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a fun and exciting book all about a boy named Max who dresses up in a wolf outfit and pretends to set sail to an island inhabited by Wild Things who end up naming Max king.

R Articulation: rolled, roared, room, forest, terrible, around, mother, year, far, supper
R Blends Articulation: grew, private, through, trick, frightened
When did Max sail off?
Who called Max a wild thing first?
Who did Max threaten to eat?
Where did Max go in his boat?
Why did Max’s mother send him to bed?
What did the wild things do when they saw Max?
Vocabulary – Practice the following vocabulary words with your students: mischief, private, wild, terrible, claws, frightened, cried, supper, lonely
Story Retell – After reading the story, have your students retell it in a few sentences to practice retelling.
Compare and Contrast – Have your students compare and contrast Max to the Wild Things.

14. The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein follows the main characters a boy and a tree about the gift of giving and the acceptance of another’s ability to love in return. This book is a great read with a great message all about love and acceptance.

Vocabulary – Review these vocabulary words with your students as you read through this story: love, swing, eat, hide, sleep, play, carry, shake, cut, sail, sit, rest, build, speak
What do you think Shel Silverstein wanted us to learn from reading this story?
How did the boy treat the tree throughout the story?
Why do you think the tree is so giving to the boy?
What problems were solved for the boy by the tree?
What could the tree have done differently?
Did the tree have to give all of herself away?
Story retell – After reading the story, have your students retell it in a few sentences to practice retelling.
Compare and Contrast – Compare and contrast the boy vs the tree.

Great Resource List

If you want additional effective tools or resources that go along with these great stories to work on your student’s specific targets then be sure to check out the following freebies.

If you need other children’s speech therapy book lists then you will want to check out my complete list of 15+ interactive books for speech therapy .

Little Kids

Here are a few different ways to work on your child’s ability to retell past events using these fun visuals.

Sequencing and Retelling Short Stories FREEBIE by Speech Language Lady is a great short story for story to read and then practice retelling in sequential order. Cut and glue the story back into order to practice retelling with your young students.
The Mitten – Retell a Story by Building a Foundation is a whole retell activity to set that accompanies a short story. Print in color or black and white!
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Retelling Pictures and Story Cards by Courtney N is a clear, ready to go activity to help teach retelling. This includes free story cards and a pocket chart station to be used with a big group when reading the story.
Retell Story Hands by Blue SKies with Jennifer White is an activity that uses hands to identify the setting, plot and characters to help students gather details to retell the story.

In Conclusion: Children’s Books for Speech Therapy

We hope you have found this article helpful for finding some awesome children’s books for speech therapy and the best way to use each book within your next therapy session.

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Children’s Books for Speech Therapy: The Ultimate List

If you are a speech-language pathologist searching for the best children’s books for speech therapy, check out this blog post! Using books during speech therapy sessions provide a fun way to target articulation and language goals. This article explains why SLPs might use children’s books in speech therapy. Additionally, it provides suggestions for how to use books in speech therapy, as well as suggestions for actual books that target a variety of speech and language skills. There are books listed by target speech sound. Additionally, there are book suggestions for vocabulary development, story retell, sequencing, spatial concepts, wordless picture books, imitating actions, gestures, and sounds, and books that promote diversity and inclusion. Finally, this blog post provides links to 5 websites that SLPs or other educators might use to access free digital libraries.

This blog post contains a list of the best children's books for speech therapy.

This post contains affiliate links, which means we could receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended.

Why Speech Pathologists Use Children’s Books in Speech Therapy

Books are such a wonderful tool to use with children who have language delays. In fact, shared book reading has been found to have a positive impact on receptive and expressive language skills .

When we read books aloud to children, we are exposing them to a ton of new vocabulary that they wouldn’t typically hear in conversation! The more exposure and direct instruction children have to new vocabulary words ( especially tier II vocabulary words), the better! Think about it: how often would your students hear the word ‘huddle’ in their day to day? But exposure to new vocabulary will also help increase literacy skills! SLPs also know how important vocabulary instruction is, and that it needs to be interactive and fun. Students have to be able to do more than spit out definitions. They need to actually make connections between words and their meanings .

In addition to encouraging vocabulary development, books also provide a wonderful way to increase narrative skills. Skills like retelling stories, summarizing, and sequencing can be directly taught through appropriate children’s books.

Books can also be a fantastic tool for targeting comprehension goals.

Speech sound targets can be addressed using books as well during speech therapy sessions.

Finally, books provide a fun way to keep kids engaged during speech therapy sessions.

How To Use Books in a Speech Therapy Session

It’s easy to incorporate books in a speech therapy session! Engaging stories encourage language learning. Children’s books are a wonderful way to target a variety of speech and language objectives.

Here are some ideas that school SLPs could try during therapy sessions in academic settings or outpatient speech therapy:

Identify tier II vocabulary in the book. Discuss the definitions of unknown vocabulary terms both before, and during, a story read-aloud. Have the students write target vocabulary words on index cards, and draw pictures or write sentences to pair with that definition.
Incorporate the strategy of dialogic reading into your story read-aloud.
Find any target word that pairs with a specific speech sound. Write those words on a dry-erase board while reading, then review them after the story read aloud.
Discuss any figurative language while reading a story aloud.
Sort pictures related to the book into different categories. For example, if reading The Little Blue Truck, one might sort farm animal pictures and vehicle pictures into separate piles.
Answer comprehension questions about the story.
Review the story grammar elements using a graphic organizer (plot, setting, point of view, characters, and conflict).
Have students retell the story using their own words. Provide a list of transition words to help them out.
Describe story characters or objects using a multisensory tool, such as the Expanding Expression Toolkit.

The Best Children’s Books for Speech Sounds and Articulation Therapy

Did you know that children with speech sound disorders sometimes struggle with storytelling? That can be an issue because storytelling and reading success go hand in hand !

SLPs can incorporate literacy into speech therapy sessions while targeting articulation. There are too many book options to list!

The best part is that, typically, you can use (almost) any book of your choice to target any speech sound. If the text doesn’t directly state words with the target sound, then we describe what we see in the picture using our target sound.

Still, it can be super nice to have a set of books that target specific speech sounds in your therapy room. Check out the following books for articulation therapy:

P Sound-Loaded Books

“Peek a Who” by Nina Laden

“The Pout-Pout Fish” by Deborah Diesen

“Pig the Pug” by Aaron Blabey

B Sound-Loaded Books

“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

“Bear Snores On” by Karma Wilson

T Sound-Loaded Books

“The Tiptoeing Tiger” by Philippa Leathers

“Ten Apples Up on Top!” by Dr. Seuss

D Sound-Loaded Books

“Five Little Ducks” by Raffi

“Dinosaur Dig” by Penny Dale

K Sound-Loaded Books

“Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type” by Doreen Cronin

“Whose Chick Are You?” by Nancy Tafuri

G Sound-Loaded Books

“Giggle, Giggle, Quack” by Doreen Cronin

“Gooey Gummy Geese” by Angela Holzer

F Sound-Loaded Books

“The Foot Book” by Dr. Seuss

“Hooray for Fish” by Lucy Cousins

TH Sound-Loaded Books

“The Tooth Book” by Dr. Seuss

“The Mighty Thor” by Billy Wrecks

S Sound-Loaded Books

“The Seals on the Bus” by Lenny Hort

“Silly Sally” by Audrey Wood

S-Blend Sound-Loaded Books

“Sneezy the Snowman” by Maureen Wright

“There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spoon” by Lucille Colandro

“The Snail and the Whale” by Julia Donaldson

SH Sound-Loaded Books

“Sheep in a Jeep” by Nancy Shaw

“Sheep Blast Off!” by Nancy Shaw

“Sheep in a Shop” by Nancy Shaw

CH Sound-Loaded Books

“Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

J (DJ) Sound-Loaded Books

“Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae

“Jump” by Scott M. Fisher

R and R Blend Sound-Loaded Books

“Raccoon on His Own” by Jim Arnosky

“Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson

L and L Blend Sound-Loaded Books

“Llama Llama Red Pajama” by Anna Dewdney

“There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” by Lucille Colandro

Top Childrens Books for Vocabulary Development

Books can provide engaging ways to target vocabulary knowledge and depth.

Have you checked out the ‘Bear’ series by Karma Wilson? If you haven’t, you absolutely need to!

Karma Wilson is one of my favorite children’s book authors. These are the best books for working on vocabulary development! This is because tier II vocabulary words are included in these engaging books for younger students! Tier II vocabulary words are high-frequency words that are important to target during your speech therapy session. Tier II vocabulary words are not super common in everyday conversations, but are not as specific as content-area vocabulary.

One of the best books in the ‘Bear’ series is Bear Feels Scared , but check out any that you see! Some tier II vocabulary words in “Bear Feels Scared” include “scared”, “huddle”, “tremble”, “quake”, “shiver” and “worry”. Check out this blog post to learn how to target learning new vocabulary in speech therapy .

Another great Karma Wilson book is “ Bear Wants More “. Some tier II vocabulary words that a speech therapist could target during a speech and language session might include “ravenous”, “wriggle”, “gobble”, “drowsy”, “gorge”, and “sniff”.

Best Story Retell Children’s Books

Little Blue Truck is a classic book featuring a friendly blue truck and different animals that share in his adventure. In this story, Little Blue takes the time to be a friend to many farm animals and help others out (including a grumpy dump truck). Little kids find the illustrations and rhyming lines enchanting! Repetitive books are fun, as your students can help repeat lines as the story goes on. This book is a fun way to work on narrative sequence and animal sounds!

Tomie DePaola is another children’s author to check out. My favorite is The Knight and The Dragon . This book is really fun for obtaining language samples because although there are words, there are many pages that are illustrations-only and encourage children to talk about the story! The best part about this story is the unlikely best friends that pair up in the end!

P.S. Want to learn how to best assess preschool narrative skills ? Some research indicates that interactive conversations with your younger students are the preferred way to do this!

My Favorite Children’s Books for Spatial Concepts

A speech language pathologist will want to try reading “Where’s Spot?” by Eric Hill when targeting spatial concepts. This book is engaging for younger learners working on early language development. The book contains a lift-the-flap component to keep kids interested!

Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins is a great book for teaching prepositions to younger children. In this story, a hen goes for a walk while being trailed by a sneaky fox! There are tons of opportunities for discussing spatial vocabulary during a speech therapy session while looking at the pictures in this book!

An additional children’s book that targets spatial concepts (prepositions) using colorful dogs is the classic book Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman . And since children of all ages love animals, a good dog book is always a win in speech therapy!

Wordless Picture Books for Speech Therapy

Want to try using some wordless picture books? These provide a perfect way to target all sorts of objectives in articulation and language therapy!

One of my favorite wordless picture books is Chalk by Bill Thompson . Students can help tell the story while looking at the different pictures. Your students can practice using target words in a variety of sentence structures. Try writing a target word, like a conjunction, on a sticky note. Stick it onto a page and see if your student can come up with a sentence to describe the picture using that target word.

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney is another fantastic option. It includes beautifully-drawn illustrations. This story tells the tale of a lion who spares a mouse. The mouse then goes on to help free the lion later in the story.

Another wordless picture book series is the Wimmelbooks. There are no words, but each page has a TON of exciting action and characters. Younger students could simply label action words. Older students can follow characters from page to page and tell a story. Check out My Big Wimmelbook: Dinosaurs or My Big Wimmelbook- Cars and Things That Go .

Books for Imitating Actions, Gestures, Sounds, and Exclamations

SLPs know how gesture development is an important precursor to language development ! That’s why it’s important to incorporate imitating gestures into your therapy session.

I love the simple illustrations in the Leslie Patricelli board books that are just so engaging for my younger students! These are wonderful, quick books for working on expressive language or a speech disorder. Though advertised as toddler books, my younger preschoolers still loved them! These were wonderful books for my preschool students with special needs. I paired them with gestures and exclamations. Check out the silly book Yummy, Yucky to get started. Your students can imitate a thumbs up, or thumbs down gesture, and practice exclamations like “ewww!”

this book can be used to target imitating gestures during speech therapy sessions (Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli)

Hoping to try books written by SLP authors? One great pick is The Big Book of Exclamations , written by Teri Kaminski Peterson and Chris McAllister. Bonus- they’ve also written a part two ( Talk with Me! The Big Book of Exclamations 2 ). Young children will be engaged by this interactive book, and it’s easy to modify language modeling based on a child’s ability.

Dear Zoo is such a great book and another classic! It is sturdy and contains interactive, “lift the flap” features. Work on labeling animals, animal sounds, and other language or imitation skills. This board book will be a favorite for young children.

Top Children’s Speech Therapy Books for Sequencing

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? This is a classic book by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle that a speech therapist might try out in therapy! The unique illustrations and engaging rhythm are very appealing to young children.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a wonderful way to discuss the life cycles of butterflies! The beautiful transformation from caterpillar to butterfly is very enchanting for children to see, and the illustrations are a hit. If you happen to own a felt board, check out these Very Hungry Caterpillar felt board pieces that can be paired with the story. This book provides a great way to work on vocabulary, sequencing, and more!

Another personal favorite is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff . In fact, my SLP coworkers and I even dressed up as characters from the Laura Numeroff book series one year at Halloween! This is a classic story that is fun and engaging and can easily be used to address sequencing skills.

The Mitten by Jan Brett is another great children’s book that can be used to target sequence of events! Nicki loses his mitten in the snow, but many grateful animals soon snuggle inside to stay warm.

The Best Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

Are you wanting to use interactive books in speech therapy? My favorite books, both written by Bill Cotter, include Don’t Push the Button! and Don’t Push the Button: A Halloween Treat! These fun books will have your students shaking the book, pushing buttons, and shouting when instructed- and of course, they’ll be giggling the entire time!

this is a fun interactive book for speech therapy that can be used with preschool and elementary speech and language students (Don't Push the Button by Bill Cotter)

Another fun interactive book option that speech language pathologists could recommend that parents try at bedtime is Touch the Brightest Star by Christie Matheson .

Best Children’s Books for Speech Therapy that Promote Diversity and Inclusion

Check out Max and the Tag-Along Moon by Floyd Cooper ! This is a comforting story about a little boy and his grandpa. The swervy-curvy car ride home and the beautiful text and illustrations will make this story a favorite in your speech therapy room!

The children’s book Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña is absolutely worth checking out! In this story, a boy and his grandmother take a bus ride after church through a busy city. Along the way, he meets many diverse people. At his final stop, his grandmother encourages him to see the beauty in his surroundings.

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold is a wonderful book where children from all backgrounds go to a school that promotes love and inclusion. It promotes being kind to all, despite our differences.

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales has the most beautiful illustrations! This is the inspiring true story of the author who immigrated to the United States with her son. They had to be resilent and faced times of confusion and lonliness in a new country. They discovered the public library and an enthusiastic love for books and reading, which allowed them to have hope and finally feel at home.

Best Books for Upper Elementary

In case you missed it, I reviewed my f avorite books for upper elementary students in a previous post . In that post, I provided suggestions for how to use books in speech therapy with older students. I also provided a list of my absolute favorite books to use with 4th and 5th graders. Make sure to check it out!

5 Websites with Free Digital Libraries for SLPs and Educators

Although I always prefer a hard copy of a book if possible, it doesn’t hurt to know how to access a digital copy! This is especially important for a busy speech pathologist who travels between buildings.

Here are a list of websites or apps that school SLPs and educators might wish to check out for free digital copies of books:

Open Library is one possible option for SLPs or other educators ( https://openlibrary.org/ )
Project Gutenberg has a library of over 70,000 free e-books! ( https://www.gutenberg.org/ )
Check out Storyline Online, which features videos with well-known actors reading stories aloud ( https://www.storylineonline.net/ )
Epic! is a must-check out digital library site that is free for educators! ( https://www.getepic.com/ )
Check out Bookshare, a federally-funded library of ebooks that is FREE for educators! ( https://www.bookshare.org/ )

Incorporating Yoga and Children’s Books into Speech Therapy Sessions

Speech pathologists can pair this yoga mat book companion with any book. It’s the perfect way to target story retell and story elements!

First, your student will listen to the story. Then, he will identify the characters, setting, and problem. He will additionally describe events in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Finally, your student will explain the solution to the problem and identify any lessons learned from the story.

After each part of the story retell task, your student will complete a yoga pose!

This is a yoga mat book companion for speech therapy. It can be used for story retell and story elements. Created by The Pedi Speechie

In summary, Speech-Language Pathologists often use children’s books in speech therapy. Books can provide an engaging way to promote language skills, speech sound skills, and literacy. SLPs might wish to target a variety of speech and language objectives using a book during a speech therapy session.

Scroll up to read a list of suggested books sorted by target goal area for speech therapy. Finally, SLPs might wish to access free digital libraries in addition to reading paper copies of the best children’s books.

Speech therapists may also wish to read about the best books for 4th and 5th graders .

Quick and Easy Semantic Relationships Speech Therapy Worksheets

These semantic relationships speech therapy worksheets make it simple to work on this skill. They are absolutely perfect for upper elementary or middle school speech therapy students who need to work on semantic relationships, and involve no prep- making them quick and easy to use during a busy day! In this blog post, I’ll share…

Thanksgiving Speech Therapy Activities | Following Directions | Main Idea and Supporting Details

Thanksgiving is here- are you celebrating in your speech therapy room? I’ve got some engaging Thanksgiving Speech Therapy activities that I KNOW you’ll want to try- because my students have been LOVING these! Working on following directions? Working on main idea and supporting details? I’ve got you covered! You might have enjoyed my Following Directions…

Here Are 2 Simple Main Idea Examples Paragraph (+ Activities)

Are you a speech-language pathologist or teacher teaching the main idea of a passage to your students? Understanding the main idea of a paragraph is an important skill for language development. This blog post explains the components of a main idea passage and provides a main idea examples paragraph. It is important to teach the…

4 Beneficial (and Easy) Voicing Speech Therapy Activities for SLPs To Try

Searching for some effective voicing speech therapy activities? Speech-language pathologists often need voicing activities when working with young children or school-aged children who have articulation or phonological disorders. This article provides suggestions for voicing activities. Speech production can be impacted by a phonological disorder, and voicing can negatively impact the intelligibility of speech sound production….

5 EASY End of the Year Speech Therapy Activities

Need some EASY end of the year speech activities? In this summer speech therapy resource round-up post, I’m sharing some no-prep, low prep, stress-free and engaging speech and language resources to use in the last few sessions- or the last day- of speech for the year. If you’re like me- you’re literally in SLP survival…

Autism Podcast Series
Late Talkers Podcast Series
Let’s Talk About Talking Podcast Series
Toddler Articulation Podcast Series
About Laura Mize
Teach Me To Talk Testimonials
ASHA CE Credit on DVD
Favorite Emails
Intelligibility
Sign Language
Therapy Tip of the Week
Professionals
The Apraxia Workbook
The Autism Workbook
Let’s Talk About Talking
Teach Me To Talk: The Therapy Manual
Building Verbal Imitation Skills in Toddlers
FUNctional Phonology
Teach Me To Play WITH You
Entire Collection PLUS
Therapy Manual Combo Pack SPECIAL
Entire Collection from Teach Me To Talk
Therapy Manual Combo Pack PLUS
Both Apraxia and Talk DVDs – 3 DVD Set
3 DVD Set Teach Me To Talk + Listen and Obey
5 DVD Set – Teach Me To Talk DVD Collection
Helping Toddlers with Autism Set
Helping Toddlers with Autism Comprehensive Package
Helping Toddlers with Significant Delays Package
Is It Autism? Recognizing and Treating Toddlers with ASD – 1 & 2 Set
PLAY Package
Teach Me To Talk The DVD and Therapy Manual
All CEU Courses
Building Verbal Imitation in Late Talkers Podcast Series
Speech Language Therapy Videos
Privacy and Terms

Great Books for Toddlers with Speech Language Delays (with Therapy Activities!)

This morning a mom who read my “First Sessions” toy list asked me if I would send her a list “just like that” for my favorite books to use with toddlers during those first few speech therapy sessions. This post is my answer to her request!

Before I share my list of GREAT Books for Toddlers, let me pass on my BEST tidbits of wisdom I’ve discovered during my 20+ year career for using books with toddlers with speech-language delays. The first recommendation is critical:

If a young child HATES books, don’t force him to read!

Some parents and therapists are surprised at this advice because we all know how beneficial reading is for kids, but let me tell you why forcing a toddler to read is counterproductive.

When you force a toddler to participate in a truly non-preferred activity, particularly during the first few therapy sessions when you’re just getting to know each other, he’s not going to learn anything other than YOU are someone he DOES NOT LIKE because you make him do things he HATES. Therefore, he may begin to HATE you too. (Sad, but true!)

As a parent, we have to make our own children do things they don’t want to do every day – take baths, brush their teeth, change a dirty diaper, turn off the iPad or TV, go to bed, take medicine, and on and on and on…

But as a speech pathologist, you really don’t have to do things a toddler doesn’t like, especially in the beginning. During those first few sessions concentrate on building your relationship, or as I like to think of it, developing a special friendship with a child. I don’t understand why a therapist would want anything else. My cornerstone philosophy is this…

I want the child to like me.

So do you!! Here’s why…

When a child likes you, he wants to be near you. Being near you is necessary because he has to be near you to learn ANYTHING you want to teach him.

When he’s running away from you, he’s not learning. When he’s hitting you, he’s not learning. When he’s crying, he’s not learning. When he’s doing anything except looking at you and listening to you and engaging with you, he’s not learning. Period.

As I tell parents all the time, I want your child to come to associate me with fun and to believe that I am “the giver of good things.” In order for that to happen, I have to give a child something he likes, rather than something he HATES.

If you continue to insist that a toddler read a book with you and he doesn’t like it, he’s naturally going to do everything he can to resist. Ignoring you, moving on, running away, hitting, biting, or just plain checking out. As we’ve already established, NONE of those behaviors facilitates learning.

So it’s YOUR job, as the therapist or a parent, to make this activity something he doesn’t want to resist. If you can’t figure out ways to help him happily participate in reading, then my best piece of advice would be:

Don’t try books… yet…

Establish a child’s participation with you by playing together doing whatever he loves FIRST and then gradually move toward including books as a part of your therapy session. For additional information about why I believe it’s important to choose things a child likes during therapy, take a look at this post:

Why Motivation is Important

The good news is…

I have some super tricks that will make reading much more fun for many of our little friends who don’t necessarily HATE books, but who don’t exactly love them either. I’ll be including those tips as I present my list of books.

If you’d like to dig in with a more comprehensive discussion of these ideas, a couple of years ago I did a whole series of podcasts about books called “Making Books Better.” It includes milestones and theory in addition to a TON of practical, usable information and more specific “how to” guidance than I can list here in a post. Here are the links to those shows for you:

Making Books Better Podcast

Other quick tips to make reading books with toddlers with developmental delays easier for YOU:

1. Choose CARDBOARD books for toddlers and preschoolers . A long, long time ago I realized that I tend to get a little cranky when one of my little friends rips a page… To avoid that unfortunate but very common occurrence, I use only cardboard books!

2. Consider when you read with a toddler. Pick a time when a child is more likely to participate. If a child is all wound up, it’s probably not a good time for a book. If a child needs to run around to release some pent up energy, let her do that first, then read. If a child is hungry, feed him first, or better yet, let him eat while you read. Choosing better timing is all it takes for some children to begin to like books.

In sessions with busy kids, I try to pull out a book when a child is seeking comfort or is settling down. This is why reading at bedtime is so popular.

It’s also why reading during a therapy session can be a challenge. Sometimes we’ve worked hard to rev up a child’s little system to get him to the point where he can talk and perform, and then we switch gears and expect him to listen to a book. This can be too passive for many of our little friends, especially when they don’t really understand the words they’re hearing. We’ll have to tweak when and how we present the book to make it more active and more meaningful during therapy. These same strategies can work at home too for a child who has rejected a parent’s attempts to introduce books.

3. Sit together to read. I hold toddlers in my lap all the time to read books. Body on body contact is regulating and calming for young children, particularly when a toddler has a tough time sitting still. Holding him or her will also help build that all important social and emotional connection with a child. As therapists who work in early intervention, establishing this connection should be one of our first and primary goals. If a child will let you connect with him like this, it is a great beginning.

For toddlers who don’t like to be held, sit across from them and hold the book facing them to show them the pictures. If you’re having a hard time establishing joint attention while reading, meaning that the child no longer includes you in reading once he sees the book, sitting across from him will make it much more likely that he remembers you’re still there! Sometimes I even place a kid on a low coffee table or couch. I sit on the floor so that my face is level with the book and it’s more likely they’ll notice me as we read together.

4. Do your best to maintain control of the book. If a toddler gets upset and won’t let you hold the book, do your best to stay engaged and making yourself a necessary part of the activity without forcing him into a meltdown. No child learns language during a power struggle, so do everything you can to avoid them!

When a child won’t look at books unless she’s in total control, reading is not a shared activity. Until a child lets you participate and listens to you talk about what she’s seeing, there’s no language component to this activity. Remember the way children learn the language:

A child has to hear words before she learns to understand words.

A child must understand words before she learns to say words.

In a nutshell, an adult has to be a part of reading books in order for books to “count” as helping a child learn language. You can make an argument for providing books as a valuable solo activity for all children. However, for a toddler with a language delay, there’s no real language teaching going on unless you’re helping a child learn to link meaning with the pictures they’re seeing.

Upon closer inspection for some of these children, you may realize that she isn’t really even looking at the pictures. She may flip pages hurriedly or hold her face close to the page. In this instance, the child is engaging in visual self-stimulation, or “stimming,” and a book is not going to be your best tool to teach that child to understand and use words. Back up and teach this child to play together with you and include you in her activities. My best resource for this is Teach Me To Play WITH You.

Now that we’ve covered those basics, let’s move on to my list of Great Books for Toddlers! I’m also going to share with you a few of the ways I use these books during therapy sessions because frankly, you should be using different books for different purposes to target different goals with different kids. Do you see a theme here? You should tailor the book to the child and the specific skill you’re working toward. Of course you can use the same books for multiple purposes, but as you read, you’ll see what I mean…

1. Photograph Books with only 1 or 2 pictures per page

I LOVE Roger Priddy’s simple picture books and own so many that I can’t pick just one! Here are a few of my favorites for toddlers who don’t understand very many words yet.

Because you’re using photographs instead of cartoons or drawings, these pictures are more like REAL LIFE. This is particularly important for children with global, cognitive, and receptive language delays who may have difficulty understanding any kind of symbolism or have difficulty making associations and connections. They may not “get” that the picture of the sippy cup in the book is the same as their own sippy cup. When we use simple, realistic pictures, books become more meaningful for these toddlers.

The most obvious way to use this kind of beautiful book of real photographs is to teach early picture identification. You’ll do this by first “teaching” the words, which means you should point to the picture as you say the name of the picture OVER and OVER and OVER again. To learn to understand words and to eventually be able to point to pictures, a child has to hear the word OVER and OVER and OVER. There’s a theme here! It’s repetition .

When you are working with any late talker, one of the first things you have to do is to make sure is that a child understands words. If a two-year-old cannot point to several familiar pictures on request, and by that I mean consistently looking for and finding the right picture when you say, “Where’s the ____?” then he likely has a receptive language delay. This means a child doesn’t understand words as well as he should for his age. Many, many, many parents miss this important reason a toddler isn’t talking. If you suspect this could be a remote possibility for your child, please read this post:

If you’re thinking, my child knows the pictures, but he just won’t point when I ask him AND if this same child doesn’t consistently follow simple directions, then I would also, very gently, encourage you to consider the possibility of a receptive language delay. Receptive language delays are so overlooked in early intervention and even by pediatricians who mean well, but who don’t really understand language development themselves. I specialize in receptive language delays in toddlers and have some super information in my DVD series Teach Me To Listen and Obey 1 and 2 . Take a look at those fantastic resources for hands-on and immediate help for you! Just today a mom emailed to tell me how effective the DVD has been for her son after she implemented my “Tell him. Show him. Help him” approach.

Back to photography books…

The very BEST way I use simple picture books is to teach a child to follow directions using a book like this one.

Using this cute book about babies, you would teach very simple actions such as:

Kiss the baby. Pat the baby. Tickle the baby.

This kind of teaching is wonderful for kids who like books, but who don’t have great play skills yet or who have difficulty following verbal directions. In addition to working on receptive language, what you’re really teaching a child here is to imitate actions. This is the one of the first developmental steps in learning how to talk. Here’s a little summary of how I introduce this kind of activity with a book:

Keep your language very simple. Avoid over-talking since you can overstimulate a child with too much language and actually drive him away. Label the picture and keep your comments brief. Then once you’re sure the child is staying with you, begin to model the action you want him to complete. For example with this book with babies, this is what I would say:

“Baby! Ahhh baby! Look! Baby! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss the baby! Kiss! Give baby a kiss.”

Model and practice that same action several times as you’re saying “Kiss!” If a child doesn’t lean in to try to kiss the baby, move the book toward the child’s mouth. Don’t force him, but do help him. Keep it light and fun and keep kissing the baby’s picture yourself as a “model” for what you want him to do.

Patting is another action to try. Say something such as:

“Pat, pat pat! Pat the baby! Ahhh…. Pat! Pat that baby.”

If a child doesn’t pat the baby’s picture, offer hand over hand assistance and help a child complete this action.

Other movements you can try are tickle, hug, and give the baby a “high 5.” With a few props you could teach: wash the baby, feed the baby, hide the baby, etc…

If a child doesn’t like babies, find a book with something he does like. Here are other ones I’ve used based on a child’s individual preferences.

Here’s another hint…It doesn’t even have to make sense to you! If a child LOVES trucks, then you could even use a book like this one to teach him to imitate actions and follow directions – I have! My little friend who was obsessed with trucks was fine kissing and patting his beloved “tu.”

Certainly you can extend this concept with other kinds of books. If you’re using a book with a picture of a door, model knocking on the door. If there’s a flower, pretend to smell the flower. Imitating actions is always a great beginning goal for late talking toddlers and using a book can be a very successful way to help a child learn how to do this!

Here’s one more suggestion in this category of simple photo books. I bought this book several years ago and have replaced the batteries, but it’s still going strong!

As a rule, I don’t like many “sound” books or books with buttons, but this one is EXTREMELY enticing for toddlers who don’t usually attend to books. You’ll want to be sure a child doesn’t perseverate or become “stuck,” pushing the buttons. To prevent that, MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE BOOK! Here’s the BEST way I begin with this book to focus on learning words rather than pushing buttons…

Open the book. Point to the picture as you’re naming the picture several times. Then say, “Let’s find it! Where’s the ____?” as you point to the buttons. If the child has difficulty finding the correct button, use your hand and arm to cover most of the buttons except the correct choice and 1 or 2 other options. Provide gentle hand-over-hand assistance if he needs help to push the button or can’t locate the correct button. Let the child push a couple of times, then return your attention to the pictures. It may help to flip the page to redirect the child’s attention. I also tap the picture several times to call attention to the picture. Some toddlers become fascinated with that tapping sound and will begin to imitate pointing.

2. Books Based on Songs

When a child likes music, books based on songs are a natural extension of this interest. If I’m working with a child who loves for me to sing, but hates reading books, this is my go-to trick! The song is your “hook” to capture a child’s attention.

Begin by singing the song as you normally would, and then the second time you start to sing the same song, pull out the book based on the song. Point to the picture that corresponds to the words you’re singing. It’s important to continue to sing the song in the same way you always do so that the child stays with you and begins to associate the book with the song.

Over time, move from true singing to using a more sing-song kind of speaking voice, and then to a more natural (but still animated!) reading voice with the same books. After a while, introduce other kinds of books still using your sing-song voice since you know a child responds well to this strategy.

Here are a few other titles to consider:

If you need some help remembering children’s songs or simple games and could use a little guidance with how to make these activities FUN for children who love music but who don’t interact or play with others very well, take a look at the description of my book Teach Me To Play With You in that link.

3. Moo Baa La La La

All of Sandra Boynton’s books are precious, but my favorite is the one I have here, Moo Baa La La La. I’ve adapted this book to use with my little friends who are so BUSY that they can’t sit still for a book.

It’s easier to explain this on video than in writing, so watch this Therapy Tip of the Week video to see how I’ve modified this kind of book and then make it even more fun by adding other options for the pictures.

When you adopt the book, you’ll be giving a child something to do with the book, which means that he or she now has a reason to stay with you. Personally, I’ve had so much success with this method for years during speech therapy. After I published this Therapy Tip of the Week video last year, SLPs and Moms have emailed me to RAVE about how well this idea has worked.

It will take some extra time and a little investment to prepare this activity, but it can result in dramatic improvements.

4. Happy Colors – Bright Baby Books

This darling set is similar to the books listed in #1, but the complexity increases since there are several pictures per page. The activity I’m going to share is so special that it’s worth its own category! Here’s the book I used to set up this activity in 2010 and I’m still using the set today!

In this activity you’re teaching a child to match pictures to objects. For this activity, you will need to do additional work, but the results will justify your prep time! Let me share all the types of kids who will benefit from this activity:

A BUSY toddler who needs something more to do with a book than listen in order to keep his attention, but who is ready for a slight increase in difficulty.
A young child who understands some words and is following a few simple directions like those in #1, but who does not “get” pictures yet and is not pointing to pictures when you ask “Where’s the ___?”
Kids who only ‘tolerate’ books love this activity and with exposure to books in this context, they learn to like reading.
This is my favorite ‘beginner’ activity with books for many toddlers when language delay is the only or primary issue.

To organize this activity, you’ll gather objects to match pictures in the book. Try to match objects and pictures as closely as you can so that it makes sense to the child. It will not be necessary to find an object for every single picture, but try to get at least a couple of objects per page/s.

Because this is one of my standard therapy activities, I keep all of these things together in a bag so they’re ready to go when I need them. Moms I’ve worked with have also put together their own bags and have even taught babysitters and grandparents how to use this activity.

I also like to have a container or a bucket for the child to put the object away after she’s selected it to keep her on task and coming back to the book – otherwise, she may decide just to play and not come back to you and the book!

When you’re a first beginning, you’ll only ask a child to find one object for each page so that you can keep it moving pretty fast. I like to start with objects and pictures I think a child already knows so we build in a pattern of success from the beginning.

Here’s how to play:

Set out a few of your objects – don’t overwhelm a child with too many choices – pick 2 or 3. Say something like, “Look! Let’s find this one!” as you point to the picture and then say, “Where’s the ________?” as you say one of the objects you have available for her. Praise her liberally when she finds it or provide additional cues if she doesn’t.

I also have a child turn the pages if it seems to keep them involved in the book AND if it doesn’t provoke them into wanting to hold the book.

If you’ve bought my first course on DVD or if you’ve seen me teach that course live, I show a CUTE clip of my little friend Kellie and me using this activity in the Receptive Language Section. Take a look at that for a refresher!

This matching activity is a great way to keep kids involved, but it isn’t solely dependent on the book. Beyond teaching matching, you’re helping kids who don’t seem to understand the symbolism of pictures. You’re teaching them that the picture represents the object.

This one way of integrating real objects has been hands-down the most successful strategy I’ve ever used to help a child learn to identify pictures and to participate with books when he or she has shown little interest in the past. If you’re the kind of person who says, “Just give me one great take away idea …” then this one is it! Get this book or a similar one, dig through your toys to find matches, or if you have to, get to Dollar Store and find the objects for your book. You’ll prep for this one time and then you have the activity FOREVER which is totally worth it!

5. Little Blue Truck

This has become my standard therapy activities in the last year because it’s SUPER engaging, especially for little boys who are fascinated with trucks and other things that go! The book has been even more fun now since I began to read it with “props.” As we did in the last activity, find toys that look very, very, very similar to the pictures in the book and then act out the story as you read.

As with the last activity, you’re giving the child something to do besides sit there and listen, which is huge for our busiest little guys who become “antsy” when they aren’t moving. This strategy has also helped several of my little friends who love books, but who don’t know how to play with toys. The book serves as a “script” for what to do and how to use the toy.

I implement this idea in therapy by reading a page and then playing with the toys. If a child doesn’t catch on immediately, I slow down a bit, read a line in the book again, and then very purposefully show a child exactly what to do with the toys. As I play, I rephrase any words I don’t think he understands.

I’ve taught this method to several families (and therapists) over the last year for kids who like books, but who have significant language delays and limited play skills. My Little Blue Truck bag has become a staple for their therapy programs and at home with parents to teach them how to play and associate the words in their books (or movies!) with real life. It’s also been helpful in teaching a child to consistently follow your directions with very few of the “compliance” issues we can sometimes see because they think they’re just playing. I’m sneaky like that and it works so well!

Last Christmas I videoed an extensive version of this idea. Before you watch, let me caution you… DON’T BE INTIMIDATED by the lengths I went to in order to recreate this book. My “every day” therapy sets of books with toys don’t have nearly the number of objects I included for the video. Start small! My original set for the Little Blue Truck I have linked here consisted of a blue truck, a dump truck, and several of the animals in the book. Over time, I built up inventory of potential props and I went all out for this Christmas Little Blue Truck since I was making a video for a course I was teaching.

6. From Head to Toe

I love any book by Eric Carle, but this one has become my favorite. Let me tell you who it works for:

“Busy” kids who can’t sit still and need to move.
Kids with limited vocabulary words – teach ACTIONS or verbs!
Groups of kids (You know when you walk in the daycare and suddenly, you’re the teacher!?!?)
Toddlers who are isolated and unaware of others but who respond to books.
Children with limited social skills who are ready for the next step. They may notice peers during gross motor activities like running on the playground, but they don’t yet participate in true parallel play.

Your goal is to get a child to imitate and perform the action in the book. Introduce the book by saying something like, “Let’s do what’s in the book!” Read a page, show a child how to copy the action, and encourage the child to imitate too. Everyone present should participate, including mom, siblings, or other children in a child’s class if you’re using this as a group activity. Read the entire book keeping it light and fun, even if the child isn’t 100% compliant. Use hand over hand assistant to help a child perform the movements if it’s not too disruptive and it doesn’t evoke negativity or an avoidance reaction from the child.

This book is repetitive so there’s a Verbal Routine. The repetitive line is, “Can you do it? I can do it!” I think it’s always fun if you can get your group to “yell” that line with you after they’ve heard you read it a time or two. The group yelling usually entices little ones who are reluctant to participate to try the action and they begin to anticipate the words. You may even get some early word attempts as their friends or family “yell.” This technique is called Vocal Contagion and it’s so effective for late talkers!

The two important language strategies you’re using with this book are teaching a child to imitate body movements and verbal routines. You can find detailed instructions for using those techniques in my book Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers.

7. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

If you’ve followed teachmetotalk.com for very long, you may be surprised that this book made my list since I PREACH teaching words that are meaningful and functional for late talkers.

Let me restate this… you should not worry about teaching a late talker letters, numbers, colors and shapes. Working on those words makes no sense at all when a child is not talking! A child should learn to say words he needs and can use all day long rather than ABCs, counting, or any of those other “academic” concepts. We should never focus on teaching this kind of vocabulary until a child is communicating pretty well. I encourage parents of the children I treat to hold off on teaching colors, shapes, numbers and letters until a child is consistently using short phrases.

There are some children who seem to have taught themselves letters, numbers, colors or shapes. I’ve seen children who were fascinated, almost obsessed , with this kind of visual information. When I see a child with this “splinter skill” for therapy, I use it as my way “in” with that child. I teach him to include me in his play by sharing his interest.

For young children like this, start with a book that includes his preference. With a child who is fixated on letters, I introduce this book and target listening practice by reading the book and then asking him to “Show me the b,” or “Where’s that r again?” or “Find the g and the h,” or “Where’s the yellow t?” You’ll make him feel successful since this is what he LOVES, but here’s what else you’re doing in those early sessions:

Making a connection with a child who may be difficult to engage
Targeting language processing or “listening” since he’s following directions
Building compliance since he’s responding to what you ask him to do
Meeting him where he is by using his quirk as a STARTING point and then bumping up the complexity as you become more creative about what you ask

I add magnetic letters like those you put on your refrigerator and “act out” the book with the letters as I read. You can use the side of the refrigerator. I’ve made a tree from construction paper and taped it on a metal cookie sheet for the background to play with the letters. It’s a great way to draw a child’s attention to me when he tends to leave me out of reading books.

Children who are “echolalic” with their favorite books, meaning they memorize and repeat the book out of context, often are initially confused when I demonstrate the book or what they’re saying, but if you keep at it, they will become intrigued. In some instances I’ve quickly noted huge progress in how they connect with me during an activity like this using their “echoed” topic.

If you have a child who FREAKS OUT over numbers, then I’d go with this version:

Here’s a Therapy Tip of the Week video where I’m discussing using a child’s special interest in this way with books:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

I’m going to end this list with the quintessential speech therapy book that every SLP can quote in her sleep. We ALL own and use this book. Let me share a few of my best ways to use this book with toddlers.

For starters, the version I’ve posted here has a very cool sliding feature that even the “most belligerent hater of books” kid cannot resist! I’ve seen children dramatically improve their ability to point after we’ve practiced with this book because they learn to isolate their finger to slide the page.

Our little friends who are iPad-addicted like this version of Brown Bear, Brown Bear because it’s like ‘swiping’ an app! If you’re trying to help a little one break their addiction to technology (and I’m not even kidding!) or if you’ve become too app-dependent yourself in therapy, this is a great transition activity to help either of you back to interacting during real life with real people with more traditional activities!

Other excellent ways you can use Brown Bear:

Teach the signs for the animals. It’s a great vocabulary extender!
Do one Google search for matching pictures and use them on AAC devices!
Copy and laminate your pictures to use with Velcro like we discussed for book #3 or matching objects as I talked about for book #4!

But my second FAVORITE thing I do with Brown Bear is teaching…

Play Sounds!

Many toddlers begin speech therapy with the ability to make an animal sound or two and aren’t ready to jump to single words. Spend some time in this vocal play stage since you know this is where they can be successful! Check out this post for more ideas with play sounds… Let’s Make Some Noise! (For SLPs who need more help knowing the prerequisites for talking, get your hands on my CE courses on DVD – Early Speech-Language Development: Taking Theory to the Floor or Steps to Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers !)

My BEST way and my FAVORITE way I use Brown Bear is to teach the word (or sign) for “me.” The word “me” is the last word of every page so it’s repetitive and qualifies as a Verbal Routine. A child begins to expect that word and if you set it up right, will often blurt it out before he even knows he’s talking.

Once a child has mastered the word “me,” I try to elicit “see” using the same strategy of reading the book until a child becomes familiar with the word and anticipates it. I use my facial expressions, my body language, pacing my voice so that it primes his little pump to talk, and then the PREGNANT PAUSE, where he fills in the word. I don’t have a great clip of this to post today, but I’m going to do one soon just so you can see this SUPER SUCCESSFUL strategy.

This also has been the book I use most often when I’m working on teaching the vowel sound “eee.” Vowel sound errors are common in apraxia, a motor speech sound disorder. For more information about apraxia, check out my DVD Teach Me To Talk with Apraxia and Phonological Disorders .

—————————————————————–

While there are DOZENS of other books I like, these books are the ones I use over and over and over because they work !!

The books and the activities I’ve shared have been the most successful for me during therapy sessions AND, more importantly, in helping (moms and dads) know how to work on language when I’m not there!

Get the books.

Copy the activities.

HAVE SOME FUN!

Until next time…

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"Hello Miss Laura, First, I would like to thank you for all you do for us moms who are lacking support in the autism community, and thank you for providing tons of information and resources to help our bright children. I myself benefited so much from watching your videos and reading your daily emails. I cannot stress enough how much all this information helped my toddler. Of course, getting an autism diagnosis for your child is extremely scary (she was diagnosed at 2 years old) and I was depressed and did not know what autism was, how it affected children, and how to teach children struggling with this condition. However, your videos helped me to find light in my child and now I am your biggest fan! I rewatch your videos over and over again to make sure I didn't miss anything that can help my daughter. I even purchase two books- Autism workbook and Teach me to Play. My toddler was completely non-verbal, she didn't know how to imitate, no eye contact, no pointing.. you name it she didn't have any skills and I didn't know how to teach her! And that is until I discover ed You- my toddlers (Fairy: smiling_face_with_3_hearts:)!

Now she is little sweet 2.5 years old and she says "mama" (I cried when she said that magic word), she waves bye bye or hi, she points, she gives "high 5", her joint attention is great and overall she is doing so much better! And that's all because I have been doing everything you described in your books and videos! I. My mind I always play "repetition, repetition and repetition", teaching her everything through play that she so much enjoys!!! I can write forever explaining how much I taught her through yr videos and books! And the most amazing thing is that her speech therapist is a big fan of yours as well so it worked out perfectly since we understand each other and work based on your teachings! The therapist even owns the same books I own ...I am so grateful that my toddler has such an amazing therapist; especially the one that understands autism and is ready for a real challenge! God bless you for all you do and I cannot wait for my toddler blossom.. you gave me hope and lit the light inside me. And I'm determined to work with my girl :)"

"Dear Laura Mize and Team,

Thank you so much for all your hard work and publishing books! Our 17-month-old toddler suddenly exploded into speaking and imitating everybody's gestures and sounds, just a week or two after we 'completed' all activities that are listed under 11 pre-linguistic skills! Your method really works!"

Grateful customer.

I absolutely LOVE all of your workbooks, especially your Autism Workbook. Starting with Social Games has been a game changer for many of my littles with ASD and their families. It's been the best way for them to finally connect and sustain shared attention and engagement, leading to longer social interactions, through play!"

Jodie, Dev, Therapist

"Hi Ms. Laura,

Thank you so much for the videos you have posted on your youtube channel. They are so direct, informative, and helpful. Thank you for being a resource for me to become a better therapist."

"Hi Laura - I just wanted to say I received my copies of the Apraxia workbooks yesterday and I LOVED workbook 1 (not ready for 2). I'm on chapter 8 and going through the questions carefully so I'm prepared to help my son. I knew it was a great book when you acknowledged the fact that sometimes therapists and doctors don't bring a positive and supportive vibe when diagnosing. I remember being terrified at the mention of apraxia and ASD by both because they had these very concerned looks and made it seem like it was a death sentence. I know now (in LARGE PART, THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR VIDEOS) that it doesn't have to be!! I see a future for him now. You SINGLE-HANDEDLY, through your books and videos have empowered me to help my son after the doctors and therapists have gone home. You've given me strategies, play ideas, plans on how to keep moving forward. I don't always do things right, but I know I'm on the right track and I love that I can reference, and re-reference your books to help me keep going. As I was reading the book, I was so proud of myself because I've used strategies from your previous books and it felt good because I could check off a lot of the skills that you discuss. So, thank you for all your previous books as well!!"

"Gosh, I love all of your emails/podcast/website, just everything!! I work in early intervention as a behavior analyst and am learning so much from you!"

I love your work! I am a professor of early childhood special education and a speech language pathologist! I have worked to help children learn to communicate and I know how valuable the information you share is for both early interventionists and pediatric speech language pathologists!

Thank you for systematically organizing and explaining essential steps for young children to learn and develop. You are having a great impact on our profession, the ECE profession and families!"

"Thank you. If this is Laura herself reading this email let me take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have put forth for us professionals. I own every manual (except the autism manual) and have watched every course on DVD. I have listened to countless podcasts. All of what I’ve come to be as an Early Intervention speech therapist was absolutely to your credit. With your resources at my side I have never needed to scramble for answers and strategies and above all the clear language I use when communicating with parents. My fun, animated affect and key phrases I use have been learned through watching your example. So….thank you! May you be blessed." Chaya

"I just wanted to thank you so much for your incredible help! You are so kind and lovely and every time I implement something you've taught in your manuals or videos it is always a success, I cannot thank you enough. I really appreciate how specific you are in giving us examples of wording to use and how to use a toy in therapy with your videos, it is exactly what I need to properly help my little students. I also really appreciate your list of books of list of toys. I have seen my little students make significant progress thanks to you. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos, taking more of your CEU's, and reading more of your materials. From the bottom of my heart: thank you so much again!!"

"Dear Laura,

What an inspiration!

Thank you for helping me be a better Developmental Therapist. I often listen to your podcasts which help me help families.

Your enthusiasm, professionalism and the sheer volume of information is so great.

You are part of my team.

I just wanted you to know I appreciate you."

Thank you for your generosity in sharing so much knowledge in such a clear and enthusiastic way.

As a retired audiologist with a fabulous and language delayed grandson, I used your podcasts and outstanding publication, The Autism Workbook, to inspire and guide me over the past year.

It works!! He went from barely verbal, no gestures, didn't respond to his name etc etc to a verbal, social, curious, ready to imitate anything, fill in the blanks on familiar "set" speech, generate his own totally appropriate and mostly understandable sentences...not just short phrases anymore... full little paragraphs...about imaginary things, what he did during the day, what he wants. True communication!

You make a powerful difference in this world! ❤"

"Laura Mize, you are a Godsend. I don’t know how one human can have so many helpful things to say in a beautifully organized way, so often. Always amazes me when another super helpful email comes from you, and for free. With free YouTube videos and cheap CEUs. THANK YOU!!!"

Sheila, Canada

"I purchased the book on autism and have watched the #400s series podcasts. Laura Mize has been more effective in teaching autistic tendencies, than many professors, shadowing professions, and the 100s of books, articles and classes or videos, or live workshop speakers, have been at teaching effective practices for a child with ASD. Some of the many lessons she has taught, which I will now use, to be a more effective Interventionist, include but are not limited to: red flags, typical behaviors, self-stimulating behaviors, not taking away toys, rather showing child to play with toy appropriately. She gives examples of child's actions, "inappropriate," explains the reason for: why the child is engaging in these behaviors and how they can be replaced with more appropriate, effective fuctional and age-appropriate skills."

"I’m sure Laura gets these messages all the time, but I thought I’d share. I stumbled across Laura‘s "Autism or Speech Delay?" YouTube video when I really needed it. This video finally listed and explained some of the red flags my son was showing for autism. I share the link anytime a parent is questioning in my FB autism group. This mother I don’t even know said Laura's video changed her life. I know exactly how she feels because It changed families too. Thank you to everyone at Teach Me To Talk."

"Good Morning Laura, I received your book (The Autism Workbook) yesterday and it is absolutely amazing! As I evaluate young children (0-3) for developmental delays and write plans for them with their parents, there are a ton of ideas that are ready to use. Others that reinforce what I have been doing, and saying, all along. Thank you so, so much for writing this incredible book and pulling everything together in one place!"

FRANCINE IN MICHIGAN

"Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge, experience, and guidance. I’m a parent who bought the autism workbook and it’s the only clear resource I found to make a change in my son. I’m really thankful to Ms. Laura for helping out people like us all over the world."

"Laura Mize, all I have to say is that ALL YOUR STRATEGIES WORK."

ANNE, YouTube viewer

"We have 7 SLPs in our preschool (public) program for special needs children (ages 3-5) and we use your courses, books, and techniques every day! :-) We have seen our preschoolers make such great gains!"

"I just received Teach Me to Play With You, and it is ALREADY WORKING! WOW!

Girl…my son is 3 years old, and he NEVER asks for something using words. We were playing “Get Your Belly” (from Teach Me to Play WITH You), and after several times, he laughed and screamed "BEWIEEE!!!" It was a hoot. And I can't believe he said it! I have played with him like this before, but this time I took your advice and acted CRAZY!! I will act like a total lunatic if it will get him to talk to me! Now I can give him "the look" from across the room, and he will say it. That manual is so amazingly practical, and it is a GODSEND right now! Thank you SO MUCH!”

" I wanted to send you a quick email to say thank you. I started watching your videos/podcasts about 4 months ago. My son has gone from losing words he previously used, only having about 7 words at his 2 year check up in August (assessed at a blended 10 month language level) -- to now having so many words, increased social engagement, following commands, spontaneously requesting things, and naming letters & numbers (not in order) as well as colors. We had our monthly meeting with our SLP through the state infants & toddlers program and it felt like we were just bragging the whole time, but I knew in the back of my head it was because I have been using strategies you taught me. We still have so much work to do with our sweet boy, but I know in my heart he would not have succeeded without the education you provided. I will continue to read your emails & watch videos as we go along this journey and face challenges, but credit is due to you, Laura. Thank you so much, endlessly."

"I just want to tell how fortunate I feel to have found your website and you!! I became a special instructor in EI almost a year ago and I started with hardly any applicable training. I felt so lost and confused as how to help the kids I work with learn how to use words and play. Honestly, I didn't even understand the importance of play, although I always played with my kids. But, once I started to watch your podcasts and get some of your manuals I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and that I could finally teach these kids and their families something of value from a real therapist and based on research!. Thank you so much for seeing the need to help other EI service providers and providing a forum to share your knowledge and years of valuable experience. I'm sure you get a lot of these emails every week if not every day, but I wanted to make I could add to those notes of gratitude!! THANK YOU again!!"

"Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for these emails and your books, I have them all and they have seriously saved and improved my sessions with my kiddos. Huge thank you."

"I was very frustrated with how speech therapy was going for my child. I would take him and drop him off and not hear much of anything from his therapist and teachers other than, "He had a good (or a bad!) day." Your materials were invaluable for us because I learned how to work with him on his speech. I learned how to teach him to talk and play. I learned how to pay attention to his cues and work with him to teach him to communicate. Without it, I have no doubt he still wouldn’t talk."

"Hi! I just wanted to say (from an SLT perspective) how incredibly useful I am finding absolutely all of your articles, blogs and resources - I only discovered your site last month and have just received all your books which I feel I am learning more than on my entire university training course!! But also the way in which you give specific, realistic, fun, encouraging ideas for working with parents is really just fantastic, I only wish I have your site sooner! Thanks so much from the UK! Kind regards."

"I just wanted to reach out to say thank you for making things a little easier to manage for me this year. I made the transition from school SLP to private therapist about a year ago. While the change was welcome, it was a lot, and I was just getting my footing in the clinic when I began teletherapy full time. Your website has been a huge lifeline in helping me work with late talkers and coach their parents in an accessible but effective way, even remotely. I look forward to getting your emails each week. I am floored by the amount of valuable, free information that your website provides, and I’m looking forward to investing in your workbooks soon. A sincere thank you for all you do!"

"You are an inspiration! I am truly grateful for the way you put into words and writing how to do what we do as SLPs. At this time in my 13 years of practicing, I find your encouragement keeps me going. As a single mom, I find it a stretch to buy materials these days and I am so thankful for the freebies you so generously share that help me teach my families. I don’t have much time to put together lists or quick references for parents!! Much gratitude!!"

Laura thank you so much. Btw, you have transformed my therapy- I have become such a competent and strong therapist after watching probably like 350 of your videos and podcasts over the past few years. And I am a seasoned therapist with almost 25 years experience. (Yes prob 350 episodes ha!) But there was still a lot I learned from you. I have such a thorough understanding of birth to 3 development and how to properly incorporate appropriate therapeutic goals, techniques and strategies now, thanks to you. Kelly

Hi Laura, I want to thank you so much for the resources you provide, my daughter has delayed speech and though she qualifies for CDS. Honestly the most progress she has made in her speech/language development has been after I implemented your 5 top strategies for delayed talkers! She is now almost 2.5 and her vocabulary is well over 75 (I haven’t counted recently, could be over 100) words when at 2 she barely had four words. Honestly the last few months have been a transformation for her.

How to pick the best toddler books!

Reading books can help toddlers learn new words and communication skills IF reading books is enjoyable for them. That’s because toddler’s need to be engaged in order to learn new things.

You might be thinking, “That’s great, but my toddler hates books!”

This post is all about how to choose the best books for your toddler and how to turn reading time into a fun and fruitful experience. We’ll talk about:

How to choose the best books for toddlers

The real goal of reading books with toddlers

Tips for reading books at different stages of development

And my favorite toddler books list!

Why toddler books?

Books are compact, inexpensive, colorful ways for your child to be exposed to new vocabulary and new concepts. Books can be borrowed for free from your library, including durable cardboard books. Best of all, book sharing is a fun interactive way for you and your child to spend some time together. With any luck, you can help your toddler learn to love books at an early age.

How to choose the best books for toddlers?

There are lots of different books out there. For the strategies we describe to work it’s important that you find, purchase, or borrow a book/magazine that:

Has pages. Yes, there are interactive books on tablets and books that can be watched on TV. For this activity, we want your child to have the ability to turn the pages, look at the book on their own, and have the opportunity to create their own sound effects/ words without the assistance of technology.

Has pictures that are interesting to look at, especially if there is action in the pictures. Books that just have a picture of a ball on one page, an apple on another are harder to talk about because there is nothing going on. Look for a book where people or characters are doing something exciting!

Is interesting to your child.

Your book DOES NOT have to have words or even be in your language. This is because you can make up your own words!

The goal of toddler books

No matter what your child’s communication level is, your goal for book time is simple: help your child learn to love books . Notice the goal is not “learn to read”, “learn your colors,” “learn to count,” or “learn your letters.” There is plenty of time for children to use books later in life to learn academic skills.

If you are book sharing with a baby, toddler, or preschooler, your focus is different than with a school-age child. You want your child to walk away from the time together having enjoyed themselves, enjoyed spending time with you, and looking forward to the next time that they get to look at a book with you or by themselves. To accomplish this, you are going to be fun, playful, and interactive with your child while you look at a book together.

A toddler reading his book to his stuffed animals

In this section, we call it “book sharing” instead of “book reading.” To have a great time sharing a book with a child, we are going to tell you a little secret: you don’t always have to read the words in the book . In fact, for some books, this is a guaranteed way to have your child get up and leave.

Some books and authors do a wonderful job providing you with a good balance of text and pictures to keep your child interested and excited. But sometimes the story is too abstract, the words are too hard, or there is simply too much text on the page for the age/ developmental level of the child who is listening to it. You can always ignore the text and tell the story your way. You can also just talk about the pictures without telling the story.

Remember, your goal is to help your child learn to love books. If your child’s interest level is such that listening to a story beginning to end is too boring, that is okay. Perhaps book sharing with your child might include simply going through all the pages and looking for the red cars, pretending to pet the dogs on the pages, or pretending to eat the food in the illustrations. Perhaps you start in the middle and just look at your favorite pages. There’s no right or wrong way to enjoy book sharing with your child!

How to read books with your toddler

Any book will do! And we have tips for reading that books with your toddler based on their current stage of development. Read through the descriptions below and to find the right tips for you!

Explorers: Toddlers who communicate with gestures

Pioneers: Toddlers who say 1-100 words

Builders: Toddlers who talk in short sentences

For the purpose of this text, we are going to talk about The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

But, we also included a list of other favorite books for toddlers at the end of this post :)

How to “Read”:

When you share the Very Hungry Caterpillar with your Explorer, try to get your child to look at pictures on the page for a few seconds.

You can either sit with your child on your lap or you can be face to face with the book facing your child on the floor. If your child reaches for the book and tries to turn the pages, that is okay, let them explore! Open the book. Point to things on the pages and say simple sentences about them. If your child reaches for something on the pages, say what it is that they are looking at. Don’t worry about spending too long on each page. With an Explorer, it is possible that a page may only hold their interest for a few seconds. You can point to something, label it, and then turn the page.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar has holes in the pages. You can stick your finger in the holes and say “wiggle wiggle!” Encourage your child to copy you.

You can tap the pages of the book with your fingers and say “tap tap tap!.” You can encourage your child to try to copy tapping the book.

What to Say:

Toddler reading his favorite book at the library

Don’t ask any questions when you book share with your Explorer. Instead, point and label things in the book using single words or short sentences. If it is interesting to your child, you can read the words. But it is possible you will simply talk about the pictures instead.

“The egg is on the leaf. Leaf.” [as you point to the egg and the leaf]

“Pop!”

“Ooh, a strawberry! Strawberry!” [as you point to each strawberry when you label them.]

Pioneers and Builders

When you share The Very Hungry Caterpillar with your Pioneer/Builder, you will help your child remain engaged with the book by talking about the pictures and giving a short, animated version of the story. Keep in mind throughout that your goal is for you and your child to have fun together with a book. You might have to keep adjusting what you are doing/ saying to keep your child interested.

You can either sit with your child on your lap or you can be face to face with the book facing your child on the floor. If your child reaches for or talks about something on the pages, even if it is not what you were talking about, that is okay. Talk about the thing that your child is interested in.

Don’t worry about spending too long on each page. With a Pioneer/Builder, it is possible that a page may not hold their interest long enough for you to read all the words. That’s totally fine. You can make up a shorter version of the text. Or instead of talking about the story, you can just point to the most interesting thing on the page, say a sentence about it, and then let your child turn the page.

When you come to the food pages, pretend to eat the food in the pictures. Say, “I’m eating a plum!” Then pretend to pick it up off the page and eat it. Make it look fun and see if your child copies you.

You can use your finger or a puppet (yes, a regular sock on your hand counts as a puppet) to be a “caterpillar.” Pretend that your caterpillar is eating the images in the book. Your child can have a sock puppet too.

What to Say:

On each page, read the sentence (if your child is interested.) Then, say another sentence about what you see. Don’t ask your child too many questions about the book because this will turn a fun “book sharing time” into “quiz time.”

“Look, there is the egg.”

“There is the caterpillar. He is hungry.”

“Ooh, cake! I’m eating cake too.”

“Do you want some cake?”

“My caterpillar has a tummy ache. Burp!”

When book sharing with your Pioneer/Builder, make sure that you pause after you say something just in case your child wants to copy you.

10 favorite speech therapy books for toddlers:

You can apply the same strategies that we shared for the Hungry Caterpillar for all of these books!

Don’t forget about the library!

Books are a great way to teach your toddler about things, places, and activities that don’t happen in their day to day life. During the pandemic, books are an especially great way to grow your toddler’s vocabulary and exposure to new things.

Going to the library to check out new books is a great way to get a variety of books. Public libraries also often have story time and other community resources (like tickets to the Zoo here in San Diego!) and I would be remiss not to remind you how amazing the public libraries are in a post all about toddler books!

Parents Also Asked:

How can I do my child’s speech therapy at home?

There are many ways to do speech therapy at home, and the best way for your child will depend upon their individual development. We have created tips and activities to help toddlers practice speech therapy activities at home in every stage of their communication development; you can find those lessons and ideas here: The Toddler Talk Program

What are some speech therapy techniques?

Focused stimulation is one of the most common speech therapy techniques used with toddlers. Focused stimulation is the strategy of using specific words for the names of things (like car, dog, and tree) rather than general words (like it and that). Learn more about how you can easily use focused stimulation here: Focused Stimulation Lesson

Another popular toddler speech therapy technique is getting eye-level with toddlers. This is an effective technique because toddlers learn by copying what they see, and it’s easier for them to copy our sounds and words when we are face to face with them. You can learn more about this strategy here: Face to Face Lesson

Which book is best for 2-year-old?

The best book for your 2 year old is any book they enjoy. I recommend picture books that tell a story rather than the baby’s first words books because the story books have more exciting illustrations which means there are many more things you can talk about with your toddler as you look at the book together!

What books should I read my 18 month old?

At 18 months, look for toddler books with stories about things your child is interested in, like dump trucks or animals. Finding books with illustrations that capture your toddler’s attention will ensure that book reading is fun and engaging for them.

Stephanie Burgener-Vader MA CCC-SLP

Stephanie Keffer MS CCC-SLP

The content offered on ToddlerTalk.com is for informational purposes only. Toddler Talk is not engaged in rendering professional advice, whether medical or otherwise, to individual users or their children or families. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor, speech language pathologist, or other health professional. By accessing the content on ToddlerTalk.com, you acknowledge and agree that you are accepting the responsibility for your child’s health and well-being. In return for providing you with information related to home speech and language practice, you waive any claims that you or your child may have as a result of utilizing the content on ToddlerTalk.com.

Speech delay in toddlers - 3 Ways you can help now!

My 20 favorite speech therapy toys for 2 year olds.

10 Books That Get Toddlers Talking

September 29, 2022

As a speech therapist specializing in working with toddlers, books are a go-to activity for me! Here are a few that have become all time favorites over the years:

My First Learn to Talk Book:

We typically hear little ones imitate fun sounds before they imitate words. This book, written by a Speech Pathologist, is full of these sounds. You can model sounds and gestures to encourage your little one to imitate. It also has a wonderful close-up pictures of toddlers saying the sounds!

Brown Bear :

I love to sing this one to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle.” Add the animal sounds in to encourage imitation. Pause on wait before saying, “me” and model gesturing to yourself

Dada/ Everything Mama:

I love the repetition of these books. You can incorporate pausing and waiting to encourage your little one to imitate, “Mama” or “Dada”

Who Says Peek-a-Boo?

I love this whole series! Encourage imitation of animal sounds throughout the book.” There is a mirror at the end you can encourage your little one to watch your mouth as you say, “Boo!”

Peek-a-who?

This book is so fun and I love that it rhymes. It also encourages lip rounding, which we need for the vowels o like “no” and oo such as in “two”

My First Noisy Books :

The sounds in this book are perfect for encouraging your little one to imitate. You can also target a word like “push” or “help” throughout

Oh No, Poo Poo/Pee Pee:

This silly book was written by a Speech Pathologist. Practice telling the dinosaur and puppy, “No, no” or encourage your little one to imitate “eww” if they are beginning to imitate sounds Link here (not available on Amazon): Bjorem Speech Books | Speech Therapy | OH NO Poo-Poo – Bjorem Speech®

Lift the flap books are great because they add an interactive component. Use this book to model animal noises. You can also model knocking on the boxes to encourage imitation of gestures and signing/saying open before you open each box

All Better!:

For beginning talkers, I ignore the text and simplify the language such as, “Puppy went boom!” You can model gesture such as blowing a kiss and words like boo-boo and ouch!”

Goodnight Moon:

This classic book is great for imitation of the gesture and/or sound “shhhh!” If your little one is beginning to use more words, they might enjoy saying, “Night Night” to all the animals

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Halloween Books for Littles (By Age)

It’s that time of year! Time for pumpkin patches, cooler weather, and new books! Books are such a great way to learn about new things and experiences. Books can also reinforce what your little one is learning about out in the world. For example, if you are planning to go to a pumpkin patch, you […]

Traveling with a Toddler? Ideas to Keep them Entertained

There’s no denying that traveling with a toddler can be tough! Here are a few ideas that might keep your little one entertained while traveling to your next destination! Painter’s Tape: Make a track, shapes, letters, etc. I love all the colors in this set Water Wow Books: So fun and no mess Quiet Books: […]

As a speech therapist specializing in working with toddlers, books are a go-to activity for me! Here are a few that have become all time favorites over the years: My First Learn to Talk Book: We typically hear little ones imitate fun sounds before they imitate words. This book, written by a […]

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A selection of some of the best children’s books for encouraging speech and language development in young children. Use the filter function to search for specific speech and language goals within these books.

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Our Favorite Books to Help Toddlers Talk

Books to help toddlers to talk and work on their speech.

Books are an amazing tool to help toddlers learn to talk. But there are so many choices out there. What are they interested in? What’s at their level? What’s better, something educational or something engaging? There’s a lot to consider! And, as speech-language pathologists (SLPs), we definitely have our own criteria to add to the list. Things we consider when picking books that help toddlers talk.

In this post, we’ll share a few of our very favourite books to help toddlers talk—and what we like about them. These are books we love using with little ones in therapy and with our own toddlers! So we think they’ll be good choices for your family, too.

Also, we want to make sure you know your little one(s) can join us for on-demand story time . It’s the best, and we think you’ll love it!

Tips for Choosing Books That Help Toddlers Talk

#1 consider your toddler’s current skill level.

When you’re looking for books that will help toddlers talk more, we first look at where they’re at developmentally. There are a lot of smaller, foundational skills that toddlers must develop before they start to talk. Some toddlers master these skills really quickly, and for other toddlers, it can take more time or even require professional support from a speech therapist.

Because every toddler’s language skills are different and vary so much based on their age and abilities, we’ve broken this post into two categories:

Toddlers who aren’t talking very much

Toddlers who are talking a lot —meaning they are saying many words and beginning to speak in short sentences.

So before you continue on reading, take a moment to think about which category your toddler fits into. Sometimes it’s really obvious, but not always. Especially if you’re not what “typical” looks like for your toddler’s age. The best thing to do in this instance is to compare what your toddler can do against the developmental language milestones , or what is considered typical for their age. We have a free milestones chart you can download to help with this part.

#2 Consider All The Ways To Read With A Toddler

The other thing to keep in mind when choosing books to help your toddler talk is that there are so many ways to read a book with a toddler!

Books can easily be adapted to meet your toddler’s skill level. Depending on their level and their needs, you can simplify a book or make it more language-rich simply by choosing which words and sentences you say or don’t say out loud as you read. You can even make up your own stories with the photos in the book. You are not bound by the words written on the page!

But we know this can be a big mental switch when you’re used to reading a story from start to finish! So to take some of the guesswork out of it with specific, skill-related suggestions.

Books That Help Toddlers Learn To Talk

We’ve included shoppable links here so that if you find the perfect book for helping your toddler to talk, you can quickly grab it. The links are through bookshop.org , so if you choose to buy, you can feel good knowing you’re supporting a local bookshop in your area. But we love the library, too. It can be a really fun activity for you and your toddler. And, it’s free!

Related: Tips for Choosing Library Books

For Toddlers Just Starting To Talk:

Where’s spot by Eric Hill. Reading book for toddlers who are just starting to talk.

#1 Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill

This book is a toddler classic for a reason. Toddlers love lifting the flaps on each page and discovering who’s there. It’s so engaging and fun for them!

Talking Tip : Practice the sign or word for “open” on each page before lifting the flap.

Related: IG Reel: Encourage Your Child To Say ‘Open’

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry. Reading book for toddlers just starting to talk.

#2 The Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry

The rhythmic quality of this book is really engaging for toddlers while they’re learning to talk, making it a HUGE favourite for toddler families.

In fact, whenever we ask our IG community what their toddlers’ favorite books are, this one is always in the top 5!

Reading engaging books is important because we want toddlers to be interested in the books they read! They learn best when having fun. (Don’t we all?!)

Brown Bear Brown Bear by Eric Carle. Reading book for toddlers just starting to talk.

#3 Brown Bear Brown Bear by Eric Carle

We love ‘Brown Bear Brown Bear’ for helping toddlers to talk because it’s so repetitive . Almost every page repeats the phrases, “What do YOU see?” and “I see a ____, looking at me!”

This helps toddlers work on learning repeated words like “see”, “I”, and “me”, as well as the animal names and sounds in the book.

Talking Tip: If your toddler is familiar with this book, try leaving off the last word in a repeated phrase. Say “Brown bear, brown bear, what do you” and then PAUSE to see if your child can fill in the missing word. (The pause is key here—give them time to think and respond!) We show you exactly what this looks like in this Instagram reel .

The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O’Connell. Reading book for toddlers just starting to talk.

#4 The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O'Connell

This book is lesser known than the others, but it’s a hidden gem in our opinion. It’s full of fun words that toddlers learning to talk can imitate. like beep, boom, flip, yum, splash, and smooch.

Hopefully, it’s one brand new title you can add to your bookbag!

Talking Tip : Practicing imitating sounds and gestures like these is so important for toddlers learning to talk—especially if they’re not yet speaking.

For Toddlers Speaking In Short Phrases:

#1 Today by Julie Morstad

This book lets your toddler think about planning their own perfect day. It’s fun because it’s different each time! There are so many little surprises in the illustrations that make it so enjoyable to read together.

The Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera. Reading book for toddlers speaking in short phrases.

#2 The Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera

We love a singable book! They incorporate rhythm, repetition, and often gestures—3 things that can definitely help toddlers talk. We’re linking The Wheels On The Bus here, but Jane Cabrera has written several of our go-to’s. Check out as many of her titles as you can!

Dogs Colorful Day by Emma Dodd. Reading book for toddlers talking in short phrases.

#3 Dog’s Colorful Day by emma dodd

Dog’s Colorful Day includes dogs, colors, and counting. We feel like, what more can you ask for in a toddler book?! This is a really engaging and joyful book that toddlers learning to talk tend to really enjoy. This is one of the books we recently read in our Songs + Stories membership , where on-demand storytimes and song classes are led by SLPs.

Borrow Our Full Book List!

These are just a few of our favorite books for helping toddlers talk. There are so many more we swear by and we’d love to give you the full list. Click the link below and we’ll send you a copy!

on-demand story time & songs

Intentional screen time designed with your child in mind.

The Best Books for Speech Therapy for Toddlers

Megan Peveto M.S. CCC-SLP

In today’s episode, we discuss my favorite books when it comes to speech therapy for toddlers.

Reading is not about sitting down and reading every word on every page, making sure we sit still the entire time, and reading a book cover to cover. You must get outside of what YOU think is the right (or only) way to do things. Think outside the box. Take any available book and make it work by finding different ways to encourage multiple areas of development.

Something else I want to add here- y’all, I’ve been in speech therapy for over 10 years. I started my career working as a speech-language pathologist assistant the year I was rejected from 8 grad schools. I’ve had time to collect these books- please do not feel obligated to purchase every book off this list.

Is reading important?

Will having the “best” books for speech therapy magically transform your sessions? Maybe…But here’s a secret, friend: the magic transformation wouldn’t be because of the book.

It would be because of you.

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Hey my friend!

My name is Megan Peveto and I’m The SLP Next Door! I am here to share how I empower providers, educators, and parents to increase communication and development in toddlers and preschool through easy-to-use methods and multipurpose resources.

This is your one stop shop for toddler communication.

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Please Note : advice and ideas created on this website are designed to supplement your day-to-day activities with your child. They do not replace speech therapy interventions specially created by speech pathologists. If your child is struggling to communicate please contact your pediatrician, local school district special education program, or local Speech Language Pathologist.

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The Best Speech Therapy Books To Help Toddlers

Inside: The ultimate list of speech therapy books for toddlers. This list of books will help improve your toddler’s language skills.

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Are you on the lookout for the best speech therapy books for toddlers?

Whether your little one is experiencing a speech delay or you just want to give their language development a boost, here is a list of our favorite books out there tailored just for young children.

My son was born during the pandemic, and like many of the pandemic babies out there, he is speech-delayed.

Because of that …

I’ve done a lot of research on how to help him best. Below is a complete list of great books, approved by our speech therapist, to help develop your little one’s language.

This list is full of our family’s favorite finds that not only support speech therapy but also promise to be a hit with your toddler.

Why Choose Books Specifically for Speech Therapy?

Before we jump into the list, let’s talk about why this topic is important.

When it comes to toddlers, especially those with speech delays, the right kind of book can truly make a huge difference.

Speech therapy books are designed to engage young children in a way that encourages them to mimic sounds, understand repetitive phrases, and get excited about language.

These books often feature interactive elements like flap books or real objects, making them not just educational but super fun, too!

Overall, these are seriously the best children’s books out there .

Top Picks for Speech Therapy Books for Toddlers

Let’s dive into some top book choices that are great for language development and are sure to become your toddler’s favorites.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

By Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

If you’re going to get any books from the list, this classic book by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle is a must-have. “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” is one of those repetitive books that’s perfect for young children.

The repetitive text allows your kids to understand new words more easily. The rhyme also helps children memorize and predict words more easily.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?. by Bill Martin, JR.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault

“Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” is a lively and rhythmic alphabet chant that’s all about letters climbing up a coconut tree.

This book is fantastic for teaching the alphabet in a fun, engaging way and is full of repetitive phrases that help in language development. Again, that repetitive nature is going to help your little ones memorize and improve quicker.

By Rod Campbell

“Dear Zoo” is another interactive flap book that’s perfect for toddlers. It’s a simple story about a child writing to the zoo to send a pet.

The repetitive phrases and animal sounds make it a great tool for language development. Board books like this are fantastic. You can make animal noises and knock on the boxes, and it’s a great way to teach opening and closing actions.

Where’s Spot?

By Eric Hill

This delightful flap book invites toddlers to search for Spot, the adventurous puppy. Interactive books like this encourage toddlers to participate actively, which is excellent for speech and language skills. You’ll get to introduce your toddler to lots of different animals while searching for Spot.

Our copy has been read so many times that it looks like it’s been run over. It’s safe to say it won’t make it as a hand-me-down to any future siblings.

Goodnight Moon

By Margaret Wise Brown

This one’s another classic! It’s the perfect book for bedtime. Plus, it’s great for them to practice the “shhhh!” sound. Adorable, right?

Never Touch a Dinosaur

By Rosie Greening

If your kiddo is into textures and dinosaurs, this book is a hit! This is one of the best books for combining rhyming and sensory play.

It’s a touch-and-feel adventure with a funny rhyme about why you should never touch a dinosaur. The silicone textures are perfect for little fingers, and it’s a great sensory experience.

Good Night, Gorilla

By Peggy Rathmann

This sweet book is full of surprises and showcases lots of different animals. Trust me, your toddler will be hooked, especially with the balloon. It’s perfect for pointing out and sharing little discoveries.

Plus, there’s lots of improvising, making it exciting and new each time you read it.

First 100 Words

By Roger Priddy

All parents need this for their little ones! This is a great book because it helps your child connect pictures with real-life objects.

The key? Don’t turn it into a drill. Instead, make it interactive – touch the pictures, make the sounds, and have fun with it.

PRO TIP: Find some of the objects in the book that are around the house, and point them out with your toddler so they can easily connect them with something within their home.

First 100 Board Book Box Set (3 books): First 100 Words, Numbers Colors Shapes, and First 100 Animals

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?

By Dr. Seuss

This book is a household favorite for sure! It’s such an entertaining and silly book and gets your toddler to make all sorts of sounds.

Imagine them trying to mimic “Moo” and “Cock A Doodle Doo” – it’s just hilarious!

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You : Dr. Seuss's Book of Wonderful Noises (Bright and Early Board Books)

Dada, Everything Mama , and This is Baby

By Jimmy Fallon

I’m going to bundle these books together because they are all Jimmy Fallon books and have the same concept.

These books are all about repetition. They’re great for encouraging your little one to say “Mama” or “Dada.” It’s simple but super effective.

Jimmy Fallon's DADA, MAMA, and BABY Board Book Boxed Set

PEEK-A-WHO?

By Nina Laden

This book is not only fun but also rhymes! It’s great for encouraging sounds like ‘o’ and ‘oo,’ which are important for speech development.

Peek-a Who? (Lift the Flap Books, Interactive Books for Kids, Interactive Read Aloud Books)

Noisy Animals

The sounds in these books are perfect for imitation. It introduces a lot of new animal sounds for your toddler to mimic. Plus, you can use them to teach action words like “push” or “help” in a really engaging way.

Blue Hat, Green Hat

By Sandra Boynton

For those in the stage between eating books and listening to you read them, Boynton’s books are perfect and favorite in our household. Seriously, everything she puts out is great. This book is so much fun and has this magnetic pull for both toddlers and adults.

Moo Baa La La La

This one’s a metaphor for infancy, parenthood, and life itself. It’s quirky, fun, and a great way to engage your toddler in learning new sounds and words. The book includes simple sentences and simple sounds, which in turn help your little ones learn simple sounds.

It introduces animal sounds and has a rhythmic feel to it, which is exactly what we are looking for in a book for communication skills.

Personalized Story Books

Okay, even though this isn’t an actual published book, it’s a good idea and worth mentioning.

Consider investing in personalized storybooks where your child is the main character. These types of books can be incredibly engaging for young children, making them more interested in the story and the language used.

My son has a personalized book that brings him and our dog through a different adventure with each page. He loves that him and his dog get to adventure through the book together. These types of books are great because each new page opens up more exploration.

Kids will love to point out all of the fun things on each page.

PRO TIP: All books above are fantastic options, but keep in mind the importance of engaging with your child during reading. Ask them questions, encourage them to mimic sounds, and, most importantly, have fun together!

Now, let’s recap to make the most out of these books.

Tips for Maximizing the Benefits of Speech Therapy Books

Engage in Repetition: Repetitive books are goldmines for speech therapy. Read them over and over again. Repetition helps reinforce language patterns and sounds.
Use Real Objects: Whenever possible, use real objects to connect the words in the books to the real world. For instance, if you’re reading about apples, have an apple on hand.
Interactive Reading: Don’t just read to your toddler; read with them. Encourage them to point to pictures, repeat phrases, and make animal sounds.
Choose Books with Familiar Themes: Books that revolve around everyday activities or familiar objects can be more engaging and relatable for toddlers.
Patience and Fun: Remember, the goal is to make learning fun. Be patient and keep the sessions light and enjoyable.

WRAPPING UP: THE BEST SPEECH THERAPY BOOKS TO HELP TODDLERS

Incorporating speech therapy books for toddlers into your child’s routine can be a game-changer. It’s like having mini therapy sessions without your toddler even knowing.

Books like “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?”, “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” are not only excellent for language development but also offer fun and interactive reading experiences.

Remember, the key is to be involved and patient and to turn reading into an enjoyable activity. Your little one’s journey to effective communication is just a book away!

Did you get any books from the list? Which ones are you most excited about? Do you have more recommendations you would add to the list? I would love to hear from you in the comments section!

MORE AMAZING RESOURCES:

Reusable Sticker Books For Toddlers
Best Cozy Winter Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers
9 Genius Road Trip Hacks For Traveling with Baby
Tips for Flying with Toddlers and Young Kids
10 Tips for a Stress-Free Morning Routine with Kids

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About Morgan Wender

I’m a boy mom, dog mom, bee mom, lover of all things Disney, and lover of making the best out of this chaotic life of mine. I created this platform to share my life, and help normalize “big topic” motherhood issues. I hope you enjoy my mix of life, love, levity, and everything in between.Now that you know a little about me, I would love to know more about you! Find me over on Instagram, and shoot me a DM if you would like to chat!the journey

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My Favorite Books to Encourage Language Development

These are some of my favorite books to read with toddlers to encourage speech and language development. I share some specifics for why I like each book, but a commonality for all is that every book is cute, repetitive, lyrical, and relatively short, making them perfect for toddlers.

Baby Beluga

You and your toddler will definitely want to sing Baby Beluga! For specific recommendations on how to use this book (and song), please read my blog post, Baby Beluga: A Book and Song To Improve Your Toddler's Language.

Goodnight Moon

This classic bedtime book will entice your little one to get ready to sleep by saying, "Goodnight" to the various objects in the room.

Blue Hat, Green Hat

Boynton has a playful and entertaining way to tell simple and delightful stories. I particularly like this book to get your toddler to say, "Oops!" It's so adorable when a little one says "Oops!"

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

There's something so fun about saying, "Chicka chicka boom boom!" Toddlers particularly love shouting "Boom boom" when the letters fall off the coconut tree. A super-engaging book to target the common first word "up". You do not need to buy the complete edition of this book; I feel that 36 pages is too long for most toddlers. This link is to the shortened version, which is age-appropriate for toddlers.

Do You Wear Diapers?

This book playfully and repeatedly asks the reader, "Do you wear diapers?" Nice way to encourage a toddler to think, respond, and either nod or shake his or her head OR respond with a verbal "Yes!" or "No!" Read my guest blog post on Professors Carole Zangari and Robin Parker's site, PrAACtical AAC, Building Language and Emergent Literacy Skills With Do You Wear Diapers .

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Read my blog post How to Read Brown, Brown Bear, What do You See? to Get Your Toddler Talking for tips . I have a particular fondness for this Brown Bear book, but honestly, I haven't read a book by Eric Carle that isn't great for toddlers who are learning to speak!

Good Night, Gorilla

Another sweet bedtime book filled with delightful surprises. I'll try not to ruin them but keep your eye (and your toddler's) on the balloon and the person (people) in the window :) Believe me, your toddler will LOVE this book. Great book for encouraging a toddler to point and express joint attention.

First 100 Words

Research supports that something called “iconicity” - the similarity between the real object and the one portrayed in a book - can positively influence a child's ability to learn complex actions. The key to reading a book like Priddy's is NOT to turn it into a stack of flashcards. Rather, touch the pictures, make the sounds, perform hand gestures, and form facial expressions associated with the objects and animals.

Don’t Push the Button!

Of course, what happens when you tell your toddler, "No" or say "Don't"? Maybe it's just my children, but if I say these words, especially in a joking manner, like in this book, they'll want to do just the opposite! Nice way to target following directions.

The Very Busy SPider

My little guy LOVES this book. We have been reading it every night. He giggles when I make the animal sounds and even tries to neigh like a horse, meow like a cat, and woof like a dog. This folks is the magic of reading books together; the comfort and safety created during such intimate, no stress moments intrinsically motivates your toddler to express him or herself.

If You See a Kitten

"If you see a cuddly kitten...say, "Ahhh!" If you see a pudgy pig...say, "Peee-ew!"" Soft and gentle illustrations entice your child to say a variety of fun sounds like "Ouch!", "Oooh!", and "Wow!".

Five Little Monkeys

When reading this book, perform the gestures that correspond to the actions occurring in the book. Turn your fingers into a phone when reading, "Mama called the doctor..."Wag your finger, when you read "No, more monkeys jumping on the bed." Gestures help facilitate toddler's understanding and often emerge before the onset of the spoken words so it's advantageous to act it while reading it.

Mr. Brown Can Moo

I still can't believe Dr. Seuss didn't like children. Regardless, this is one of my favorites because it's a hoot to read! Similar to If You See a Kitten and The Very Busy Spider, this book will motivate your toddler to shout out "Moo", "Cock A Doodle Doo", "Tick Tock", "Knock, Knock" and so many more sounds while you read and re-read this book.

The Going To Bed Book

When reading this book you'll wonder why they exercise after changing into their pajamas but I'm not too sure Boynton even knows why. This is a playful book to read to children, especially those who may not like to brush their teeth. Elicit words like brush and teeth - "...we brush and brush and brush our teeth."

Max’s First Word

Big sister, Ruby is once again directing Max to do something. This time, she is trying to get Max to say some appropriate first words like cup, egg, and apple. She does not succeed. Max blurts out a first word that is not quite expected. This irony and humor is why I love this book and many others by Rosemary Wells. Toddlers are unpredictable!

10 Books That Get Toddlers Talking

November 30, 2022

Fostering a love for reading early on builds strong foundation for literacy

But it can be hard to keep little ones engaged, right? Here a few tips to choose books for your toddler (and their toddler attention span)

Choose books that are interactive like lift the flap blooks or books with a sensory component
Choose books that don’t have a ton of words to keep your toddler engaged and to keep them from getting overwhelmed by too much language
Choose books that are repetitive so there are opportunities to hear words over and over (and say them when your little one is ready!)

Books are great for talking too!

Here are some tricks encourage more talking with books:

If there is something that happens repeatedly in the book like opening a flap, say that word each time you do the action so your toddler can hear the word repeatedly
If there is phrase that is said over and over, try pausing to encourage your little one to fill in the blank
Add fun sounds to encourage imitation. If there is a car say, “Beep Beep!” as you point to the car
Try having your toddler face you while reading so they can see your mouth and facial expressions as you say different words

Here are a few of favorite books to use in speech therapy with late-talking toddlers:

My First Learn to Talk Book:

Brown Bear:

I love to sing this one to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle.” Add the animal sounds and actions to encourage imitation. Pause on wait before saying, “me” and model gesturing to yourself

Dada/ Everything is Mama

I love the repetition of these books. You can incorporate pausing and waiting to encourage your little one to imitate, “Mama” or “Dada”

Goodnight Gorilla

This wordless picture book provides so many opportunities for you to share what’s happening, A recent study found that when books only had pictures, the caregivers did more labeling and describing. The study also found that little ones produced more utterances with these same types of books, meaning they were verbalizing more! I love model “Night Night” and “shh:” throughout

My First Noisy Books :

The sounds in this book are perfect for encouraging your little one to imitate. You can also target a word like “push” or “help” throughout

Oh No, Poo Poo/Pee Pee:

Let’s Go, Puppy!

Written by a Speech Pathologist, this book is perfect for working on early words and gestures as well as beginning sequencing as you follow puppy throughout his day! Watch a video me reading this with Aubrey here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brooke Andrews, Speech Therapist (@thelatetalkerslp)

All Better:

For beginning talkers, I ignore the text and simplify the language such as, “Puppy went boom!” You can model gesture such as blowing a kiss and words like boo-boo and ouch!”

Where’s Spot?

This book is great for yes, no questions, copying animal sounds, and copying actions. Knock on the door before opening to see if your little one will copy you and model “open” in an exaggerated way to model functional vocabulary

Melissa and Dog Popping Books:

These books are interactive and great for keeping little ones engaged! Model “Pop” each time you pop a bubbles. Once you little one is using more words, model a longer phrase, “Pop the _____” to work towards word combinations. I love the “Goodnight” one because we also practice telling the animals, “Night Night” and gesturing “Shhh!”

3 Signs Your Toddler Will Start Combining Words Soon

5 Ways to Help Your Toddler Talk Everyday

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5 Books Your Baby Will Love

Speech Milestones vs Speech Averages – What’s the Difference?

Updated CDC milestones for speech You may have heard the CDC updated the developmental milestones in 2022, including speech milestones. But what do these updates mean? And with different answers from speech therapists, pediatricians, and your neighbor down the street, no wonder it’s confusing trying to figure out if your little one “needs” speech therapy […]

Speech “Mini Milestones”

Your toddler’s speech development One of the best things about my job as a pediatric speech therapist is sharing all of the amazing things that are happening “under the surface” with their little one’s speech and language development! Here’s why: It allows you to be majorly wowed by all that your little on is accomplishing […]

Why Babbles Matter

How babbling begins When we think of babies, we often think of their sweet little voices babbling away. But beyond being adorable, babbling is a huge milestone for speech development! During the first six months, baby’s sounds are primarily reflexive nature and aren’t under their control. This includes sounds like crying, burping, and coughing, Then, […]

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100 top books to use with preschoolers in speech therapy.

Check out this massive list of books for preschoolers! This booklist includes over 100 book s that are engaging and fun for young learners! These were books as the top books for preschoolers becuase they have bright pictures, engaging text, and have been a success in my own speech therapy sessions. Your 3, 4, 5, and 6 year olds will love listening to you read these preschool books aloud!

Although there are no links, you can easily find these preschool books at your library, on YouTube or with a quick Google Search!

Mrs. Wishy Washy’s Farm

10 Little Christmas Presents

10 Red Apples

A Bear Sat on my Porch Today

A Loud Winter’s Nap

Apple Trouble

Are you my Mother?

Bear Feels Sick

Bear Snores On

Bears New Friend

Boo Hoo, Bird

Brown Bear, Brown Bear,

Cat’s Colors

Cold Lady Who Swallowed some Snow

Cookie’s Week

Dog’s Colourful Day

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Go Sleep in your own Bed

Going on a Bear Hunt

Good Night Gorilla

Good Night Little Blue Truck

Good Night, Moon

Grumpy Bird

Happy Easter, Mouse!

How to catch a Class Pet

How to catch a Dinosaur

How to catch a Dragon

How to catch a Gingerbread Man

How to catch a Leprechaun

How to catch a Loveasauraus

How to catch a Mermaid

How to catch a Monster

How to catch a Reindeer

How to catch a Snowman

How to catch a Tooth Fairy

How to catch a Turkey

How to catch a Unicorn

How to catch a Witch

How to catch a Yeti

How to catch an Elf

How to catch the Easter Bunny

Hungry Bird

I Went Walking

If you give a Cat a Cupcake

If you give a Dog a Donut

If you give a Moose a Muffin

If you give a Mouse a Brownie

If you give a Pig a Pancake

If you Take a Mouse to the Movies

In the Tall, Tall Grass

Is your mamma a llama?

Little Blue Truck

Little Blue Truck Christmas

Little Blue Truck Leads the Way

Little Blue Truck Makes a Friend

Little Blue Truck's Halloween

Little Blue Truck’s Valentine

Merry Christmas, Mouse

Mummy who Who Swallowed a Spider

My Presents

Old Astronaut Who Swallowed the Moon

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Birthday Cake

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cactus

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Cow

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Desk

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Frog

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Ghost

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Spoon

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Truck

Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey

Old Lady Who Swallowed some books

Old Lady Who Swallowed some Leaves

Old Mermaid Who Swallowed a Shark

Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Map

Old Scientist Who Swallowed a Dinosaur

On account of The Gum

Over and Under

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What do you hear?

Polar Bear, Polar Bear What do you hear?

Smiley Shark

Sneezy the Snowman

Snowmen all Year

Snowmen at Christmas

Snowmen at Night

Snowmen at Work

Spooky Wheels

Stir, Crack, Whisk, Bake

Ten on the Sled

The Grouchy LadyBug

The Itsy Bitsy

The Napping House

The Very Cranky Bear

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Lazy Ladybug

The Very Noisy Bear

Three Little Fish and Big Bad Shark

Time for School, Little Blue Truck

Too Many Carrots

Way Down deep in the Deep Blue Sea

When the leaf Blew In

Where’s Spot??

Who ate all the Cookie Dough?

Please use this booklist for preschoolers in your speech therapy sessions, push in lessons, preschool lessons, or send for homework!

If you are interested in an easy preschool craft to use with these prek books, check out these No Prep Book Craft Sheets!

Each of the listed stories has a one page craft sheet that can be used for story retell, to answer questions about the story, to act out the story while you are reading it aloud.

The top part of the sheet is the setting of the story and the bottom half has the characters/items in the story.

Your students will love this fine motor activity and it can be used as a preschool craft for Halloween, Easter, Valentine's Day, Christmas, St. Patrick's Day and more!

Interested in more play based therapy ideas, access to freebies (like the ones below) and special offers? Make sure to get on my email list (link below!)

Play Based Articulation Activities for the K Sound

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Books For Speech Therapy For Toddlers

If you work with toddlers, you’re likely familiar with the phrases, “llama, llama red pajama” from the Llama Llama book series and “I was rocking in my school shoes” from the Pete The Cat series. Reading books to toddlers is not only fun and entertaining but can also be highly beneficial for exposing them to pre-reading and emerging reading skills! Pre-reading skills can start developing as early as infancy. For young readers, these pre-reading skills can be as simple as exposing them to books, inspiring motivation to read, helping them become aware of letters, and understanding that letters stand for something. ABA Speech would like to share some ideas to help with integrating these concepts into your therapy sessions!

How To Make Reading More Engaging

Some children naturally love books, while it takes others a bit to warm up to them or find their interest. To help young readers become more engaged with books and find reading to be more fun, it can be helpful to allow them to be adventurous and choose books based on their preferences. Reading books that are relevant to the child or those that are based on their interests facilitates increased opportunities for conversation and a higher possibility for enjoyment of reading. You can also encourage young children to choose a favorite seat (whether it be a bean bag chair, sling chair, kid size chair, oversized pillow, etc.) to sit on while looking at a book. Changing up the lighting can also be engaging (ie. reading outdoors, reading by lamp, or while using a flashlight). When working with children who don’t want to sit through a book, you can allow them to stand/walk or play with a sensory toy to get sensory input, helping with sustained attention. For those with decreased attention spans, you don’t have to read every word. Making modifications to adjust to the child’s levels and needs is completely acceptable. Most importantly, you are exposing them to books!

How Can Books Help Improve Language Skills

We can embed many communication activities within literacy activities. Using books in therapy sessions provides numerous opportunities to expose young children to pre-reading and emerging reading skills. Titles that lend themselves to helping with these skills include touch and feel/lift the flap type books that allow the child to explore through tactile and visual feedback and books containing repetitive lines (i.e. Brown Bear, Brown Bear ; I Went Walking ) as these are highly beneficial in helping with predicting skills. These books also often contain simple words to help with verbal imitation. Shared reading and reading books together not only helps with pre-reading and emerging reading skills but also provides opportunities for joint attention and social skills through a shared activity.

What strategies can be used while using books with toddlers? Dialogic reading can be very helpful to prompt children to ask questions and help to engage them in the process. According to Chloe Hill, a pediatric speech-language pathologist, the CROWD strategy can be highly effective. The CROWD acronym stands for the following: Completion prompt (leaving out the last word of a sentence; Recall prompt (asking about something that has already happened); Open-ended prompt (asking a question about a picture on a page); Wh-Questions (asking who, what, when, where, and/or why questions); and Distancing prompt (asking questions that have them connect to their life). Another strategy involves covering up certain areas of the book with sticky notes, to help with predicting skills and keep the reader engaged. Depending on the student, it can be helpful to invite the parents to be part of sessions or portions of sessions to help educate strategies to implement at home, helping with carryover.

Providing Opportunities To All Kids

When working with a child with complex communication needs or those with disabilities, it’s important to remember how important it is to still provide opportunities. Books and extension activities can be adapted to the child’s learning level. Even though these children have more complex needs, books can easily be integrated into sessions to provide literacy exposure to these children as well. Even if you have a child who is not interested in books, you can still provide print awareness with exposure through toys, blocks, etc. with letters. In addition, online books (ie. Epic books) can be highly engaging. It’s important to remember children won’t be able to show us if they are interested if we don’t provide opportunities. Progress can look different for every child.

We hope you’ve found this information helpful! To help integrate books into your therapy sessions and even at home, we’d like to share a fun content upgrade with you! Be sure to scroll down to the bottom, and input your e-mail to get your free Llama, Llama and Pete The Cat content upgrade! This is the perfect supplement to ease your planning for teletherapy, in-person, mixed level groups, all ages, and small group reading instruction!

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Top 10 Children’s Books for Speech Therapy

Whew! Those are my top 10! It was really, really, really hard to make this list…so you know I have another one coming 🙂 Be on the lookout for Part 2, as well as my upcoming post on books that go with every theme I use in my theme therapy calendar !

Are any of these stories in your top 10??? What do you have that you can't live without?

Please share!

I love Brown Bear, Brown Bear! I used it all the time with my elementary groups! Great list!

You can’t be a pediatric SLP and not have that book! Thanks!

I love all your books.. especially Swimmy and The Giving Tree. I also love the Story of Ferdinand (the bull) , Caps for Sale, and Danny and the Dinosaur. The Snow Lion, Are You my Mother, and Blueberries for Sal are others I have enjoyed using throughout the years. Can’t forget Amelia Bedilia, Curious George, and Berenstein Bears…. I love books! 🙂 and love your site so much. Thank you for taking time and sharing!!

Do any of you use themes with your older students (5th-8th)? I am struggling this year for some reason with these kids. I really want to use literature but I cant seem to find book companions for this age. Any suggestions?

Hi Kira! With older students, I typically use whatever is being used in the classroom, whether its a text book or curriculum materials. I hope that helps!

Great books!!! I’ve never read Inch by Inch. Al the rest I love!

Thanks CC! I grew up reading Leo Lionni books, so I might be biased! I love his stories 🙂 Inch by Inch is so good because the worm plays a trick on the bird to get out of harms way…good inferencing! My kiddos love it!

I recently purchased “How I Became A Pirate” at one our book fairs. I am thinking about adding a Pirate theme this year. I can’t live without “Big Pumpkin”, “The Night Before…” series, and “The Rowdy Rooster”. Great Picks!

Love HOW I BECAME A PIRATE ; the Ebook version is the best. I have recently gotten into the LARRY GETS LOST series. Larry the dog gets lost in various cities across the United States. Great fun and good for learning about big cities.

I will have to check that out! Thanks, Jan!

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13 Best Books For Speech Therapy And Development

By: Author Liz Talton

Posted on Published: July 1, 2022 - Last updated: January 20, 2023

Categories Parenting

13 Best Books For Speech Therapy And Development

The concern many parents have about their children is the progress of their speech development.

Speech development begins once a baby begins making babbling sounds.

Those babbling sounds are actually a form of communication!

Babbling will naturally progress into word formations.

But what can you do to help progress speech development in your baby or toddler?

Pick up one of these 15 best books for speech therapy and development!

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you click on them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Best Books For Speech Therapy And Speech Development

Hop On Pop is a classic Dr. Seuss book that keeps small children entertained and engaged through colorful illustrations and repetitive word rhyming.

This book is perfect for younger children to teach three letter words that rhym together.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

This children’s classic combines asking questions that build upon one another.

Questions, animal identification, and rhyming all help children with repetition makes it one of the best books for speech development.

Little Blue Truck

After the popular release of Little Blue Truck, Alice Schertle has created multiple Little Blue Truck books.

Each are equally fun and helpful for speech development.

These books teach children new sound words like “Beep”, “Oink”, “Cluck”, and more to explore the environment around the farm.

Other books in the Little Blue Truck series include:

Good Night, Little Blue Truck
Little Blue Truck’s Springtime
Time For School, Little Blue Truck
What Do You Say, Little Blue Truck? (sound book)
Little Blue Truck’s Valentine
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas
Little Blue Truck Leads The Way

Where The Wild Things Are

By far one of the most famous children’s books, Where The Wild Things Are has now been adapted into a movie and an opera. And for good reason!

Where The Wild Things Are not only takes your child on an adventure through an island of magical creatures and uses new descriptive words throughout the story to introduce and broaden speech development.

Bears On Chairs

Bears On Chairs takes the similar concepts presented in Five Little Monkeys.

Bears On Chairs is a rhyming book that teaches children how to count and problem solve with small numbers.

This classic Dr. Suess story teaches children simple words to recognize and say different vehicles like bicycles, skiis, roller skates, and more all while learning variations of dogs (big, small, white, black, etc).

Goodnight, Gorilla

Goodnight, Gorilla uses easy to follow repetition to say good night to each animal at the zoo.

Your child will learn to recognize common animal names along with what they look like.

Is Your Mama A Llama?

This book with lovely illustrations uses rhyming and riddles to create an animal guessing game to help Lloyd a baby llama discover who everyone’s mama is.

Pete The Cat: I Love My White Shoes

While Pete The Cat books are fairly new to children’s bookshelves they are rapidly gaining popularity because they are some of the best books for speech development.

Pete The Cat doesn’t let adversity stand in his way. He continues to walk through piles of messes with white socks still singing.

While he does this your child will learn about colors and how color combine to make new colors.

Did You Take The B From My _ook?

This children’s book is a little more advance and is suitable for children ages 4 thru 8.

While most children will be speaking by this age range, if your child is struggling with recognizing words or a language delay this is the perfect book!

Did You Take The B From My ook? explores different words and sound effects with the letter B, plus introduces a child to a guessing game with words to improve comprehension.

Blue Hat, Green Hat

Sandra Boynton books remains some of my children’s favorite books.

Blue Hat, Green Hat introduces simple and easy to understand phrases for younger children while teaching them to identify clothing items and colors associated with them.

Final Thoughts About Best Books For Speech Therapy

Books are an exceptional tool for teaching children new words, rhyming, phrases, and new concepts.

When looking for one of the best books for speech development look for books that include repetition.

Repetition is the use of repeat words and phrases to help your child remember new language words and speech sounds.

This will help your child remember new words and expand their speech development.

To increase speech and language, try one of the best books for speech therapy and speech development that made this list!

Works Cited

100+ Children’s books for speech language development (kidmunicate.com)

What Makes Great Books for Speech Therapy? – Bilinguistics

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Speech & Language Therapy Resources

30 Picture Books for Early Intervention Speech Therapy

11/20/2023 by Jenna Leave a Comment

In early intervention speech therapy, picture books serve as invaluable resources to support language development and enhance communication skills in young children. Incorporating picture books for early intervention speech therapy can enhance language development, improve communication skills and create an engaging learning experience. Each book on the list below has been carefully selected to target specific speech and language goals, making them valuable resources for speech therapists working with early intervention children.

Why Use Books in Speech Therapy?

As stated above, books are powerful tools in speech and language therapy, offering numerous benefits for children undergoing intervention. Incorporating picture books into therapy sessions can enhance language development, improve communication skills and create an engaging learning experience. In addition, incorporating books when targeting speech and language skills helps with the following things:

Promoting Language and Vocabulary Development:

Books expose children to a rich variety of words, expanding their vocabulary and language comprehension. By reading aloud and discussing the story, SLPs can introduce new words, reinforce concepts and encourage expressive language skills.

Enhancing Storytelling and Narrative Skills:

Engaging with books nurtures storytelling abilities and narrative skills in children. As they follow the plot and characters, they learn about story structure, sequencing and cause-and-effect relationships. These things are essential for effective communication.

Stimulating Imagination and Creativity:

Books transport children to imaginative worlds, fostering creativity and critical thinking. They encourage children to visualize and describe scenes, characters and events, promoting expressive language and descriptive skills.

30 picture books for early intervention speech therapy

What is Early Intervention in Speech Therapy?

Early intervention in speech therapy refers to the proactive approach of addressing speech and language difficulties in young children as soon as they are identified. Early intervention aims to support and enhance a child’s communication skills during those critical early developmental stages of their life.

Early intervention speech therapy typically targets children from birth to around three years of age. During this critical developmental period, speech therapists work with infants and toddlers who may be exhibiting speech and language delays or disorders. Early intervention aims to address these challenges as early as possible to support the child’s communication skills and maximize their developmental potential. By recognizing these challenges at a young age, speech therapists can implement targeted strategies to address them promptly, leading to improved speech and language outcomes.

At this age, families are active participants in the therapeutic process. Speech therapists collaborate with parents and caregivers to create individualized treatment plans that can be integrated into daily routines, maximizing the child’s progress.

what is early intervention speech therapy?

30 Picture Books for Early Intervention Speech Therapy:

{This post contains affiliate links. It does not mean that you pay any more for the item, it simply means that I receive a small commission if you purchase from the link for researching it for you. Thanks so much for supporting my blog!}

Interactive Books:

Books that encourage touch and interaction provide valuable opportunities to increase attention, promote vocabulary development and engage the senses. These interactive books are ideal for early intervention speech therapy sessions:

All Better – This interactive book features reusable bandages and stickers, allowing children to engage in pretend play while learning about body parts and emotions.
Hats Off – With colorful hats that children can remove and place back on the characters, this book supports vocabulary development, turn-taking and fine motor skills.
Poke-a-Dot Books – These books incorporate satisfying tactile experiences, such as popping bubbles or pushing buttons, to engage children and reinforce counting, colors and animal names.
Flap Books like “Where’s Spot” – Lift-the-flap books like this one encourage anticipation, fine motor skills and vocabulary expansion as children search for the hidden character.
Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? – This interactive book prompts children to find body parts and supports early language skills, body awareness and vocabulary development.
Little Bear Needs Glasses” – With movable glasses that children can place on the character, this book introduces the concept of vision correction and promotes discussion around emotions and empathy.
Happy Birthday Touch and Feel – This book incorporates textures and sensory elements to celebrate birthdays, encouraging descriptive language, vocabulary and tactile exploration.
That’s Not My Puppy – With touch-and-feel elements on every page, this book stimulates sensory exploration, descriptive language and texture recognition.
Baby Faces, Peekaboo (with mirror) – This book features mirrors and engaging illustrations of baby faces, promoting social interaction, facial expression recognition, and early communication ski

picture books for early intervention speech therapy SLPs should use

Durable Books:

Durable books are perfect for early intervention speech therapy. They provide sturdy pages that can withstand the handling from this age group. Here are some durable book recommendations:

Indestructibles: Hello, Farm – Made of a durable material, this book introduces farm animals and supports vocabulary development, animal sounds, and visual engagement.
Indestructibles: Things that Go! – This durable book features various modes of transportation, fostering language skills, sound imitation, and visual tracking.
Bath Books: Eric Carle – Waterproof bath books by Eric Carle combine the joy of reading with water play, promoting language development, vocabulary, and water-related concepts.
Barnyard Bath – This bath book introduces farm animals and their sounds, making bath time an opportunity for learning and language stimulation.

Board Books:

Board books are popular choices in early intervention speech therapy due to their sturdy construction, repetitive text, engaging pictures and potential for incorporating songs. Here are some recommended board books:

First 100 Words – This board book presents a variety of everyday objects, supporting vocabulary expansion, word-picture association, and early categorization skills.
My Truck is Stuck – With rhythmic text and vibrant illustrations, this book introduces transportation vocabulary, action words, and engages children in interactive storytelling.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear – This classic book features repetitive text and vibrant illustrations, aiding in color recognition, animal names, and developing early sentence structures.
Moo, Baa, La La -Through rhythmic text and animal sounds, this book promotes sound imitation, expressive language skills, and engages children in interactive participation
Barnyard Dance – With lively illustrations and catchy rhymes, this book encourages movement, imitation, and vocabulary related to farm animals and actions.
From Head to Toe – This interactive book invites children to mimic various animal movements, promoting body awareness, motor skills, and expressive language.
Giraffes Can’t Dance – This heartwarming story celebrates individuality, rhythm, and self-expression, fostering social-emotional skills, vocabulary, and storytelling.
Goodnight, Construction Site – This book features construction vehicles winding down for the night, introducing vocabulary related to construction, bedtime routines, and sequencing.

Going on a Bear Hunt – With repetitive text and engaging illustrations, this book encourages participation, sound imitation, and storytelling while going on an exciting adventure.
Goodnight Gorilla – This wordless book invites children to create their own narratives, promote observational skills, inferencing, and engage in expressive language.
Are You My Mother? – This classic tale follows a baby bird’s search for its mother, supporting vocabulary, descriptive language, and storytelling skills.
Dear Zoo – Through lift-the-flap elements, this book introduces various animals and their characteristics, fostering vocabulary, animal names, and descriptive language.
Snuggle Puppy – With its playful rhymes and endearing illustrations, this book encourages engagement, emotional expression, and bonding experiences.
Little Blue Truck – This book emphasizes kindness, friendship, and vehicle vocabulary, promoting social skills, sound imitation, and interactive storytelling. Check out 7 speech skills to target with this Little Blue Truck sensory bin.
Yes, Yes, No, No – This board book explores opposites, gestures, and emotions, supporting expressive language, concept development, and early communication skills.
I Went Walking – Through repetitive text and vibrant illustrations, this book introduces animals, colors, and action words, fostering vocabulary expansion and sequencing skills.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a beloved board book that follows the journey of a caterpillar as it eats its way through various foods. This classic book promotes vocabulary development, counting, food-related concepts, and sequencing skills.

More picture book ideas to use in speech therapy sessions

Want More Picture Book Ideas for Speech Therapy?

Incorporating picture books into early intervention speech therapy sessions provides numerous benefits for children with communication difficulties. By incorporating these picture books into early intervention speech therapy, therapists can foster language growth, stimulate imagination and create a foundation for lifelong learning.

Check Out These Other Picture Book Ideas To Use in Speech Therapy Sessions:

5 Wordless Picture Books for SLPs to Use in Speech Evaluations
The ULTIMATE List of Wordless Picture Books for Speech Therapy
Picture Books that Feature AAC Users
8 Books that Target “WH Questions” for Preschoolers
10 Repetitive Picture Books to Use in Speech Therapy
10 Favorite Farm Picture Books
15 Children’s Books that Feature a Single-Parent Household
Big List of Picture Books for Older Students
15 Best Picture Books for Winter Themed Speech Therapy
The Best Christmas Books for Speech Therapy
Top 17 Thanksgiving Books for Speech Therapy You Need to Know
Fall Picture Books about Leaves
Children’s Books for St. Patrick’s Day

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5 Best Books for Speech Therapy

Speech therapy is a form of treatment done to address communication problems.

Also referred to as speech-language therapy, it involves practices that aim to treat speaking or reading challenges.

Besides speech challenges, it also focuses on language knowledge, language use, and social communication issues.

Writing and spelling challenges, particularly dyslexia, might also improve with the help of speech therapy .

To help your child in his journey, here are five of the best books for speech therapy you can use.

1. A Boy and a Jaguar by Dr. Alan Rabinowitz

2. the mouth with a mind of its own by patricia mervine, 3. from head to toe by eric carle, 4. sammy goes to speech by marissa siegel, 5. owl moon by jane yolen, comparison chart.

A Boy and a Jaguar

The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own

From Head to Toe Board Book

Sammy Goes to Speech

Best Books for Speech Therapy Reviews

Authored by Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, the book tells a simple narrative of a life-long bond between a youngster who felt “broken” and how animals influenced his life’s work.

Time Magazine tagged the book’s main character as the “Indiana Jones of wildlife preservation.”

Inspired by real-life events, join Alan as he embarks on a journey to fulfill a promise to be the voice of animals and people who cannot do so.

As one of the helpful books for speech therapy, there are notable qualities that made it a favorite by many instructors, parents, and children.

Based on Personal Accounts

The author had speech issues growing up, particularly stuttering, which he was able to overcome.

Since it covers his life, including college and job references, A Boy and a Jaguar perhaps provides more impact for older book readers.

As such, it could be a guide or inspiration for those who have doubts about their life trajectory due to speech problems.

Award-Winning Book

A Boy and a Jaguar , drawn by Catia Chien, has earned an award for the creative representation of handicapped experience in 2015.

It won the Schneider Family Book Award, given by the American Library Association .

Its subjects are not limited to stutterers, though, which makes this book more compelling.

Wildlife Advocacy

Dr. Rabinowitz is the founder of Panthera, a big cat conservation group.

After reading the narrative at length, the story can influence its readers to protect animals that have been threatened due to various factors.

By sharing his childhood experience, he aims for readers to understand the significance of wildlife preservation.

Relatability

A Boy and a Jaguar depicts a loud and clear message of being a voice for the animals.

Readers can relate to Alan and the animals for not having a “voice.”

The narrative assumes that animals have no human voices and, therefore, people don’t listen to their suffering and anxiety.

Through this story, the reader can empathize with the characters, who also struggle with not being understood.

Inexpensive
Great illustrations
Uplifting story
Not Kindle-friendly

Written by Patricia Mervine, the story of The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own revolves around a boy named Matthew.

As the title implies, the main character has an issue where his brain is not in sync with his mouth.

Because of this, he cannot mingle with other children or even say his own name.

The story is inspired by the author’s experience working with students like Matthew as a speech-language pathologist.

The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own illuminates the struggles toddlers with speech problems have to endure regularly during their formative years.

Let’s explore the features that made the book a must-have for speech therapy.

Realistic Story

While other books focus on poking the children’s interest using fictional elements, this book does the opposite.

It narrates the difficulties of a “real” character in a familiar setting, so the readers can directly relate their experiences to the story.

Because they are able to relate to Matthew’s experiences, the book could positively impact their development.

Candid and Informative

Despite the regular life premise of The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own , it still has a nice mix of humor and learning.

More often than not, it’s hard to keep the children engaged in a story with nothing but exposition.

Adults also have this sort of issue when there’s not too much to stimulate their senses.

Having a bit of humor in storytelling could diminish this circumstance and might result in better discussion and engagement.

Emphasis on Speech Therapist

One of the distinctive aspects of the story is explaining to the readers how a speech therapist can help improve their communication skills.

After finishing the story of The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own , children can be more welcoming and receptive to their respective speech therapists.

Applicable for homeschooling
Feel-good story
Vivid and colorful illustrations
Some words could be a tad abstract for kids
Might be too wordy

From Head to Toe describes the different movements of animals in detail.

Also, Eric Carle encourages young readers to mimic the various actions made by the creatures in the book, which adds fun to learning.

In turn, children will discover and give importance to the value of listening, exercise, and a new challenge via vivid illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions.

Compared to other speech therapy books, From Head to Toe offers a different approach to stimulate the interest and attention of its readers.

Let’s see the notable aspects of this colorful and energetic children’s book.

Interactive Learning

It is fascinating to be able to witness a giraffe bending its neck or a monkey turning down its arms.

However, letting the kids emulate these movements adds an element of fun, exercise, and engagement.

A kid is partnered with an animal on every two-page spread.

Then, the assigned are urged to move in the same manner as the highlighted creature.

The exuberant art could intrigue young toddlers, who might love the art and making their own motions .

Repeating Phrases

From Head to Toe incorporates plenty of repeating phrases that are extremely helpful for those struggling to communicate.

Due to its speech therapy-friendly questions, it further improves the children’s receptiveness and confidence.

Good Storyline

When it comes to the plot, From Head to Toe might not have a serious or real-world setting.

However, it has enough details to keep the children interested, which is beneficial to ensure they are learning continuously.

Quality Illustration

With an art style that many readers can relate to, the book makes itself more accessible than others.

The child art-like theme of the illustrations could also motivate the kids to attempt drawing the characters in the book.

While it is not directly related to speech therapy, getting interested in art will ultimately contribute to their learning and development as young students.

Because of the bright text and illustration, older relatives such as grandparents will find the book easy to read with kids.

What’s more, it’s not a challenge to read the contents with a bedside lamp, so it can easily become a favorite bedtime book.

Caters to many different types of children
Durable cover
Available in multiple languages
Pricier than others
Back cover art may not be available inside

Tailored for children who are either just starting speaking or in speech therapy, Sammy Goes to Speech is a resourceful and educational book.

It was written by Marissa Siegel, a speech-language pathologist.

The book tells a unique story about a girl who struggles with communication.

The premise is Sammy, the main character, desperately wants to talk but can’t find his voice.

Sammy and his mother then look for his voice all over but have trouble finding it.

Sammy Goes to Speech is labeled as one of the great resources for families with little ones dealing with speech issues.

Let’s check out why the book has earned praise from its readers.

Written by a Pro

As a licensed speech-language pathologist, Marissa Siegel has enough credentials and experience to produce a quality book.

Regarding the overall reception of Sammy Goes to Speech , it’s evident that there’s a consensus about its effectiveness as a speech therapy book.

According to Siegel, she was motivated by her own experience as an SLP to create this book.

Her sensitivity grew enormously after working with numerous families with small children dealing with speech issues.

She also realized that only a few accessible options are available for families that join the realm of speech therapy.

These factors inspired her to write Sammy Goes to Speech .

Clear, Concise Illustration

While the artwork is not as dynamic as other speech therapy books, it more than makes up for it with simplicity and clarity.

In regards to enhancing the speech level of children, the illustration doesn’t need to be significantly impressive.

Accessible Storyline

The narrative of the book is mainly for children who are learning how to communicate appropriately.

However, the engaging, practical storyline is also applicable even for those who don’t need an SLP.

Values such as perseverance and creativity apply to all children, which will contribute to their mental development.

Relatable Main Character

Many kids will find Sammy a relatable character mainly because he also goes to speech class and has a friendly speech-language pathologist.

His stuffed toy, Mr. Monster, adds an element of fun to the entire book, which draws the reader more to the story.

Bonus Content

After the story concludes, you’ll see additional sections labeled as “Tips” and “Activities.”

These sections provide parents with practical and accessible ideas that could help their kids improve.

As you can imagine, these parts make the book more equipped for speech therapy than others.

In addition to the engaging story, you can also use the tips and activities that the author has carefully written.

Philanthropy

While it is not necessarily a content attribute of the book, it’s great to know that a portion of its sales is put to meaningful research.

A part of the proceeds is dedicated to funding research on childhood communication disorders.

Easy to understand
Age range not wide

The Owl Moon is about a small child and her father looking forward to encountering the perfect owl.

The small girl has been waiting years to take part in the family ritual.

While their goal is about finishing an objective, the storyline revolves around the concept of love of nature and simplicity.

The book is for kids of all ages and is written by Jane Yolen.

The Owl Moon is revered by many as one of the best books for speech therapy because of its notable qualities.

Let’s learn about the features of this classic children’s book.

Applicable to Children of Different Ages

The Owl Moon tells a family-oriented story, so it’s a great book for children of all ages, from older preschoolers to school-age students.

Because of the theme and virtues presented, it is also relatable to those reading it.

High-Quality Illustration

The Owl Moon is rich in shadow and moonlight art details, which displays the people in the story from different perspectives.

Interesting angles of other forest animals are also prominently illustrated.

The picture compliments that narrative in this exceptional book.

Schoenherr, the illustrator, used nightly soft and misty blacks and browns, contrasting them with the piercing white snow.

Due to its art, the Owl Moon won a Caldecott Medal in 1988.

Dynamic Storytelling

While the cover art may imply a fantasy story, the Own Moon has a realistic narrative that many will find relatable and applicable to daily life.

The poetic language contributes to its wholesome appeal, while the imagery enhances the quality of the storytelling.

Considering these attributes, it wouldn’t be strange that many view the Owl Moon as a classic and must-have children’s book.

Excellent gift
Good story to share during Christmas or winter
Inspiring for young kids
Impressive print quality
Some proses might be a bit long
Underwhelming SLP elements

Out of these five outstanding books, we think Sammy Goes to Speech stands out.

Taking into account its readability, add-ons, illustration, and overall quality, it would be hard not to see how this book will help children.

On the other hand, if you are looking for something more interactive, you should check out From Head to Toe .

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Best Toddler Books

Below are some of my FAVORITE best toddler books for you. Most are oldies but goodies that I LOVE reading over and over again.

You don't need a lot of books, just the right ones.

Tips For Shopping For Best Toddler Books

1. buy a variety.

You don’t need many books, just a small variety of great books. Find books which have different topics as this will expose your child to a variety vocabulary.

For example, look for books about bedtime, school, vehicles, animals, outer space, etc...

Toddlers love to repeat the same book over and over again and that is a great thing for language learning. Each time through, your child will learn something else new. It is also a great thing for your pocketbook. You don't need too many books!

Again, the key here is variety. Find a few rhyming books. Rhyming is an early phonological awareness skill that is important for learning to read print.

Introducing rhyming is easier when you have a favorite book that rhymes!

3. Predictable Patterns

Find books that a have predictable or repeating theme. “The Hungry Caterpillar” or “10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” are two good examples.

These patterns, while monotonous for adults, are very beneficial for children. They offer a lot of repetition of new information and toddlers NEED a lot of repetition to learn, especially children with speech or language disorders.

4. Interesting

It is good to introduce toddlers to new things through books, but don't push it if your child is in a "phase."

For example, if your child LOVES trains, have a few train books on hand. You want your child to WANT to read. If trains inspire a love for reading, than have some books about it!

5. Watch The Length

A toddler's attention span is short. Some children can sit for 20 minutes and some, like mine, listen for about 5 minutes!

To give you an idea, a typical 2 – 2 ½ year old may be able to sit for a 5-10 minute story. A 3-year old may sit for a 20-minute story.

Watch the length of the book. At this age, you still don’t have to read the entire story but story grammar is starting to emerge. During reading time, try to get the setting and plot across.

How we read to children is so critical that I wrote a free eBook to share my tips and ideas with my readers. It gives in-depth strategies and much more! If you are interested, please sign up and get your FREE copy!

How To Best Read To Your Child

Reading To Toddlers: Top Tips

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Experts: Research can help determine best therapy for your child’s autism

Health report.

April is Autism Awareness Month.

Reports show that around one in 36 children in the U.S. have autism.

There is no cure for autism, but there are therapy options available such as behavioral, speech and physical therapy.

A behavioral analyst for the Cleveland Clinic recommends doing research, consulting with your child’s doctor and building connections with other families in the autism community to determine the best course of treatment.

Research to determine what factors could cause autism is ongoing.

IMAGES

Using Wordless Picture Books in Speech Therapy
Why you should be using Interactive Books in Speech Therapy
Picture Books to Improve Your Toddler’s Speech
Top 20 BEST Books For Speech Therapy
The Best Books for Preschool Speech Therapy
The Best Books for Preschoolers in Speech Therapy

VIDEO

Reading Books in Speech Therapy
Learn and Sing
Teaching Social Emotional Skills
Speech Therapy Story Time
Speech Therapy for Toddlers
TODDLER FRIENDLY BOOKS REVIEW ||BEST BOOKS FOR STORY TIME

COMMENTS

13+ Best Children's Books for Speech Therapy
SEE ALSO: 430+ Free Multisyllabic Words List Activity Bundle. 8. Good Dog, Carl. Good Dog, Carl by Alexander Day is perfect if you're looking for wordless books. Using wordless picture books can be a great first step when introducing using books in therapy.
Best Books for Speech Therapy for Toddlers
Best Books for Speech Therapy for Toddlers. December 6, 2022 / Laura. In my week of making lists, I wanted to add a post with recommendations for the best books for speech therapy for toddlers. If you need specific therapy ideas, I've devoted 3 entire podcasts to this topic and you can find those here: Making Books Better Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
10 Best Books to Help Your Toddler With Speech Delay
Touchy-Feely Books. The Best Books to Help with Toddler Speech Delay (Our Favorites!) 1. My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities To Promote Your Child's Language Development by Kimberly Scanlon. 2.The Speech Teacher's Handbook: A Parent's Guide to Speech and Language by Molly Dresner. 3.
Children's Books for Speech Therapy: The Ultimate List
If you are a speech-language pathologist searching for the best children's books for speech therapy, check out this blog post! Using books during speech therapy sessions provide a fun way to target articulation and language goals. This article explains why SLPs might use children's books in speech therapy. Additionally, it provides suggestions for how to
Great Books for Toddlers with Speech Language Delays (with Therapy
Making Books Better Podcast. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Other quick tips to make reading books with toddlers with developmental delays easier for YOU: 1. Choose CARDBOARD books for toddlers and preschoolers. A long, long time ago I realized that I tend to get a little cranky when one of my little friends rips a page….
Choosing the BEST books for toddlers
10 favorite speech therapy books for toddlers: You can apply the same strategies that we shared for the Hungry Caterpillar for all of these books! Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (Hardcover Books for Toddlers, Preschool Books for Kids) Buy on Amazon. Little Blue Truck Buy on Amazon.
10 Books That Get Toddlers Talking
As a speech therapist specializing in working with toddlers, books are a go-to activity for me! Here are a few that have become all time favorites over the years: My First Learn to Talk Book: We typically hear little ones imitate fun sounds before they imitate words. This book, written by a Speech Pathologist, is full of these sounds.
The Best Books for Preschool Speech Therapy
How do you teach toddlers and preschooler to love books? By making them an active part of the reading process!!Books are a perfect speech therapy tool for targeting everything from articulation, to wh-questions, to expressive language, to apraxia of speech! Not to mention they are a great way to build vocabulary and story retell skills.I am sharing FOUR types of books (and my favourite five of ...
Children's Books for Speech Therapy
Fabian Fish Finger: How to say the 'f' sound. Fabian Fish Finger is the third book in a series aimed at children who have simple speech sound delays. Fabian fish finger is fascinated by fish and desperately wants to be a fish himself. Join him as he tries to swim with them and, as a little magic happens, he learns to say the /f/ sound to make ...
Our Favorite Books to Help Toddlers Talk
find it on amazon. #2 The Wheels on the Bus by Jane Cabrera. We love a singable book! They incorporate rhythm, repetition, and often gestures—3 things that can definitely help toddlers talk. We're linking The Wheels On The Bus here, but Jane Cabrera has written several of our go-to's.
The Best Books for Speech Therapy for Toddlers
In today's episode, we discuss my favorite books when it comes to speech therapy for toddlers. Reading is not about sitting down and reading every word on every page, making sure we sit still the entire time, and reading a book cover to cover. You must get outside of what YOU think is the right (or only) way to do things. Think outside the box.
The Best Speech Therapy Books To Help Toddlers
Speech therapy books are designed to engage young children in a way that encourages them to mimic sounds, understand repetitive phrases, and get excited about language. These books often feature interactive elements like flap books or real objects, making them not just educational but super fun, too! Overall, these are seriously the best ...
Books that Encourage Speech Development in Toddlers
My Toddler's First Words: A Step-By-Step Book to Jump-Start, Track, and Expand Your Toddler's Language is NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! These are some of my favorite books to read with toddlers to encourage speech and language development in young children.
10 Books That Get Toddlers Talking
Here are a few of favorite books to use in speech therapy with late-talking toddlers: My First Learn to Talk Book: We typically hear little ones imitate fun sounds before they imitate words. This book, written by a Speech Pathologist, is full of these sounds. You can model sounds and gestures to encourage your little one to imitate.
100 Top Books to Use with Preschoolers in Speech Therapy
Check out this massive list of books for preschoolers! This booklist includes over 100 books that are engaging and fun for young learners! These were books as the top books for preschoolers becuase they have bright pictures, engaging text, and have been a success in my own speech therapy sessions. Your 3, 4, 5, and 6 year olds will love listening to you read these preschool books aloud ...
Books For Speech Therapy For Toddlers
Books For Speech Therapy For Toddlers. If you work with toddlers, you're likely familiar with the phrases, "llama, llama red pajama" from the Llama Llama book series and "I was rocking in my school shoes" from the Pete The Cat series. Reading books to toddlers is not only fun and entertaining but can also be highly beneficial for ...
Top 10 Children's Books for Speech Therapy
9. Swimmy by Leo Lionni …another Caldecott Honor book for the wonderful author, Leo Lionni. Swimmy is my favorite ocean themed story, it is a great tale of the little guy overcoming adversity through teamwork. The illustrations are beautiful and Swimmy encounters some pretty cool sea life in his adventure. 10.
13 Best Books For Speech Therapy And Development
Little Blue Truck. After the popular release of Little Blue Truck, Alice Schertle has created multiple Little Blue Truck books. Each are equally fun and helpful for speech development. These books teach children new sound words like "Beep", "Oink", "Cluck", and more to explore the environment around the farm.
30 Picture Books for Early Intervention Speech Therapy
Board books are popular choices in early intervention speech therapy due to their sturdy construction, repetitive text, engaging pictures and potential for incorporating songs. Here are some recommended board books: First 100 Words - This board book presents a variety of everyday objects, supporting vocabulary expansion, word-picture ...
5 Best Books for Speech Therapy
To help your child in his journey, here are five of the best books for speech therapy you can use. Quick Navigation. Best Books for Speech Therapy Reviews. 1. A Boy and a Jaguar by Dr. Alan Rabinowitz. 2. The Mouth With a Mind of Its Own by Patricia Mervine. 3.
Best Toddler Books
They offer a lot of repetition of new information and toddlers NEED a lot of repetition to learn, especially children with speech or language disorders. 4. Interesting. It is good to introduce toddlers to new things through books, but don't push it if your child is in a "phase." For example, if your child LOVES trains, have a few train books on ...
Amazon.com: Speech Therapy For Children: Books
Paperback. $1995. FREE delivery on $35 shipped by Amazon. Usually ships within 2 to 3 days. More Buying Choices. $14.99 (12 used & new offers) My child isn't talking yet!: For overcoming delayed speech problems with the most effective activities and a complete handbook to do speech therapy at home from A to Z.
Experts: Research can help determine best therapy for your child's
Reports show that around one in 36 children in the U.S. have autism. There is no cure for autism, but there are therapy options available such as behavioral, speech and physical therapy.

13+ Best Children’s Books for Speech Therapy

Children’s Books for Speech Therapy

1. Bear Snores On

Articulation:

Language Skills

Language Expansion

Social Skills

Digital Version:

2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Articulation:

Language Skills:

3. Happy to Be Me

Language Skills:

4. Press Here

5. Goodnight Moon

Articulation

6. A Bad Case of Stripes

Social Skills:

7. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

SEE ALSO: 430+ Free Multisyllabic Words List Activity Bundle

9. The Little Old Lady That Wasn’t Afraid of Anything

SEE ALSO: 21 Best Reinforcement Games for Speech Therapy

Digital Version: Ends at 3:45

11. Dear Zoo

12. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

Language Expansion:

13. Where the Wild Things Are

SEE ALSO: 179+ Free Speech Therapy Wh Questions Printable

14. The Giving Tree

Great Resource List

Little Kids

In Conclusion: Children’s Books for Speech Therapy

Want Even More Lesson Plans for Speech Therapy?

Want the Best of the Bests?

Children’s Books for Speech Therapy: The Ultimate List

Why Speech Pathologists Use Children’s Books in Speech Therapy

How To Use Books in a Speech Therapy Session

The Best Children’s Books for Speech Sounds and Articulation Therapy

P Sound-Loaded Books

B Sound-Loaded Books

T Sound-Loaded Books

D Sound-Loaded Books

K Sound-Loaded Books

G Sound-Loaded Books

F Sound-Loaded Books

TH Sound-Loaded Books

S Sound-Loaded Books

S-Blend Sound-Loaded Books

SH Sound-Loaded Books

CH Sound-Loaded Books

J (DJ) Sound-Loaded Books

R and R Blend Sound-Loaded Books

L and L Blend Sound-Loaded Books

Top Childrens Books for Vocabulary Development

Best Story Retell Children’s Books

My Favorite Children’s Books for Spatial Concepts

Wordless Picture Books for Speech Therapy

Books for Imitating Actions, Gestures, Sounds, and Exclamations

Top Children’s Speech Therapy Books for Sequencing

The Best Interactive Books for Speech Therapy

Best Children’s Books for Speech Therapy that Promote Diversity and Inclusion

Best Books for Upper Elementary

5 Websites with Free Digital Libraries for SLPs and Educators

Incorporating Yoga and Children’s Books into Speech Therapy Sessions

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1. Photograph Books with only 1 or 2 pictures per page

2. Books Based on Songs

3. Moo Baa La La La

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