Looking for the perfect summer books to make your speech therapy sessions more engaging? Summer books for speech therapy are a fantastic way to bring excitement into therapy while targeting critical articulation and language goals. Whether you’re working on story comprehension, vocabulary building, or specific sounds, these books add seasonal flair and keep kids interested. Keep reading to discover fun, interactive reads that will make your summer sessions productive and enjoyable for you and your students!
Summer months are finally here, and I’m excited to share 6 of my favorite books I use for a summer theme. You can do many themes: ocean, camping, backyard, ice cream, swimming, etc. Make sure to download the free language bookmarks – I tape them on the inside or back of each book for a quick go-to when doing a read-aloud. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Over and Under The Pond by Kate Messner
This author is exceptional! Get all her books! I include her other books in my winter language bookmarks and spring language bookmarks. The vocabulary is rich, and I love the perspective of the illustrations. The book discusses wildlife above and below the water and kids will be mesmerized by the pictures on the page. You can now purchase the complete lesson plan for this book HERE.
Language goals I use it for:
- vocabulary
- figurative language – nearly every page!
- grammar – adjectives and verbs
- story recall
- text structure: describing
A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen
I fell in love with this author when I read the Mercy Watson series (he was the illustrator). Every page rhymes and the illustrations are captivating. It’s such a fun book to read with kids and then have fun discussions around the images. This is a perfect book to pair with S’mores Dice and Dot! You can now purchase the complete lesson plan for this book HERE.
Language goals I use it for:
- rhyming
- story recall
- sequencing
- describing (EET)
Use these summer books for speech therapy to engage students while they work on their language and articulation.
Commotion In The Ocean by Giles Andreae
This is such a fun rhyming book. It features various ocean animals and provides facts about each one in an unpretentious way. Kids will love reading this book as they learn about animals, learn new vocabulary, and improve their language skills.
How I use it:
- vocabulary
- recall
- grammar
- writing prompts
Secrets Of The Seashore by Carron Brown & Alyssa Nassner
This is an Usborne book & you can get it by ordering from the title link.
This book is full of great vocabulary and has a unique style. In it, you can use a flashlight to see hidden sea creatures in a tide pool. It’s a fun book to read in the dark while you let kids search for things on the page and have great discussions.
How I use it:
- anticipatory events/predicting
- WH questions
- vocabulary
- grammar
- compare/contrast
This is a super fun book to add to your summer books for speech therapy!
The Pout-Pout Fish In The Big Big Dark by Deborah Diesen
One of my favorite book characters & I’m sure, a loved one in your speech room. I get all into the character voices when I’m reading this! It’s a great book on facing your fears & being a good friend. This book is also great for the /SH/ sound!
How I use it:
- vocabulary
- story recall/WH questions
- sequencing
- rhyming
- inferencing
You’re A Crab by Jenny Whitehead
This is an excellent book about emotions. It helps to explain that we ALL go through various moods (frustrated, irritable, moody). I love the message at the end, “…you can be a hermit crab, …and we can sit in our shells side by side in the sand until you feel better. You can take as long as you need because I will be right here.” YES!!! This is the message we need to share with our students.
Language goals:
- punctuation
- vocabulary
- social/emotional
- compare/contrast
- writing prompts
There are SO many other great summer-themed books out there. I chose these six books to highlight their strong vocabulary and rich language goals I can target with them.
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