How I Use Mini Object In Speech Therapy

To me, mini objects are like books in speech therapy. They offer limitless possibilities for how they can be used. I get most of my mini objects from DinkyDoodads on ETSY. I also collect random trinkets around the house (band aids, rubber band, paperclip) as I come across them. These mini objects are perfect for developing fine motor skills in preschool population as they use a pincer grasp…but guess what? Even my middle schoolers LOVE them too! Here are a few of my ideas for how you can use mini objects in your speech therapy rooms!

Categories:

Have a small collection of mini objects in a bucket and sort them according to predetermined category titles such as: transportation, animals, food items, household, toys, colors, size, etc.

Prepositions/Spatial Concepts:

Any mini object can be used for this activity! Simply work on prepositional (spatial) concepts such as beside, between, behind, in front of, next to, under, over, etc. See the blog post on how I use an advent calendar for examples!

Compare/Contrast:

Choose a few mini objects and take note of similarities and differences such as size, color, shape, function, location, etc. This is an excellent opportunity to work on expanding utterances with carrier phrases like, “A truck is different than a motorcycle because…”

I Spy:

Kids LOVE this activity. I've used the I Spy books in therapy for YEARS. They are great for visual discrimination and processing speed. Lay a large group of mini items out on the table and take turns finding unique items. This is the perfect articulation activity for the /SP/ blends! 

Sensory Bins:

Put some mini objects in sensory bins like rice, shredded paper, kinetic sand, beans etc. As kids take them out target your language or articulation goals!

Pronouns:

I use mini objects on these pronoun sorting mats to give my students more phrase repetitions.

Following Directions:

So many possibilities for differentiation! I do this activity a lot with a small bookcase. “Place the dog on the top shelf.” “After you put the button on the middle shelf, put the pumpkin on the bottom shelf.” You get the idea!

You absolutely do not need to purchase mini objects – just start looking around your house (if you have small kids, look in their pockets or their rooms). Here are a few ideas:

buttons, race cars, dice, rubber bands, bottle caps, legos, stamps, plastic ware, toy animals, jacks, ribbon, tooth pick, erasers, gift cards, paper clip, etc. 

I store my mini objects in the 4×6 photo boxes from Michael's. I made these labels to help me organize them by concepts like articulation sound, syllables, or categories. See picture below!

How do you use mini objects in your speech therapy room?