Chatterboxes For Speech and Literacy

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R is in speech therapy and he is learning how to correctly make his letter sounds. I think that it's important that we get this sorted out now and practicing is a must! But it's still something that I want to be fun for him. We practice in several playful ways, like letter sounds hopscotch, but this one is a favorite.

We make chatterboxes for each new letter sound. We do them in the traditional way, but under the flaps are various words that contain the sound he's working on. We go back and forth and I read him the words that he chooses. Then he has to repeat them or use them in a sentence. I was expecting the novelty to wear off quickly, but it hasn't. He loves it! I honestly have to make him stop practicing. He's learned letter sounds and a blend very quickly by practicing in this way. We take turns and it's fun.

Chatterbox How-To:

1. You need a square piece of paper. For visibility purposes, I'm using construction paper for the folding part of this tutorial. Fold one corner over to the side like shown. Then you trim off the extra rectangle of paper at the bottom.

2. Once you have a square piece of paper, you fold all four corners in to meet in the middle.

3. Turn the paper over and repeat the process of folding all four corners in to meet in the middle.

On one side you have four squares. Write colors there. On the other side you have eight small triangles. Write numbers there. Then you can lift each flap and put something under each number.

How to Play:

You hold the chatterbox in a pincer grasp with both hands. Have your child pick a color. Spell the color as you open the chatterbox for each letter. Alternate between opening it vertically and horizontally. Leave it open on the last letter and have your child pick a number. Count to that number, opening the chatterbox as you did before. On the last number, have your child pick another number. Lift the flap and see what is under that number.

That's it. It's really simple but children delight in playing with them.

More Ways to Play:

We use this for speech, but it could be used for various other fun, educational purposes. You could draw pictures under each flap, or use themed stickers and ask a younger child what letter that picture starts with. It would also help them to learn colors and numbers. You could draw shapes under each flap for them to identify. You could use this in various ways to practice sight words and spelling words with an older child. The possibilities are great!

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