I have provided affiliate links in this post to most of my MUST HAVES!
Velcro
This is kinda a given! Think about it…daily schedules, communication books, visuals, etc. MUST HAVE all the velcro! There are so many out on the market but I am a sucker for the 1,000 pieces (500 pair sets) from Vkey on Amazon! Such a great price and I love that they come in rolls. So easy to cut into strips and keep half at home and half in your speech room.
Personal Laminator
I got my first Scotch Laminator about 4 years ago. I now have THREE {YES I’m serious!} I keep one in my speech room for those crazy mornings when I need to quickly laminate a few visuals or pages for my students. The other two I keep at home for those Friday nights when I LAMINATE ALL THE THINGS {TpT products I’ve purchased or sometimes items I use with my own son}.
I use these almost daily! I really haven’t met a preschooler who doesn’t love grabbing those dot markers and having fun {while learning of course!}
I have all of my Grab N’ Go TpT Products hanging on these AMAZING, strong magnetic hooks so I can easily access them whenever I need! They are seriously the BEST and easily hang from the side of your filing cabinet, metal desk, bookcase, etc. Also great for just hanging up pictures, a calendar, important signs/posters, etc.
Wind Up Toys
You need to hit up your local 5 Below, Party City, AC Moore, or whatever and grab as many Wind Up Toys as you can! The amount of language skills you can target are incredible. If you can’t find any locally, definitely try Amazon!
They are the BEST…perfect as a sensory bin filler or just to use for fun! You place the tiny beads in a small bin, add water, and wait for them to grow! I’m not going to lie…I often find myself playing with them when the kiddos aren’t around. haha!
I often bring my personal iPad to work and let me tell you, it’s crucial to have a good, durable case for any unexpected drop on the floor! I love the HDE Shock Proof iPad case because not only is it durable but comes in a ton of colors!
Fidgets are a MUST in my speech room! They are so versatile! I use them as reinforcers and when starting PECS with some of my non-verbal students. As long as it’s something they are interested in, they will be more than happy to “request” it. The liquid water timer you see above is one of the newest items I bought and let me tell you, it’s a huge hit!
I have a large stash of these around my house and speech room in various sizes (.75 inch, 1 inch, and 1.5 inch). I have a large series of Grab N’ Go products in my TpT store and they wouldn’t come together without binder rings! They also fit perfectly on those magnetic hooks I mentioned before!
PLAY DOH is the BEST! It’s the most fun tactile tool that you NEED to have in your speech room. Just play with it or use it with some TpT products like Smash Mats or any of my Grab N’ Go products like this Preschool Language Screener!
I have gone through quite a few different storage containers to store all of my visuals (I have a TON!) I previously used a small “craft” type container but I out grew that. Recently I purchased what many would call a “teacher toolbox“. I spray painted mine (I’m obsessed with the color!) and need to finish making my labels but it is definitely the best solution I have found so far.
Hand Sanitizer
Need I say more?! Germs be GONE!
Small containers for edibles
I love these little lock top boxes from Dollar Tree! They are small enough to throw into your bag or carry down the hall with you when needing to reinforce students!
Super Duper Inc. has these amazing magnetic wands and chips! My preschoolers literally think it is “magic”. I use them all the time because they are motivating and fun.
Whether you are working on a healthy food unit, holiday theme, etc., PRETEND FOOD is the best. It’s perfect for sorting, labeling, describing, and much more. I scored a bunch at my local dollar tree a few months back and Melissa and Doug has so many amazing food sets that I just love. If you have no luck at your local stores, Amazon has plenty of sets!
I have SO many sets of TOOBS! If you haven’t heard of them before, just get ready, because you will be HOOKED. There are so many different sets that can fit just about any theme you are working on. They work perfectly in a sensory bin. My son Landon also loves using them for pretend play! I’ve purchased a bunch at Michael’s (don’t forget about your teacher discount!) as well as Amazon.
Mr. (& Mrs.) Potato Head
Whether you are working on Body Parts or doing a little play therapy, then Mr. Potato Head needs to have a spot in your speech room!
I talk about this ALL the time on Instagram and on my Facebook Page. I seriously must use it about 15-20 times a year. Here’s a quick run down….dot with markers, spray with water, watch the colors merge together, let it dry, and there you go…a beautiful craft to display in your speech room or send home with your students (not to mention how many goals I am able to target while using it!) There are a ton of different packs like flowers, leaves, snowflakes, or just regular sheets of paper.
This cute little guy is a hit in my speech room. We work on requesting, core vocabulary like “go”, following directions, and so much more. There are tons of different ball poppers on Amazon. I think I need to get some more!
I was so fortunate to have a Donorschoose.org project funded about 2 years ago. It was for a HP colored printer and ink. This is HUGE in order to make essential materials for my preschoolers (I’m sure many of you agree!) I loved it so much that I went ahead and purchased a similar one (HP OfficeJet Pro) for my home office since I do plenty of printing and work at home. Why HP you ask?! TWO WORDS….INSTANT INK! This program is life changing and MONEY saving.
Finger Paint
The perfect way to use a little sensory play while creating masterpieces!
Bubbles
MUST HAVE all the BUBBLES! Oral motor, articulation, following directions, expanding utterances…endless possibilities! My preschoolers see bubbles and are ready to learn (and have fun!) instantly! Hit up your local dollar store, 5 below, target, walmart, or amazon.
Smarty Symbols
I created visuals CONSTANTLY for my students…schedules, first-then boards, core boards, PECS, etc. My #1 go-to for creating these visuals is SMARTY SYMBOLS! There web-based image library is incredible and growing constantly. It’s extremely user friendly and created by an SLP!
Timers
They will be your BEST FRIEND! TRUST ME! Visual timers are even more exciting for students.
Reusable Stickers
Melissa and Doug has these fantastic reusable sticker pads. Tons of themes and ADORABLE! They are super inexpensive and obviously can be used over and over again.
Snacks/Edibles
LAST…but maybe the MOST IMPORTANT….SNACKS!!! Yes of course many students will work for edibles but what about us?! I don’t know about you but if I have some snacks (especially CHOCOLATE) stashed away in my desk, I am much more likely to be productive throughout the day! So go ahead, TREAT YOURSELF and stock up your desk with goodies!
Now that you have gotten through my incredibly long (and hopefully HELPFUL) list, it’s YOUR TURN! I want to hear from you! What are your must haves for your speech room?! I am ALWAYS looking for new goodies. Thanks friends!! I hope you enjoyed this!
