How I Use the Melissa and Doug Scoop and Serve Ice Cream Counter During Speech Therapy.
These are not affiliate links. I am receiving NO financial kickback from anything mentioned in this post. I just really like this toy!
So I recently posted on Instagram about the Melissa and Doug Scoop and Serve Ice Cream Counter. (See that post here.) And the post got so much feedback I had to immediately sit down and write this blog post.
I shared how this toy can be used to target so many goals, but I specifically wanted to write about how you can use this toy when you are working with children with speech sound disorders. I feel that you can use this framework to target your SSD goals using any toy. It just takes a little thinking ahead and creativity. So let’s get started….
Preplan your targets.
No matter your therapeutic approach or the toy you are using, the trick is to preplan your target word list. This doesn’t have to take a long time. For example, if you are using Cycles and working on final consonant deletion and focusing on final /t/ this week, come up with 3-5 words you can easily incorporate into the play.
Work those words into your play scheme!
Once you have your word list, make sure you work those targets into the play a LOT! You still want to get high repetitions of your targets! This can be done in a variety of ways. Use verbal routines, cloze phrases, or gentle withholding (playfully!!). Use repetitive play schemes (feed the mommy, feed to bunny, feed the baby) so you can use the same words over and over. Give the child two choices (with both choices containing your speech sound target). Really, you can use a lot of the common techniques we employ to get our little clients talking!
Need help to get started with a word list?
I’m going to give you a start with some sample words you could easily incorporate into pretend play with the Scoop and Serve Ice Cream Counter broken down by SSD approach. This is not an exhaustive list by any means! It’s just a quick start to get your creative juices flowing!
CYCLES
2 & 3 syllable words - ice cream/ice cream cone
ICD - buy, my, pay, new
FCD - bite, eat, out, own, cone, in, yum, mom, home
S blends - scoop, stop, stick, spoon, spill, slap, sweet, smell, small, snack
Fronting - cone, come, keep, go, goo(ey)
Gliding - lick, like, love, look, red, read (the menu), rush
Minimal Pairs for Final Consonant Deletion
eye - ice
bye - bite
aw - off
ah - on
Syllable Shapes
CV - buy, pay, me, my, two
VC - out, in, on, off, eat
cvcv - byebye, mama, dada, papa (feed the ice cream to those characters)
cv1cv2 - baby, nana, mommy, daddy, puppy, cookie
c1v1c2v2 - bunny, kitty, money, honey, berry, cherry
cvc - cone, cup, mess, top, wipe
And Don’t Forget…Just Use The Toy For Turn Taking Between Drill!
This is a really simple way to incorporate this toy into your SSD sessions. Just have the child practice whatever targets you want, however many times you decide (e.g. say your word 10x). Then they get a chance to build the ice cream cone! It’s a quick turn taking activity that is highly motivating! Win!
Use these ideas with other toys as well!
That’s it. Plan your word list. Then use early language strategies to work your targets into play. This framework is easily applied to many other toys! I think the hardest part is brainstorming your word list. But once you have it, the rest is easy!
What do you think? Drop a comment below and add to the word list for future readers!
P.S. If you are looking for some DIGITAL ice cream materials, click here and here!
