Free speech therapy sorting games
39 free activities · no sign-up
Sorting boards ask the student to put each card in the right group: words that start with /s/ or /sh/, voiced or voiceless /th/, rhymes and non-rhymes, animals and food, past, present or future. Saying each word aloud before placing it turns a listening task into production practice too.
Sorting works for discrimination before drill, for categories and grammar, and for self-monitoring targets such as sorting smooth from bumpy speech or habits that are kind or hard on the voice. Each card placed is one trial, and a misplaced card still moves the game on. The two articulation bingo boards live here as well.
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All 39 activities
Language
- Category Sort — 4 GroupsSort pictures into 4 semantic categories.
- Category Sort — Animals vs. FoodSort pictures into animal and food categories.
- Compound Sentences — Joining with And/But/SoCombine two sentences using conjunctions.
- Morphology — Adding -ing and -edSort words by whether they need -ing or -ed.
- Pronoun Sort — He She TheySort people words by the pronoun that replaces them: he, she or they.
- Story Sequencing — 4 StepsPut 4 story pictures in the correct order.
- Story Sequencing — 6 StepsPut 6 story pictures in the correct order.
- Text Structure Signal Words: High School SortSort twenty high school signal words into sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, and description.
- Verb Tense Sort — Past Present FutureSort sentences by verb tense.
- Which Text Structure? Sort the SentencesSort ten short sentences by the text structure they use, from sequence and description to cause and effect.
- Yesterday or Every Day? Verb Ending SortSort twelve verbs by ending: past tense -ed words into Yesterday and present tense -s words into Every day.
Articulation
- /r/ Blend Sort (br, cr, dr, fr, gr, tr)Sort pictures by /r/ blend type.
- /sh/ vs. /s/ SortDiscriminate /sh/ from /s/ by sorting pictures.
- /th/ Voiced vs. Voiceless SortSort /th/ words by voiced vs. voiceless.
- Articulation Bingo — /r/Bingo game targeting /r/ in all positions.
- Articulation Bingo — /s/Bingo game targeting /s/ in all positions.
- Beginning /s/ SortSort pictures by initial /s/ vs. other sounds.
- Sound Position Sort — Initial/FinalSort words by whether target sound is first or last.
Phonological awareness
- 1-2-3 Syllable SortSort pictures into 1, 2, or 3 syllable groups.
- Beginning Sound SortSort pictures by their initial phoneme.
- Phoneme Count — How Many Sounds?Count the phonemes in CVC words.
- Rhyme Sort — Does It Rhyme?Sort picture pairs by whether they rhyme.
- Syllable Clapping GameClap and count syllables in picture words.
- Word Families Sort (-at -an -ap)Group pictures by their word family rime.
Literacy
- Consonant Blends Sort (bl cl fl sp st)Sort words by their initial consonant blend.
- CVC vs CVCe SortSort words by short vs. long vowel pattern.
- Digraph Match (sh ch th wh)Match pictures to their initial digraph.
- Expository Text StructuresIdentify the five expository structures and the signal words that give each away.
- Short Vowel Sort (a e i o u)Sort CVC words by short vowel sound.
Voice
- Appropriate Loudness SortSort speaking situations by appropriate loudness level.
- Hard vs. Easy Onset SortIdentify hard and easy glottal onset in words.
- Loudness Self-Monitoring Across SettingsCalibrate loudness to setting -- the most common voice-abuse pattern on a secondary caseload.
- Vocal Hygiene — Good vs. Bad HabitsSort vocal behaviors as healthy or harmful.
Pragmatics
- Feeling Words: A Little or A Lot?Eight feeling words sorted by size: four that name a small feeling, and four that name a big one.
- On Topic or New Topic? Talking About DinosaursA conversation about dinosaurs. The student sorts eight comments into ones that stay on dinosaurs and ones that start a new topic.
- Ready to Chat or Not Right Now? Reading Body LanguageEight body language signals sorted into two groups: signals that someone might be ready to chat, and signals that it might not be the right moment.
- Soccer Game or Library? Where Does It Fit?Eight actions sorted by where they fit best: cheering at a soccer game or reading in the library.
Questions
- Is sorting a listening activity or a speaking activity?
- It can be either. For discrimination, say the word yourself and have the student place it. For production, have the student name each card before sorting it, and mark the production rather than the placement.
- How many groups are on a sorting board?
- Most boards sort into two groups, which keeps the decision clear for younger students. A few, such as the four-group category sort, the verb tense sort and the syllable sort, use more, for students who are ready for a harder choice.
- Are there sorting games for older students?
- Yes. The loudness self-monitoring sort, the text structure sorts and the desensitization hierarchy are written for middle and high school students.
Keep the data from every board
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal. Assign any board as home practice through the parent portal.
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