Free vocabulary activities for speech therapy
42 free activities · no sign-up
Vocabulary work in speech therapy is about depth as much as size: what a word means, what category it belongs to, what it is used for, what its opposite is, and how its meaning shifts in context. The boards range from basic concepts and category sorts for young students to analogies, context clues and subject vocabulary for middle and high school.
Pick a small set of words that matter in the student’s classes and use several boards on the same set: sort them, match their antonyms, use them in a sentence. Meeting a word in several different tasks gives the student more than one way to remember it.
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All 42 activities
PreK–2
- Animal Babies Memory PairsTurn cards over to pair six animals with their babies, from cow and calf to frog and tadpole.
- Antonym Pairs MatchingMatch words with opposite meanings.
- Basic Concepts — Big Small Hot ColdConcept vocabulary flashcards for young learners.
- Categories and Function: What Belongs and What It DoesSemantic organization by category and by function, both directions.
- Category Sort — 4 GroupsSort pictures into 4 semantic categories.
- Category Sort — Animals vs. FoodSort pictures into animal and food categories.
- Character Description PracticeDescribe story character attributes: physical, personality, and motivations.
- Community Helpers Match UpMatch eight community helpers to what each one does, from a firefighter to a dentist.
- Compound Words PracticeRecognize and produce compound words from component parts: sunflower, doorbell.
- Core Vocabulary — DescriptorsCore adjectives: big, little, good, bad, more.
- Core Vocabulary Flashcards — Action WordsCore vocabulary verbs: go, want, like, help, stop.
- Describe It: Attribute VocabularyDraw, then describe using category, function, size, color and texture -- expressive vocabulary in both directions.
- Describing Objects — 3 AttributesDescribe items using color, size, and function.
- Feelings Communication BoardIdentify and express emotions using AAC symbols.
- Kitchen Words: Drag to the PictureEight kitchen words, from spoon and fork to soup and pie, dragged onto their pictures.
- Multiple Meaning WordsSort words by their two different meanings.
- Narrative Elaboration with AdjectivesEnrich narrative language by adding descriptive adjectives to a simple story.
- Synonym Pairs MatchingMatch words with similar meanings.
- Things That Go Together: Find the MatchSix go-together pairs, from sock and shoe to bucket and shovel: see one item and tap the one that goes with it.
- Where Would You Find It? Places QuizEight where-questions about everyday places, each answered by picking one of three places.
Grades 3–5
- 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.
- Listening Comprehension Step 6: Classroom TalkStep 6 of 6. Longer passages that sound like a teacher giving a mini lesson or an announcement, read aloud with the words hidden, with questions on…
- Multiple-Meaning Words: Grades 3-5Same word, different sentence, different meaning -- a quiet source of comprehension breakdown.
- Tier 2 Vocabulary FlashcardsAcademic vocabulary for school success.
- Vocabulary in Context: Grades 3-5Derive word meaning from the surrounding sentence rather than from a definition.
Grades 6–8
- AAC: Core Phrases for Teen ConversationHigh-frequency conversational phrases for adolescent AAC users talking with peers.
- AAC: Vocabulary for Content ClassesFringe vocabulary an AAC user needs to survive middle and early high school coursework.
- Academic Vocabulary in Context: Middle SchoolTier-2 academic words and directive verbs that appear on every rubric and test prompt.
- Analogies for Secondary StudentsWord-relationship reasoning at the level tested on secondary and college-entrance assessments.
- Assignment Verbs: What the Prompt WantsThe directive verbs on rubrics and test prompts, translated into what to actually do.
- Context Clues in Content-Area TextDerive word meaning from surrounding sentences, using textbook-style contexts.
- Context Clues: Figure Out the WordSeven sentences with an unfamiliar word; the student uses the context clues to choose what it means.
- Greek and Latin Roots: Middle School SetEight high-yield roots that unlock hundreds of content-area words.
- Multiple Meanings in Academic ContextSame word, different domain, different meaning -- a common comprehension trap in content classes.
- Prefix Meanings: Unlock the WordNine questions on common prefixes such as re-, un-, pre-, mis-, sub-, trans- and dis-, using familiar words to work out meaning.
- Science Vocabulary: Middle SchoolTier-3 science terms defined in student language for comprehension support.
Grades 9–12
- Biology and Chemistry VocabularyCourse-specific terms that block comprehension of high school lab science text.
- Context Clues in High School ReadingSeven sentences with academic words such as verbose, scarce and feasible; the student uses context clues to choose the meaning.
- Greek and Latin Roots: High School SetRoots that carry the abstract vocabulary of high school textbooks and standardized tests.
- History and Government VocabularyCivics and history terms that appear on state assessments and in primary sources.
- Prefixes, Roots and Suffixes: Build the MeaningEight questions that break academic words into prefix, root and suffix to build their meaning, from unpredictable to fearless.
- Signal Words in Textbook PassagesAcademic connectives that tell the reader what the author is about to do.
Questions
- What are Tier 2 words?
- Tier 2 words are general academic words that appear across subjects, such as “analyze”, “compare” and “require”, as opposed to everyday words (Tier 1) or subject-specific terms (Tier 3). The academic vocabulary and assignment-verb boards focus on them.
- How do I choose vocabulary targets?
- Ask the classroom teacher for the next unit’s word list and choose words the student will hear again and again. A word that comes up in class next week is worth more practice than one picked at random.
- Do these work for students learning English?
- Yes, with care. A student who knows a concept in their first language may only need the English label, which is a different goal from learning the concept itself. Check what the student knows in both languages before setting the target.
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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