Are you looking for pumpkin activities for speech therapy? I’ve put together a set of easy activities that are perfect for a pumpkin theme! Affiliate links are included.
Pumpkin Books
You know how I love books! They can be used in every therapy session to target just about ever goal imaginable. Language + Literacy for the win just about every single day!
My favorite books for a Pumpkin theme are:
1. From Seed to Pumpkin, by Wendy Pfeffer
2. Spookly the Square Pumpkin, by Joe Troiano
3. The Biggest Pumpkin Ever, by Steven Kroll
4. The Berenstain Bears and the Prize Pumpkin, by Stan & Jan Berenstain
5. Too Many Pumpkins, by Linda White
Want more book recommendations for FALL themes? Click here for a post on my favorite Halloween books and here for my favorite Thanksgiving books for speech therapy!
I used my book companion for From Seed to Pumpkin, by Wendy Pfeffer. It includes everything from comprehension questions, to sequencing, writing activities, comparing and contrasting, vocabulary, descriptions, basic concepts, pumpkin labeling, the pumpkin life cycle, and so much more!
You can read an additional blog post I wrote on using the sequence cards in the pumpkin life cycle to work on cohesive ties using the Story Grammar Marker Cohesive Tie JARgon kit HERE!
Pumpkin Emotions:
I love using pumpkins & jack-o-lanterns as a way to talk about emotions/feelings! I print the pumpkin coloring sheet from THIS PACKET on orange paper, but you could also print on white paper and have your students color it! Then I use the pumpkin face pieces from Nicole’s One Item Therapy: Pumpkins packet to let the students make faces and then share what their pumpkins are feeling and why they’re feeling that way! You can also use the colored pumpkins included in my pumpkin freebie with dry erase markers!
Communication Blessings has a Pumpkin Feelings Bingo set that goes great with this activity!
Pumpkin Language Activities:
Many of my students are working on language skills like ‘wh’ questions, analogies, vocabulary, and more. The following worksheets are available in my Fall No Prep Speech and Language Packet.
The pumpkin analogy cards can be found HERE. Click HERE for the pumpkin WH question cards, and HERE for the pumpkin pronoun patch cards!
Pumpkin Games:
This open-ended board game came from my From Seed to Pumpkin Book Companion packet! Pair it with a spinner or dice for a quick and easy game with any target!
Need a FREE Pumpkin Spinner for games? Kristin from Simply Speech has this adorable freebie!
Pumpkin Digital Activities:
In the days of mixing teletherapy with face-to-face, digital activities are on the rise! We’ve been able to take virtual field trips to pumpkin patches and watch some amazing videos on pumpkins. The links to these are included in my From Seed to Pumpkin Book Companion.
Are you using Boom Cards in your therapy sessions yet? I try to limit screen time, but I’ve been using them for the last 5-10 minutes or so, and my students are loving them! I made a quick Pumpkin Picking reinforcement deck that’s open ended, so it can be used for many different goals! There is also a page for creating your own jack-o-lantern! Once your student completes their trial, they can “pick” a pumpkin from the patch and put it in their wagon. There are enough pumpkins in the patch for 60 trials!
Pumpkin Attributes & Carvings:
One of my favorite pumpkin activities for speech therapy is doing a pumpkin carving. Not only do the students love the hands-on activity, but it’s also the perfect way to incorporate adjectives, attributes, describing, and comparing/contrasting! The past few years, I’ve used the One Item Therapy: Pumpkins packet from Nicole Allison. She has great worksheets for the students to complete!
I also bought a pack of small pumpkins from the local farmers market (shop local and support small businesses!) The students love being able to hold them, feel them, and describe their similarities and differences! I made some free pumpkin adjective cards to go along with them. They’re available in the FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY.
Pumpkin Picking:
Incorporating movement into speech therapy is always a favorite for me and the kids! I’ll do anything to keep my students engaged! I printed some pumpkins and laminated them. (They’re available in the Pumpkin Freebie as well!) I used a dry erase marker to write the target words on sounds on them. This also works for language goals like category members, pronouns, or pretty much anything! Each student has a pumpkin basket (bins from the dollar tree), and as they say their targets, they “pick” their pumpkins from the patch. You can use bulletin board paper for the background of the patch, or just use a green or brown dry erase marker to draw a patch on the board!
Pumpkin Freebies:
Who could use some new freebies? Here are a few free recommendations for pumpkin activities for speech therapy”
I made a free Pumpkin Freebie just for my email subscribers. You can find it in the free resource library. If you haven’t already joined my email list, you can do so HERE to get the password for all of the exclusive freebies not available in my TpT store! The freebie includes pumpkin adjectives, pumpkin labeling, a pumpkin life cycle page, pumpkins for laminating to use with dry erase markers/magnets, and a no-prep comprehension question page for the book From Seed to Pumpkin, by Wendy Pfeffer.
Don’t forget about my Boom Cards Pumpkin Picking Reinforcement Freebie!
If you’re in to cooking in therapy, Kristine Lamb has a free Pumpkin Patch Dirt Cup Freebie!
Also, Ashley Rossi has a great Pumpkin 50 trials companion for mini erasers, coloring, tokens, dot markers….the uses are endless!
Other Pumpkin Recommendations:
Need a few more pumpkin activities for speech therapy? Here are a few more favorites by other amazing SLP authors:
Interactive Vocabulary Books: Pumpkins, by Jenna Rayburn Kirk
Pumpkin ART-ticulation, by Kristin @ Simply Speech
I hope this helps you with your planning for pumpkin activities for speech therapy! Fall is my absolute favorite!
