What are the must-have therapy materials every new pediatric Speech Pathologist should own?

Starting your career as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) is thrilling, but building an engaging, flexible therapy room (or travel bag) without breaking the bank can feel overwhelming. The key is choosing high-utility, open-ended materials that target multiple speech and language goals across diverse ages.

The essential, must-have therapy materials every new pediatric SLP should own are categorized below by their clinical function:

1. Open-Ended Toys & Manipulatives (Best for Early Intervention & Preschool)

Toys that naturally encourage requesting, turn-taking, commenting, and functional language beat flashcards every single time for younger children.

• Mr. Potato Head: A gold standard for targeting body parts, pronouns (he/she/they), verbs (put, push, fall), attributes (eyes, big, funny), and requesting.
• Pop-Up Pirate or Barrel of Monkeys: Excellent, fast-paced reinforcement games for older articulation or language drill sessions that inherently build anticipation and turn-taking.
• Play-Doh: Inexpensive and endlessly versatile. Use it for following directions, spatial concepts (in/on/under), verbs (roll, cut, smash), and fine motor breaks.
• A Jumbo Hand Puppet: Great for getting shy children to talk ("feed" the puppet, have the puppet make speech errors for the child to fix, or use it as a social partner). You can find options like the Super Duper SLP Starter Kit which bundles a classic hand puppet with other screener and drill tools.[1]
• Mini Objects / Trinkets: A collection of 50–100 tiny plastic or wooden miniatures (animals, vehicles, foods) used for articulation sound hunts, sorting, categorization, and vocabulary building.

2. Books with High Repetitive Text & Predictable Plots

Books are the ultimate multi-target tool (articulation, grammar, literacy, inferencing, pragmatics). Focus on books with repetitive lines that kids can fill in.

• "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" (Eric Carle): Perfect for core vocabulary, colors, and sentence structures ("I see a [color] [animal] looking at me").
• "The Napping House" (Audrey Wood): Fantastic for sequencing, cumulative verbs, and spatial concepts.
• "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" (Michael Rosen): Incredible for action verbs (swish, ooze, stumble) and auditory bombardment/sound effects.
• Wordless Picture Books: Excellent for older children working on narrative structure, expressive language generation, and inferencing without being restricted by a written text.

3. Core Articulation & Phonology Tools

You don't need a massive card deck for every single phoneme, but a few sturdy physical items save hours of prep time.

• A Mirror: A compact, shatterproof mirror is non-negotiable for articulation therapy. Children must see tongue placement and lip rounding for accurate biofeedback ($/r/, /s/, /l/, /th/, etc.).
• Articulation Drill Cards / Books: A comprehensive resource like Webber’s Jumbo Articulation Drill Book or targeted printable packs (commonly sourced via Teachers Pay Teachers ) give you quick, structured word/phrase lists for high-repetition practice.
• Apraxia/Praxis Materials: For severe motor speech delays, structured cueing tools like the Kaufman Speech Praxis Kit provide a systematic approach to shaping successive approximations of words.[1]

4. Digital & Printable Foundations (The Budget Savers)

• A TpT (Teachers Pay Teachers) Membership / Digital Drive: Invest in digital no-prep or low-prep seasonal companions, barrier games, and board game companions. They save immense physical storage space if you are an itinerant or school-based SLP.
• A Portable Laminator & Velcro Dots: Your physical materials will take a beating from sticky fingers and enthusiastic toddlers. Laminating core visual schedules, communication boards, and pacing strips makes them last for years.

Are you stepping into a specific setting like a schools/district, private practice , or early intervention (home health) ? Let me know, and I can tailor this list specifically to your environment and budget!

If you’re a new pediatric SLP, you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars building a giant therapy closet. The best starter kit is a relatively small collection of open-ended materials that can be used across articulation, language, fluency, social communication, AAC, literacy, and play.

ASHA specifically highlights books, blocks, dolls, pretend food, figures, puppets, animals, puzzles, bubbles, drawing materials, and Play-Doh as versatile materials for supporting communication through play.ASHA+1

🧰 The pediatric SLP starter kit

1. 📚 Books — probably your #1 investment

Get 10–15 high-quality picture books, rather than 50 random ones.

Look for books with:

• Repetitive phrases
• Simple illustrations
• Clear story sequences
• Lots of verbs
• Opportunities for predicting/inferencing
• Emotional/social themes
• Minimal text for younger kids
• More complex narratives for older kids

Especially useful: books about animals, routines, emotions, problem-solving, vehicles, seasons, and everyday activities.

Interactive/shared reading is useful for vocabulary, comprehension, emergent literacy, narrative skills, and conversation.ASHA

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2. 🐄 A good farm/animal set

One of the most versatile therapy materials you can own.

You can target:

• Animal vocabulary
• Animal sounds
• CV/CVC words
• Following directions
• Spatial concepts
• Categories
• Describing
• Pretend play
• Storytelling
• WH questions
• AAC modeling
• Turn-taking

A farm set can become 20 different therapy activities depending on the goal.Associates in Pediatric Therapy

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3. 🍎 Pretend-play food + kitchen materials

Get a small set of:

• Plates
• Cups
• Utensils
• Pots/pans
• Pretend food
• Grocery basket/bag

Excellent for:

• Functional vocabulary
• Requesting
• Sequencing
• Following directions
• Categories
• Describing
• Pretend play
• Social communication
• AAC
• Narrative language

ASHA specifically recommends pretend food, utensils, tea sets, and similar materials for young children's communication development.ASHA

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4. 👶 Baby doll + accessories

A doll with a bottle, blanket, spoon, cup, etc. is incredibly useful.

You can practice:

eat → drink → sleep → wash → diaper → cry → happy → tired And then expand into:

• Pronouns
• Action words
• Body parts
• Sequencing
• Basic concepts
• Pretend play
• Early requesting
• 2–4 word combinations
• Social routines

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5. 🚗 Miniature figures + vehicles

Have a small collection of:

• People
• Cars/trucks
• Animals
• Houses/buildings
• Furniture

These are fantastic for open-ended play, which is often much more useful than a toy designed to teach one particular skill.

You can work on:

Where? in, on, under, next to, behind

What? run, drive, eat, sleep, jump

Who? boy, girl, mom, firefighter

Why? because…

Narratives: First → next → then → finally

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6. 🧱 Blocks / Legos / stacking toys

Don't underestimate blocks.

They're great for:

• Following directions
• Spatial concepts
• Describing
• Colors/shapes
• Sequencing
• Problem-solving
• Requesting
• Turn-taking
• Social language
• Articulation drill incorporation

ASHA also lists stacking blocks as a useful communication-supporting toy.ASHA

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7. 🫧 Bubbles

Cheap. Tiny. Extremely powerful.

They're especially useful for early communicators because they naturally create opportunities for:

• "more"
• "go"
• "open"
• "pop"
• "up"
• "again"
• "my turn"
• "all done"
• Eye gaze/joint attention
• Anticipation
• Requesting

They're also fantastic for incorporating AAC.

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8. 🎭 Puppets

I'd get 2–4, not an entire puppet theater.

Puppets can be used for:

• Conversation
• Social skills
• Emotions
• Perspective-taking
• Storytelling
• Narrative retell
• Pragmatics
• Fluency activities
• Role-play

They can also make a nervous child much more comfortable talking.

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9. 🧩 Puzzles + simple games

Have a small collection of:

• Wooden puzzles
• Matching games
• Simple turn-taking games
• Memory/matching cards
• Cause-and-effect toys

Games give you natural opportunities for:

my turn → your turn → wait → go → I got it → try again → help → finished That's therapy gold for social communication.

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10. 🎨 Art supplies

Keep:

• Crayons
• Markers
• Paper
• Stickers
• Dot markers
• Scissors
• Glue
• Play-Doh
• Play-Doh tools

These can target:

• Following directions
• Sequencing
• Vocabulary
• Describing
• Fine-motor/language integration
• Storytelling
• Narrative
• Pre-literacy
• Requests

ASHA specifically includes crayons, drawing materials, paint, Play-Doh, and similar open-ended materials among useful communication-supporting activities.ASHA

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🗣️ 11. Articulation materials

You don't necessarily need a huge commercial articulation collection.

I'd have:

• A set of picture cards
• A small mirror
• A few mini objects
• A magnetic/dry-erase board
• Dice/spinner
• Small manipulatives for reinforcement
• A way to record productions/data

The key is being able to quickly generate multiple productions of a target sound in words, phrases, sentences, and conversation.

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📱 12. AAC materials — even if you aren't an AAC specialist

This is one of the things I would not skip.

Have access to:

• Core-word boards
• Visual choice boards
• First/then boards
• Yes/no boards
• Visual schedules
• Low-tech communication boards
• Laminating supplies
• Velcro
• Symbol/picture materials
• A tablet if your setting provides one

AAC isn't something that should be reserved as a "last resort." ASHA notes that there are no prerequisites for considering AAC, and AAC can include everything from gestures and picture boards to speech-generating devices.ASHA+1

You don't need to personally own an expensive SGD. Know how to access and support the AAC systems your clients use.

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👀 13. Visual supports

I would make a little folder/box containing:

• First → Then
• Choice boards
• Visual schedule
• "My turn / Your turn"
• "I need help"
• "Break"
• "All done"
• Feelings
• WH-question visuals
• Basic concepts
• Classroom routines

These are particularly helpful for children who benefit from visual structure and for AAC users.

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📊 14. Data-collection supplies

The boring stuff is actually essential.

Have:

• Clipboard
• Pens
• Pencils
• Dry-erase markers
• Sticky notes
• Data sheets
• Small notebook
• Timer
• Simple tally counter
• Folders
• Laminator + laminating sheets, if your setting doesn't provide one

And develop a fast data system. You don't want to spend the entire session writing instead of interacting with the child.

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🔊 15. A few assessment essentials

Don't try to personally purchase every standardized test.

Your workplace/school/clinic should generally provide access to the standardized assessments you need.

But you should have materials for informal assessment and language sampling, such as:

• Picture scenes
• Narrative pictures
• Short books
• Conversation prompts
• Play materials
• Story retell materials
• Writing samples
• Classroom/curriculum materials when relevant

ASHA emphasizes that assessment can draw on standardized testing, observation, language samples, dynamic assessment, and curriculum-based assessment—not simply one test score.ASHA

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🧠 16. A few "older kid" materials

If you're working with school-age children, don't fill your room entirely with preschool toys.

Have:

• Uno-type card games
• Connect 4-type games
• Guessing games
• Would-you-rather cards
• Conversation cards
• Comic strips
• Short nonfiction texts
• Narrative passages
• Social scenarios
• Problem-solving scenarios
• Board/card games

And keep some materials that feel age-respectful for middle-school students.

A 12-year-old with a language disorder generally does not want to play with the same materials as a 4-year-old.

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🛒 If I had $200 to start

I'd prioritize roughly like this:

The biggest mistake new SLPs make is buying too many specialized therapy games. A handful of flexible toys can target vastly more goals than a shelf full of single-purpose products.

And don't overlook household/recycled materials. ASHA notes that everyday items such as boxes, spoons, bowls, and measuring cups can be excellent open-ended communication materials.ASHA

My "if you only buy 10 things" list

1. 📚 A great picture-book collection
2. 🐄 Farm/animal set
3. 👶 Baby doll + accessories
4. 🍎 Pretend food/kitchen set
5. 🚗 Mini people + vehicles
6. 🧱 Blocks
7. 🫧 Bubbles
8. 🎭 Puppets
9. 🎨 Art + Play-Doh supplies
10. 📱 AAC/visual-support materials

That combination will cover a surprisingly large percentage of pediatric therapy sessions, from early intervention through elementary school.

🛒 If I had $200 to start

I'd prioritize roughly like this:

The biggest mistake new SLPs make is buying too many specialized therapy games. A handful of flexible toys can target vastly more goals than a shelf full of single-purpose products.

And don't overlook household/recycled materials. ASHA notes that everyday items such as boxes, spoons, bowls, and measuring cups can be excellent open-ended communication materials.

My "if you only buy 10 things" list

Absolutely. If you're a new pediatric SLP, you do not need to buy an entire therapy-room's worth of toys. A relatively small, versatile kit can cover a huge range of goals—especially if you choose materials that can be used for language, speech sounds, play, social communication, AAC, and literacy.

ASHA emphasizes individualized intervention, natural communication opportunities, imaginative play, shared reading, AAC, and functional communication rather than relying on isolated drill materials.www.asha.org

🧺 The "starter SLP closet"

1. 📚 A GREAT collection of children's books

I'd make this one of your biggest investments.

Look for:

• Wordless picture books
• Simple repetitive books
• Books with predictable phrases
• Books featuring animals, vehicles, food, routines, emotions, etc.
• Books with rich illustrations and minimal text
• A few age-appropriate chapter/novel books for older students

Why: One book can target vocabulary, WH questions, sequencing, grammar, narratives, inferencing, articulation, phonological awareness, social communication, and AAC modeling.

Interactive/shared reading is specifically supported as a way to address language and literacy skills.www.asha.org

Must-have: Where's Spot?, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Dear Zoo, Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, plus several wordless books.

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2. 🏠 Pretend-play essentials

You don't need an elaborate dollhouse.

Start with:

• Baby doll
• Dollhouse or small house
• Toy food
• Plates/cups/utensils
• Small animals
• Cars/trucks
• Doctor kit
• Grocery/shopping items
• Farm set
• Kitchen items

These are incredibly versatile for:

• Functional vocabulary
• Verbs
• Pronouns
• Following directions
• Basic concepts
• Sentence expansion
• Narratives
• Symbolic play
• Joint attention
• Turn-taking
• AAC

ASHA specifically identifies imaginative play as an opportunity to practice newly acquired language skills.www.asha.org

ASHA's own pediatric SLP recommendations also highlight classics such as books, blocks, baby dolls, and toy food/utensils.www.asha.org

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3. 🧱 Blocks + construction toys

Get:

• Wooden blocks
• LEGO/Duplo-style blocks
• Magnetic tiles
• Simple stacking toys

You can target:

"Put the red block on the blue block."

"Build a tall tower."

"First we build it, then we knock it down."

Great for:

• Spatial concepts
• Prepositions
• Following directions
• Describing
• Sequencing
• Requesting
• Problem solving
• Core vocabulary
• Social interaction

And they're excellent for children who don't want to sit at a table.

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4. 🐶 Small animals + figurines

A set of animals is one of the highest-value purchases I'd make.

Get:

• Farm animals
• Zoo animals
• Pets
• Dinosaurs
• People/figurines

You can use them for practically everything:

Speech:
"sun," "sock," "snake," /s/ targets

Language:
"What is it?"
"Where does it live?"
"What is it doing?"

Grammar:
"The dog is running."

Narratives:
"The dinosaur went to the store..."

Social:
"Uh-oh! The dinosaur is stuck!"

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5. 🎲 Games

Have a small collection of simple games that can be adapted to different goals.

Look for games involving:

• Turn taking
• Matching
• Categorizing
• Describing
• Following directions
• Memory
• Guessing

Examples:

• Pop-the-pig-style games
• Matching/memory games
• Bingo
• Simple board games
• Guess Who-style games
• Uno
• Connect 4

Pro tip: You don't need 30 games. 5–10 adaptable games are much more useful.

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🗣️ 6. Speech-sound/articulation kit

This is where I'd avoid buying dozens of articulation-specific toys.

Instead, have:

• Mini objects/miniatures
• Picture cards
• Articulation cards
• Mirror
• Dry-erase board
• Small tokens/reinforcers
• Dice
• Magnetic chips
• Simple games

A mini-object collection is particularly useful because you can grab objects containing different target sounds and use them in play.

Also keep:

• Articulation/phonology reference materials
• Minimal-pair materials
• Cycles/phonological-process materials if those fit your caseload

ASHA identifies consonant repertoire, sound accuracy, phonological processes, and phonological awareness among potential treatment targets.www.asha.org

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🔤 7. Literacy materials

Don't overlook this if you're working with school-age kids.

I'd have:

• Magnetic letters
• Letter tiles
• Dry-erase board
• Dry-erase markers
• Paper/notebooks
• Highlighters
• Simple decodable texts
• Picture/word cards
• Story sequencing cards
• Graphic organizers
• Rhyming cards
• Syllable/phoneme manipulation materials

For older children, add:

• Short nonfiction passages
• Narrative texts
• Vocabulary activities
• Morphology materials
• Writing organizers

ASHA notes that language intervention can address phonological awareness, vocabulary, narrative skills, reading comprehension, decoding, writing, and metalinguistic skills depending on the child's needs.www.asha.org

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🧩 8. Visual supports

These are inexpensive and extremely useful.

Have a stash of:

• First/Then boards
• Visual schedules
• Choice boards
• Core vocabulary boards
• WH-question visuals
• Emotion visuals
• "My turn/your turn"
• "Help"
• "More"
• "All done"
• "I don't know"
• Sequencing visuals
• Basic concept visuals

And keep a laminator if your workplace doesn't provide one.

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💬 9. AAC materials

This is one area where I'd make a point of not thinking of AAC as a specialized add-on.

Keep access to:

• Low-tech communication boards
• Core-word boards
• Alphabet board
• Picture communication symbols
• Choice boards
• Visual scene displays
• Paper + marker for quick communication
• A method for accessing/trialing speech-generating devices when appropriate

ASHA explicitly states that there are no prerequisites for considering or introducing AAC, including with very young children. AAC can include gestures, signs, picture boards, and speech-generating devices.www.asha.org

You don't necessarily need to purchase expensive AAC technology yourself. Your workplace, district, clinic, or assistive-technology team may have devices available for trials.

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🎨 10. The "boring" supplies you'll use constantly

These are surprisingly important:

• Laminator
• Laminating sheets
• Velcro dots
• Sheet protectors
• Cardstock
• Printer
• Dry-erase pockets
• Dry-erase markers
• Sticky notes
• Scissors
• Glue
• Crayons/markers
• Dice
• Small containers
• Ziploc bags
• Binder clips
• Timer
• Reinforcement stickers

A rolling cart or several labeled bins can save you tons of time.

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🧸 11. Sensory/movement items

You don't need to become an OT, but having some movement options is helpful.

Consider:

• Bubbles
• Ball
• Small trampoline if your setting allows it
• Bean bags
• Play scarves
• Squishy/fidget items
• Pop tubes
• Simple obstacle-course materials

Bubbles in particular are ridiculously versatile for early communication:

more → open → go → stop → pop → again → my turn → your turn

They're also useful for children who communicate primarily through gestures/AAC.

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🧠 12. Visual/narrative materials

I'd definitely own:

• Story sequencing cards
• Category cards
• WH-question cards
• Describing cards
• Inferencing cards
• Emotion/social scenarios
• Story grammar visuals
• Semantic feature analysis templates
• Compare/contrast organizers

These become especially useful once you're working with elementary and middle-school students.

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🧑‍🏫 13. Materials for older kids

A common new-SLP mistake is buying a preschool-only therapy room.

If your caseload includes elementary/middle school, have materials for:

Vocabulary

• Synonyms/antonyms
• Multiple meanings
• Context clues
• Morphology

Language

• Inferencing
• Figurative language
• Main idea/details
• Compare/contrast
• Problem/solution

Executive functioning

• Planning
• Organization
• Self-monitoring
• Sequencing

Social communication

• Perspective taking
• Conversation
• Conflict resolution
• Flexible thinking

Literacy

• Short passages
• Narrative texts
• Expository texts
• Writing prompts

ASHA's guidance for elementary students specifically includes higher-level language, metalinguistics/metacognition, reading comprehension, narrative and expository writing.www.asha.org

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🛒 If I had only $200–300 to spend...

I'd prioritize:

The biggest secret:

Don't build your therapy room around specific toys. Build it around activities that can be adapted to dozens of goals.

A box of animals + a book + blocks + a doll + bubbles can potentially serve an early-language client, an AAC user, an articulation client, a child working on grammar, a narrative-language client, and a social-communication client.

That's much more useful than owning 50 specialized therapy games.

For evidence-based clinical decision-making, ASHA's Practice Portal is also worth bookmarking; it covers pediatric areas including speech sound disorders, spoken language, AAC, literacy, autism, early intervention, and pediatric feeding/swallowing.www.asha.org

If you're starting your first SLP job, I can also make you a "New Pediatric SLP Amazon/Walmart shopping list" with ~50 specific items, organized into a $100, $250, and $500 budget.

Starting your career as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) is exciting, but building your therapy toolkit from scratch can feel overwhelming (and expensive!). The secret is focusing on versatile, high-yield items that target multiple goals across various ages rather than buying a single-use toy for every goal.

Here is an organized, must-have checklist of the essential therapy materials every new pediatric SLP should own:

• Articulation and Phonology:
  • Articulation cards with high-frequency target sounds in the initial, medial, and final positions. Wordless picture books (like Zoom or Flotsam ) are also incredible for eliciting spontaneous target sounds at the sentence or conversational level.
  • A small handheld mirror so children can watch their oral-motor placement, lip rounding, and tongue height for sounds like /s, r, l, k, g/.
• Language and Literacy:
  • Interactive core vocabulary board or a dynamic communication display to model augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) during play.
  • High-engagement picture books with repetitive lines or predictable text (e.g., Brown Bear, Brown Bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar , or We're Going on a Bear Hunt ), which are goldmines for joint attention, vocabulary, and early narrative skills.
  • Play-dough (plus cheap cookie cutters or rolling pins) because it invites endless language opportunities: requesting, following directions, spatial concepts (in, out, on, off), and verbs (roll, squish, cut).
• Engagement and Motivation:
  • Pop-up toys (like a pop-up pirate barrel or farm animal pop-ups) that naturally build anticipation, turn-taking, and core action verbs like pop, push, open , and down.
  • Feeder toys or turn-taking games (like Feed the Woozle or a hungry frog game) which are unmatched for keeping attention while drilling repetitive trials.
  • Bubbles—the ultimate low-cost, high-reward tool for eye contact, joint attention, environmental sounds (pop, whoosh), and requesting (more, open, please).
• Assessment and Organization:
  • A reliable digital or physical token economy/visual reward chart for behavior management and tracking trials.
  • Professional membership resources or quick-reference sheets for developmental milestones and phonetic inventories.

Would you like me to help you prioritize this list by budget (e.g., what to buy with a $$50 vs. $200 startup budget) or focus on a specific age group like early intervention or school-age?

If you’re a new pediatric SLP, I’d resist the temptation to buy every therapy card deck and flashy toy you see. A relatively small collection of open-ended, flexible materials can cover articulation, phonology, language, AAC, social communication, literacy, and play.

ASHA specifically highlights books, blocks, dolls, pretend food, miniatures, puppets, puzzles, bubbles, drawing materials, and Play-Doh as versatile materials for supporting communication through play.ASHA+1

🧰 The pediatric SLP starter kit

1. 📚 A really good children's book collection

I'd make books one of your biggest investments.

Have a mix of:

• Wordless picture books
• Simple repetitive books
• Storybooks with clear beginning/middle/end
• Books with predictable phrases
• Books targeting emotions/social situations
• Nonfiction/informational books
• Books representing different cultures, families, abilities, and languages
• A few books appropriate for older elementary students

Why: One book can target vocabulary, WH-questions, inferencing, grammar, sequencing, narrative language, articulation, social communication, literacy, and AAC.

Interactive/shared reading is also an established language and literacy intervention approach.ASHA

Don't overlook: wordless books. They're fantastic for eliciting spontaneous language because you aren't giving the child the language.

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2. 🧸 Pretend-play materials

You don't need an enormous dollhouse.

Start with:

• Baby doll
• Doll accessories
• Play food
• Plates/cups/utensils
• Small kitchen or cooking items
• Doctor kit
• Animal figures
• People/character figures
• Cars/trucks
• Dollhouse or simple house setup
• Puppet(s)

These are incredibly versatile for:

• Vocabulary
• Verbs
• Pronouns
• Following directions
• Prepositions
• WH-questions
• Symbolic play
• Joint attention
• Turn-taking
• Storytelling
• Social communication

ASHA specifically recommends pretend food, dolls, miniature figures, puppets, animals, and doctor/tool kits.ASHA

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3. 🫧 Highly motivating "cause-and-effect" toys

Have a small stash of things that make something happen:

• Bubbles
• Wind-up toys
• Pop-up toys
• Ball/ramp
• Marble/run-style toys appropriate to the child's age
• Simple switch-activated toys
• Cars with ramps
• Spinners

These are excellent for creating opportunities for:

"more" → "go" → "stop" → "again" → "open" → "help" → "my turn" → "your turn."

They're especially useful with emerging communicators and AAC users.

---

4. 🧱 Blocks + construction toys

At minimum:

• Wooden blocks
• LEGO/Duplo-style blocks
• Magnetic tiles
• Stacking cups

You can target:

• Spatial concepts
• Prepositions
• Describing
• Following directions
• Attributes
• Problem solving
• Sequencing
• Joint attention
• Turn-taking
• Requesting
• Social language

And they're excellent when you need an activity that works for multiple ages and ability levels.

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5. 🎨 Art supplies

You don't need a craft room.

Get:

• Crayons
• Markers
• Construction paper
• Stickers
• Glue sticks
• Child-safe scissors
• Play-Doh
• Play-Doh tools/cookie cutters
• Dry-erase board + markers
• Magnetic drawing board

These are fantastic for language because they're naturally action- and sequence-heavy:

first → next → then → finally ASHA specifically identifies drawing, painting, Play-Doh, and similar activities as useful for communication and sequencing.ASHA

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🗣️ 6. Articulation/phonology essentials

This is where I'd buy fewer but better materials.

Have:

• Small articulation picture cards
• Minimal-pair materials
• Phonological-process materials
• Sound-loaded picture lists
• Word/sentence-level practice materials
• A mirror
• Small objects/miniatures for target sounds
• A way to quickly generate or print custom stimuli

A mirror is surprisingly useful and costs almost nothing.

I'd also keep a digital folder of your own stimuli organized by:

• Initial
• Medial
• Final
• Blends
• Multisyllabic words
• Minimal pairs
• Phonological processes

That becomes much more valuable than owning 15 articulation games.

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🧠 7. Language therapy materials

This is probably the category where you'll get the most mileage.

Have picture/visual materials for:

• Categories
• Attributes
• Functions
• Associations
• Vocabulary
• Opposites
• Synonyms/antonyms
• Multiple meanings
• WH-questions
• Following directions
• Grammar
• Sentence formulation
• Describing
• Storytelling
• Inferencing
• Problem solving

But again, don't feel like everything has to be a therapy card deck.

A basket of random objects can become a vocabulary, describing, categorization, inferencing, or narrative activity.

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🧩 8. Puzzles and games

I'd have approximately:

• 2–3 simple puzzles
• 1 cooperative game
• 2–3 simple turn-taking games
• A matching/memory game
• A sorting game
• A simple board game
• A game involving movement

Look for games that can be adapted rather than games that only target one skill.

A good game should let you change the target:

same game → articulation one day → vocabulary next week → WH-questions → social communication → following directions.

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👄 9. Oral-motor/speech tools — selectively

I'd not spend a huge amount of money on oral-motor gadgets as a new clinician.

Instead, make sure you have:

• Mirror
• Straws for appropriate speech/feeding activities when clinically indicated
• Tongue depressors when appropriate
• Gloves
• Basic hygiene supplies
• Flashlight
• Small flashlight/headlamp if useful in your setting

Your specific caseload and scope of practice should determine whether you need additional assessment/treatment equipment.

---

📱 10. AAC + visual communication materials

This is one category I would consider essential, even if you don't currently have many AAC users.

Keep ready access to:

• Core-word board
• Choice board
• Yes/no board
• First/then board
• Visual schedule
• Feelings/emotions visuals
• "Help"
• "More"
• "All done"
• "Go"
• "Stop"
• "Open"
• "Want"
• "Don't want"
• Alphabet/letter board
• Paper/pencil for alternative communication
• Laminating supplies
• Velcro

AAC can include gestures, signs, objects, photographs, picture boards, communication books, and high-tech devices; ASHA emphasizes that AAC should be available consistently and does not require prerequisites before introduction.ASHA+1

This is important: don't make AAC a "special materials" category that only comes out for AAC users. Incorporate visual communication into ordinary play and activities.

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📖 11. Early literacy materials

Especially if you're working with preschool and school-age children:

• Magnetic letters
• Letter tiles
• Alphabet cards
• Rhyming cards
• Syllable/phonological-awareness materials
• Dry-erase board
• Simple decodable/early-reader books
• Story sequencing cards
• Writing paper
• Graphic organizers
• Highlighters

SLPs can address connections among phonological awareness, language, reading, spelling, and writing, and AAC users should also have opportunities to develop literacy.ASHA+1

---

🎭 12. Social/pragmatic materials

I'd have:

• Emotion cards
• Facial-expression visuals
• Social scenarios
• Problem-solving cards
• Conversation prompts
• Perspective-taking activities
• Social stories/templates
• Cooperative games
• Puppets

But real play is often better than a deck of "social skills cards."

For example, two puppets arguing over the same toy can generate far more opportunities for:

• Perspective taking
• Flexible thinking
• Negotiation
• Repair
• Emotional vocabulary
• Problem solving

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🪄 13. The "therapy magic" box

Every pediatric SLP should have a little box of highly motivating items.

I'd put in:

• Bubbles
• Stickers
• Mini erasers
• Small figurines
• Squishy toys
• Wind-up toys
• Small cars
• Pop tubes
• Play scarves
• A few novelty objects

The point isn't to give these away constantly. They're motivators and communication opportunities.

---

🖨️ 14. The boring stuff you'll use constantly

Don't forget:

• Laminator
• Laminating pouches
• Velcro dots
• Sheet protectors
• Printer
• Colored printer paper
• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Paper cutter
• Dry-erase sleeves
• Dry-erase markers
• Clipboard
• Storage bins
• Zip bags
• Labels
• Timer
• Folders

Honestly, Velcro + laminator + printer may be more valuable than half the toys on this list.

---

🌎 15. Culturally and linguistically responsive materials

This deserves its own category.

Don't build a therapy room where every character, family, food, home, and experience looks the same.

Include:

• Diverse dolls/figures
• Books representing different cultures and family structures
• Different skin tones
• Multilingual books when relevant
• Images of varied disabilities and communication methods
• Foods, clothing, names, and settings that reflect the children you serve

ASHA specifically recommends considering cultural and linguistic representation when selecting picture books and other therapy materials.ASHA Publications

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⭐ If I were starting from $0...

I'd buy things in roughly this order:

The biggest beginner mistake

Buying materials instead of building a therapy system.

You don't need 100 games.

I'd rather have 20 extremely flexible items that you know how to use for 50 different goals than 100 specialized products that each target one skill.

For example, a farm set + a book + blocks + Play-Doh + bubbles can cover an enormous portion of pediatric therapy.

And I'd keep a digital "therapy toolbox" organized by goal rather than toy:

Articulation → /k/ → activities + books + mini objects Vocabulary → categories → activities + books Narrative → sequencing → books + visual supports AAC → core words → play routines Social → turn-taking → games + pretend play That organization will save you far more time than buying another therapy game.

Starting out as a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) is an exciting milestone! Having a versatile, high-impact starter kit can make therapy sessions engaging without needing to spend a fortune.

Here are the must-have therapy materials grouped by category to help you build an efficient and effective toolkit:

• Core Language & High-Frequency Toys:
  • Cause-and-effect toys (like a pop-up toy or wind-up walker) to encourage requesting, turn-taking, and early communication functions.
  • Pretend play sets (play food, a kitchen set, or a baby doll with a blanket and bottle) because play-based therapy is the golden standard for language facilitation.
  • Mr. Potato Head as an absolute classic for targeting body parts, pronouns, following directions, and requesting pieces ("want eye!").
• Books & Literacy Tools:
  • Interactive or repetitive books (such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar , or Dear Zoo ) that naturally invite joint attention and predictable phrases.
  • Lift-the-flap books to build anticipation, surprise, and joint attention in toddlers and early elementary students.
• Articulation & Visual Props:
  • A small hand mirror so clients can see their own tongue and lip placement for sound production.
  • Miniatures or small plastic objects (mini-objects) representing various target sounds (s, r, l, k, g) for quick-moving articulation drill games.
  • A dry-erase white board and colorful markers for drawing visual cues, pacing boards, or playing quick reinforcement games (like Tic-Tac-Toe).
• Games for Reinforcement & Social Skills:
  • Fast-paced, simple turn-taking games like Pop-Up Pirate, KerPlunk , or Guess Who? that can be easily paired with any language or articulation goal.
  • Playing cards (UNO or a standard deck) for categorization, turn-taking, and pragmatic language expansion.
• Consumables & Everyday Supplies:
  • Play-Doh because it works wonders for hand strength, sensory input, and language concepts (open, close, roll, cut, big, small).
  • Bubbles as an effortless tool for eliciting early sounds (p, b, m, "open", "more", "pop").
  • Laminator and heavy-duty cardstock to make your own visual schedules, PECS icons, and reinforcement charts last through countless sessions.

Would you like me to tailor this list further based on your specific setting, such as early intervention (home health) , an outpatient clinic , or a school-based environment?

If you’re a new pediatric SLP, my biggest advice is: don’t feel like you need to buy a therapy room’s worth of toys. A small collection of versatile, open-ended materials will take you surprisingly far. ASHA specifically highlights books, blocks, dolls, pretend-play sets, puzzles, bubbles, Play-Doh, and similar materials because they create opportunities for vocabulary, conversation, pretend play, sequencing, turn-taking, and cause/effect.ASHA+1

🧺 The “buy these first” starter kit

1. A great book collection 📚

You’ll use books constantly—for language, articulation, literacy, AAC, social communication, and parent coaching.

Have a mix of:

• Wordless picture books
• Simple repetitive books
• Books with predictable phrases
• Lift-the-flap/interactive books
• Storybooks for sequencing and narratives
• Books featuring diverse families/cultures
• A few books targeting emotions/social situations
• Books appropriate for older elementary students

Pro tip: Wordless books are incredibly versatile because you can adjust the language demands to almost any child.

Interactive/shared reading is also an evidence-supported intervention approach for language and emergent literacy.ASHA

2. Pretend-play essentials 🏠

You don't need a giant dollhouse. Pick a few versatile sets:

• Play food + plates/cups/utensils
• Baby doll + bottle/blanket
• Animals + barn
• Cars/trucks + garage or ramp
• Doctor/vet kit
• Dollhouse people
• Kitchen/restaurant items

These are fantastic for:

• Vocabulary
• Following directions
• WH questions
• Pronouns
• Prepositions
• Verbs
• Describing
• Sequencing
• Symbolic/pretend play
• Social communication
• Narratives

ASHA's pediatric recommendations include many of these exact categories.ASHA

3. Bubbles 🫧

Buy the bubbles.

They're inexpensive and useful for:

• Requesting
• Joint attention
• Turn-taking
• "More," "open," "go," "stop," "all done"
• Early verbs
• Cause/effect
• AAC modeling
• Engagement with children who aren't interested in traditional toys

They're one of those materials you'll probably use far more than you expect.

4. Blocks / magnetic building toys 🧱

Have something simple that can be:

• Built
• Knocked down
• Sorted
• Counted
• Described
• Compared
• Used for following directions

Great for concepts such as on/off, under/over, big/little, more/less, first/next/last.

5. Cars + ramps 🚗

One of the best high-versatility materials.

You can target:

• CV/CVC words
• Early requesting
• Action words
• Prepositions
• Describing
• "Ready, set, go"
• Turn-taking
• Narratives
• Cause/effect
• AAC

And you can adapt the activity from a toddler working on single words all the way to an older child creating a narrative.

6. Animals 🐶🐮

Get a basic set of:

• Farm animals
• Zoo animals
• Pets
• Dinosaurs

They work beautifully for early language and pretend play, while also giving you opportunities for:

• Categories
• Attributes
• Animal sounds
• Verbs
• Pronouns
• Prepositions
• Descriptions
• Storytelling

7. Puzzles 🧩

Have a few different levels:

• Chunky/knob puzzles
• Simple inset puzzles
• Matching puzzles
• More complex puzzles for older kids

They're especially useful for vocabulary, requesting, following directions, describing, problem solving, and turn-taking.

8. Play-Doh + basic tools

Don't underestimate it.

You can target:

• Requesting
• Following multi-step directions
• Describing
• Sequencing
• Colors/shapes
• Fine-motor/language integration
• Pretend play
• Articulation targets embedded into play

ASHA includes Play-Doh and other simple art materials among its recommended low-tech options.ASHA

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🎯 Materials specifically for articulation

For speech-sound therapy, you don't need a giant collection of articulation games.

I'd have:

• Small object/photo cards
• Mini objects or manipulatives
• Articulation card decks
• A small mirror
• Dice
• Dry-erase board
• Dry-erase markers
• Magnetic tokens/chips
• A few simple games
• Sticky notes

The key is having lots of ways to elicit repetitions, rather than owning 50 different articulation games.

A simple game + your target words can become an articulation activity.

---

🗣️ Language materials

For preschool and elementary language therapy, I'd prioritize:

• WH-question cards
• Vocabulary/category cards
• Sequencing cards
• Story grammar materials
• Inferencing cards
• Describing materials
• Synonym/antonym activities
• Sentence-building materials
• Conversation/pragmatics cards
• Social scenarios
• Visual supports

You can also make a huge amount of this yourself using photos, Google Slides/PowerPoint, and simple visuals.

ASHA emphasizes individualized assessment and intervention rather than relying on one type of material, so I'd build your collection around the populations you actually serve.ASHA

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🤖 AAC materials — don't skip this

Even if you aren't currently an AAC specialist, I would have a low-tech AAC kit available.

Consider:

• Laminated core-word board
• Alphabet/letter board
• Choice boards
• Visual choice cards
• First/then board
• Visual schedule
• Yes/no visuals
• Feelings/emotions visuals
• Printed photos
• Dry-erase communication board
• A few single-message/recordable buttons if appropriate

AAC isn't only high-tech devices. ASHA includes gestures, signs, communication boards/books, pictures, photographs, visual schedules, writing, tablets/apps, and speech-generating devices within AAC.ASHA

And importantly, there are no prerequisites for considering AAC, including for very young children.ASHA

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🎲 Games

You don't need 30 board games.

I'd start with about 5–8 highly reusable games, such as:

• Simple turn-taking game
• Matching/memory game
• Fishing game
• Pop-up/cause-effect game
• Cooperative game
• Guessing game
• Dice-based game
• One game appropriate for older elementary students

Choose games that can be adapted to lots of goals rather than games designed for one specific speech/language target.

---

🎨 The underrated therapy supplies

Keep a big bin stocked with:

• Construction paper
• Printer paper
• Crayons
• Markers
• Colored pencils
• Stickers
• Glue sticks
• Scissors
• Play-Doh
• Dry-erase boards
• Dry-erase markers
• Laminator + pouches
• Velcro dots
• Magnetic tape
• Dice
• Tokens
• Mini erasers
• Clothespins
• Plastic bags/containers

These allow you to turn almost anything into therapy.

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🧠 A few “SLP superpowers”

I'd also keep:

• A mirror — speech sound placement/self-monitoring
• A timer — transitions and structured activities
• A sensory-friendly fidget — when appropriate
• A small dry-erase board — practically everything
• A tablet/laptop — digital materials, AAC, visuals, teletherapy
• A laminator — one of the best purchases for a pediatric SLP
• A portable therapy bag/bin — especially if you're traveling between classrooms/homes

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🛒 If I had only $200–300 to spend…

I'd prioritize:

And I would NOT spend hundreds of dollars on specialized therapy toys right away.

A cardboard box, toy food, bubbles, a book, and some blocks can give you an enormous number of therapy opportunities. ASHA specifically notes that ordinary household/open-ended items can be just as useful as conventional toys because they encourage exploration, experimentation, and interaction.ASHA

🧳 My ideal “new SLP starter bag”

If you want the absolute minimalist version, I'd put these 12 things in a rolling bag:

1. 5–10 excellent books
2. Bubbles
3. Cars + ramp
4. Animals
5. Blocks
6. Play food
7. Baby doll
8. Play-Doh
9. Puzzle
10. Dice + tokens
11. Dry-erase board/markers
12. Laminated visual/AAC boards

That little collection can cover an astonishing range of early language, articulation, phonology, AAC, social communication, vocabulary, narrative, following directions, and literacy goals.

The bigger investment I'd make as a new clinician isn't actually toys—it's learning how to manipulate one activity to target different goals. That's what makes a pediatric SLP's therapy materials powerful.ASHA+1

And I would NOT spend hundreds of dollars on specialized therapy toys right away.

A cardboard box, toy food, bubbles, a book, and some blocks can give you an enormous number of therapy opportunities. ASHA specifically notes that ordinary household/open-ended items can be just as useful as conventional toys because they encourage exploration, experimentation, and interaction.

🧳 My ideal “new SLP starter bag”

If you’re a new pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist, you absolutely do not need to buy a giant therapy-toy collection. The best starter kit is a small set of open-ended, reusable materials that can be adapted across articulation, phonology, language, AAC, fluency, social communication, and literacy.

ASHA’s own recommendations emphasize books, pretend-play materials, dolls/figures, blocks, puzzles, bubbles, play dough, drawing materials, and other flexible items—and specifically notes that ordinary household objects can be just as useful as commercial toys.ASHA

🧸 The “Buy First” Starter Kit

1. 📚 A great children's book collection

This is probably your #1 investment.

Have a mix of:

• Wordless picture books
• Simple repetitive books
• Storybooks with predictable phrases
• Books with diverse characters/families
• Books targeting emotions/social situations
• Nonfiction/informational books
• Books with lots of opportunities for target sounds
• Books appropriate for older elementary students

Books can target vocabulary, narrative language, grammar, inferencing, articulation, phonological awareness, social communication, AAC, and literacy all in one activity. Shared reading is also an evidence-supported context for language and emergent literacy intervention.ASHA Publications+1

Pro tip: Don't buy 100 books. Start with ~15–25 really versatile ones.

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2. 🏠 Pretend-play set

Get:

• Dollhouse
• People/mini figures
• Baby doll + accessories
• Toy food/kitchen items
• Animals/farm set
• Doctor/vet kit
• Cars/trucks
• A few household props

Pretend play is incredibly flexible for:

• Vocabulary
• Verbs
• Pronouns
• Prepositions
• WH questions
• Following directions
• Sequencing
• Storytelling
• Symbolic play
• Social communication
• AAC modeling

ASHA specifically highlights pretend food, dolls, miniature figures, dollhouses, animals, and doctor/tool kits as useful speech-language materials.ASHA

---

3. 🧱 Building materials

You want blocks, magnetic tiles, LEGO/Duplo-type pieces, or similar construction materials.

They're excellent for:

• Spatial concepts: under, beside, behind, between
• Following directions
• Describing
• Attributes
• Problem solving
• Sequencing
• Requesting
• Turn-taking
• Cooperative play
• Articulation practice embedded in play

And they're easy to adapt for almost any age.

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4. 🎨 Open-ended craft supplies

Keep a basic craft box with:

• Play-Doh/modeling clay
• Crayons
• Markers
• Construction paper
• Stickers
• Glue sticks
• Child-safe scissors
• Paint
• Pipe cleaners
• Craft sticks
• Pom-poms
• Paper plates/cups

Don't underestimate this category. Open-ended materials can create more language opportunities than highly specialized toys because the child has to describe, plan, request, sequence, explain, and problem-solve while creating something.ASHA Publications

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5. 🫧 Bubbles

Seriously. Buy the bubbles.

They're fantastic for:

• Requesting
• Joint attention
• Turn-taking
• "More"
• "Open"
• "Go"
• "Stop"
• Commenting
• Anticipatory routines
• Cause/effect
• AAC modeling

They're also cheap and portable.

---

6. 🃏 Card/deck materials

Have a collection of:

• Picture cards
• Category cards
• WH-question cards
• Emotion cards
• Sequencing cards
• Articulation picture cards
• Minimal-pair materials
• Story/narrative cards

But I wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars on commercial decks immediately.

A color printer + cardstock + laminator can give you an enormous amount of flexibility.

---

🗣️ Articulation & Phonology Kit

For speech-sound therapy, I'd have:

• Small mirror
• Mouth/face visual
• Articulation cue cards
• Minimal-pair cards
• Phonological-awareness materials
• Picture cards organized by phoneme
• Tokens/mini erasers for repetitions
• Dice
• Spinner
• Dry-erase board
• Dry-erase markers
• Word lists
• Simple games for repeated practice

And importantly, don't make articulation therapy completely separate from literacy. Current research supports incorporating phonological awareness and print/orthography into speech-sound intervention, particularly because children with speech sound disorders can be at increased risk for literacy difficulties.ASHA Publications+1

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🔤 Literacy Kit

I'd strongly recommend having:

• Magnetic letters
• Letter tiles
• Alphabet cards
• Dry-erase alphabet board
• Mini whiteboard
• Decodable/phonics materials appropriate to your caseload
• Rhyming cards
• Syllable/phoneme manipulation materials
• Simple books
• Story sequencing cards
• High-frequency word materials
• Writing paper/journals

Especially if you're working with school-age children, don't think of literacy as "someone else's job." SLPs can appropriately address aspects of phonological awareness, vocabulary, narrative language, morphology, reading, and writing, depending on the child's needs and your role.ASHA Journals Academy+1

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📱 AAC & Visual-Support Materials

This is one area where I would not wait until you have an AAC client.

Keep:

• Laminating sheets
• Velcro
• Page protectors
• Core-word boards
• Choice boards
• First/Then boards
• Visual schedules
• Yes/no boards
• Emotion visuals
• Communication books
• Printed photos
• Dry-erase communication boards
• A few low-tech AAC options

AAC should be considered based on communication needs—not withheld because a child is young or hasn't demonstrated certain prerequisites. ASHA specifically states that there are no prerequisites for considering or introducing AAC.ASHA

And remember: an AAC system should be available to the child, rather than being treated as something that only comes out during "AAC therapy."ASHA

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🎲 Games

You don't need a massive game closet.

Start with ~5–10 versatile games that involve:

• Turn-taking
• Simple rules
• Chance
• Matching
• Categorizing
• Describing
• Question asking
• Following directions

Examples of useful game types:

• Matching games
• Memory
• Bingo
• Simple board games
• Guessing games
• Barrier games
• Dice/spinner games

A single game can become an articulation drill, vocabulary activity, narrative task, social-pragmatic activity, or AAC activity depending on how you structure it.

---

👀 Visual & Sensory Materials

Useful basics:

• Visual timer
• Visual schedule
• First/Then board
• Choice board
• Emotion visuals
• Mini sensory items/fidgets
• Small sensory bin
• Play-Doh
• Bubbles
• Simple cause-and-effect toys

You don't need to turn your therapy room into a sensory gym. Your goal is to have a few tools that help with regulation, engagement, transitions, and communication.

---

🧰 The Boring Stuff You'll Use CONSTANTLY

This is the stuff new clinicians sometimes forget:

• Laminator
• Laminating pouches
• Velcro dots
• Cardstock
• Printer
• Paper cutter
• Scissors
• Dry-erase markers
• Dry-erase board
• Page protectors
• Binder system
• File folders
• Storage bins
• Zip-top bags
• Stickers/reinforcers
• Timer
• Clipboard
• Pens/highlighters
• Hand sanitizer/wipes

A laminator + Velcro + cardstock is basically an SLP superpower.

---

🛒 If I Were Starting From $0...

I'd prioritize purchases in this order:

The biggest beginner mistake?

Buying too many therapy-specific products.

You don't need a toy specifically labeled "WH Questions!" or "Expressive Language Game!".

A box of animals can become a vocabulary activity, a following-directions activity, an articulation activity, a narrative activity, an AAC activity, or a social-language activity.

The SLP creates the therapeutic activity; the toy is just the context.

ASHA's guidance similarly emphasizes flexible, open-ended play materials and even everyday household objects rather than requiring specialized toys.ASHA

🎒 My ideal “SLP go-bag”

If you need something portable for EI, home health, or school visits:

• 1–2 great books
• Bubbles
• Play-Doh
• Mini animals
• Cars
• Small people/figures
• Blocks
• Ball
• Simple puzzle
• Stickers
• Dry-erase board + marker
• Core-word/AAC board
• Visual schedule/First-Then board
• Art supplies
• A few picture/card decks

That's enough to conduct an astonishing number of sessions.

And if you're working primarily with preschoolers vs. elementary students vs. autistic/complex-communication clients vs. articulation, I'd change the shopping list substantially.

• Laminator
• Laminating pouches
• Velcro dots
• Cardstock
• Printer
• Paper cutter
• Scissors
• Dry-erase markers
• Dry-erase board
• Page protectors
• Binder system
• File folders
• Storage bins
• Zip-top bags
• Stickers/reinforcers
• Timer
• Clipboard
• Pens/highlighters
• Hand sanitizer/wipes

A laminator + Velcro + cardstock is basically an SLP superpower.

---

🛒 If I Were Starting From $0...

I'd prioritize purchases in this order:

The biggest beginner mistake?

Buying too many therapy-specific products.

You don't need a toy specifically labeled "WH Questions!" or "Expressive Language Game!".

A box of animals can become a vocabulary activity, a following-directions activity, an articulation activity, a narrative activity, an AAC activity, or a social-language activity.

The SLP creates the therapeutic activity; the toy is just the context.

ASHA's guidance similarly emphasizes flexible, open-ended play materials and even everyday household objects rather than requiring specialized toys.

🎒 My ideal “SLP go-bag”