36 Easy Fall Themed Activities for Speech and Language Therapy

Fall is one of my absolute favorite seasons to target during speech and language therapy sessions. The only problem with fall is, there are SO many topics you can cover but there’s not enough time to cover them all! 

Some of my favorite fall themes are leaves, pumpkins, apples, and scarecrows. 

Fall Theme #1: Leaves

I LOVE using a leaf theme because everyone has some personal experiences with leaves…Whether they look at them on trees, watch them fall to the ground, step on them, rake them, create art with them, and so many others!

Here is a list of THE BEST leaf-themed activities for speech therapy:

• Read a book about leaves (such as When the Leaf Blew In). 
• Find some leaves (real, paper, or plastic). Take turns blowing them across the table. Use a fan and see which leaves blow the furthest. Talk about which leaves went far/short, further, and furthest.
• Learn about the wind and why leaves blow. What other items can you find that can be blown by the wind? What do they all have in common?
• If you use paper leaves, write target words/vocabulary on each one and fling it off of a parachute. Practice the words as you find the leaves. While using the parachute, you can also target up/down, high/low, fast/slow, etc.
• Hide paper or plastic leaves around the room and talk about "where" you found them.
• Go on a leaf hunt outside. Collect some leaves and describe them. Use a magnifying glass to make it even more interesting!
• Use the leaves you collected from outside and put them under a piece of copy paper. Use a crayon to “scratch” the indentation on your paper.
• Collect some leaves (and other fall items like acorns, pinecones, etc.) and stick them to a piece of sticky paper (such as contact paper) or glue them on. Talk about what you saw and describe the items you chose for your artwork.
• Rake leaves into different-sized piles. Talk about quantity concepts including which piles have more/less, the most/least, a few/couple, several/lots, etc.
• Make a simple leaf sensory bin. Grab some red/orange/yellow/brown crinkle paper and some paper or plastic leaves. Or, just fill the bin with leaves! You could also grab some leaf-shaped table scatter, craft foam stickers, mini objects, etc. Or, just print some different leaf pictures, laminate, and place them in the bin. Write target vocabulary on them. See who can find the named leaf.
• Make a tree trunk on a piece of poster board or butcher paper. Put leaf cut-outs on it with your target vocabulary written on them (or pictures). Have students take turns choosing a leaf from the tree and practicing their speech and language targets.

Fall Theme #2: Pumpkins

Pumpkins are such a fun theme to cover, especially because of how many different types of pumpkins/squash there are! 

Here are some of THE BEST pumpkin-themed activities for speech therapy:

• Read a book about pumpkins (such as The Biggest Pumpkin Ever).
• Bring in several different types of pumpkins/squash. Describe what they look like and feel like. If you’re feeling really brave, cut a few open and talk about how different the inside feels.
• Have a couple of large pumpkins, a small rubber mallet, and some golf tees. Use the rubber mallet to pound golf tees into the pumpkin rind. Pound holes in different ways to create shapes, letters, or numbers. Use core vocabulary words like “more,” “again,” and “oops/ouch.” Talk about different quantities of golf tees including more/less, some/few/couple, several/lots, etc.
• Make a pumpkin out of modeling dough. Target fringe vocabulary words such as squish/squeeze, mold, roll, and pound/smash.
• Try a recipe using canned pumpkin (make sure to check for allergies first!). You could try making a pumpkin pie parfait, pumpkin spice playdough, etc.
• Buy a few of the really little pumpkins (Jack-Be-Little pumpkins) and put them in a water table. Add some toothbrushes or scrub brushes and water. Watch the pumpkins float and have fun scrubbing and cleaning them!
• Make a simple pumpkin patch sensory bin. Grab some green crinkle paper and some mini plastic pumpkins. You could also grab some pumpkin-shaped table scatter, craft foam stickers, mini objects, etc. Or, just print some different pumpkin pictures, laminate, and place them in the bin. Write target vocabulary on them. See who can find the named pumpkin.
• Hide paper pumpkin cut-outs around the room and talk about "where" you found them.
• Make a pumpkin patch (dirt and vines) on a piece of poster board or butcher paper. Put pumpkin cut-outs on it with your target vocabulary written on them (or pictures). Have students take turns choosing a pumpkin from the patch and practicing their speech and language targets.

Fall Theme #3: Apples

Apples are another great fall theme to use in your speech therapy sessions in September and October.

Here are some of THE BEST apple-themed activities for speech therapy:

• Read a book about apples (such as Apple Trouble).
• Have an apple taste test. Bring in a red, green, and yellow apple. Cut them up and taste each one. Create a graph of which one the students liked best.
• Create a stamp using an apple. Cut the apple in half and dip the cut portion in craft paint. “Stamp” the design to decorate your picture. If you really want to get fancy, you can cut a specific shape out of the apple to create a stamp (e.g., a star).
• Hide paper apple cut-outs around the room and talk about "where" you found them.
• Make a tree on a piece of poster board or butcher paper. Put apple cut-outs on it with your target vocabulary written on them (or pictures). Have students take turns choosing an apple from the tree and practicing their speech and language targets.
• Make a simple apple-themed sensory bin. Grab some green crinkle paper and some mini plastic apples. You could also grab some apple-shaped table scatter, craft foam stickers, mini objects, etc. Or, just print some different apple pictures, laminate, and place them in the bin. Write target vocabulary on them. See who can find the named apple.
• Learn about parts of a whole. Using real apples, cut an apple in half and talk about whole vs. half as well as naming the parts of an apple.
• Try a recipe using apples (make sure to check for allergies first!). You could try making an apple pie parfait, apple smiles with peanut butter and raisins (also often called “ants on a log”), dip apples in caramel/fruit dip/yogurt, etc.

Fall Theme #4: Scarecrows

A scarecrow theme is a fun (but often forgotten) one. Check out some of the best themed activities below!

Here are some of THE BEST scarecrow-themed activities for speech therapy:

• Read a book about scarecrows (e.g., The Not-So-Scary Scarecrow).
• Create a scarecrow-themed sensory bin. Use hay/straw (check for allergies) or yellow crinkle paper. Add some scarecrow cut-outs, table scatter, craft foam stickers, mini objects, etc. Or, just print some different scarecrow pictures, laminate, and place them in the bin. Write target vocabulary on them. See who can find the named scarecrow.
• Make a pumpkin patch or field on a piece of poster board or butcher paper. Put scarecrow cut-outs on it with your target vocabulary written on them (or pictures). Have students take turns choosing a scarecrow from the field and practicing their speech and language targets.
• Hide paper scarecrow cut-outs around the room and talk about "where" you found them.
• Draw a scarecrow and label the parts. You could use a picture of the student’s face for the scarecrow.
• Play “scarecrow tag.” Have someone who is “it.” When that person tags you, you have to freeze and stand like a scarecrow until the game is over. Target concepts such as stop/go and fast/slow.
• Have everyone spread out in an open area and pretend to be scarecrows. When the teacher calls the student’s name, run to a designated spot. You can also call out a specified descriptor such as boy/girl, age, hair color, clothing color, etc.
• Find a face outline. Laminate it or place it in a sheet protector; make sure to have one for each student. Have students create different facial expressions and emotions using whiteboard markers or modeling dough.

Looking for some additional NO PREP fall-themed activities that can also be sent home for homework and carryover practice?

☑️ No planning or prep required! Just print and go!

☑️ Easy-to-use differentiated activities - perfect for mixed groups.

☑️ Lasts multiple sessions - includes 8 different picture scenes with 780 total directions.

☑️ Wide variety of fall-themed vocabulary including apples, leaves, pumpkins, scarecrows, pumpkin treats (e.g., pumpkin cupcake), and sunflowers (NO Halloween!).

Click the picture below to check it out. 👇