What to actually do between speech therapy sessions

Speech therapy is usually once a week. The rest of the week is you, at home, with a child and a vague instruction to "practise at home." Almost nobody explains what that actually means, so it can turn into either a guilty nothing or a tense mini-lesson at the kitchen table. Neither is what your speech-language pathologist had in mind. Here is a calmer, more realistic way to think about the days in between.

The goal is not to run therapy at home

You are not trying to recreate a session. You do not need the training, and your child does not need a second therapist. What helps between sessions is small, warm, low-pressure repetition folded into the day you are already having. Consistency matters far more than intensity. Five relaxed minutes most days beats a thirty-minute battle once a week.

This is general home practice to support the work your SLP is already doing. It is never a substitute for therapy, and your therapist should always set the plan for your child.

A simple week that fits real life

• Aim for a few minutes most days, not a long session. Short and sweet keeps it fun and keeps you both sane.
• Fold it into things you already do: bath time, the car seat, a walk, a favourite book, snack time.
• Work on one sound at a time, the one your SLP chose. Trying to work on everything at once overwhelms everyone.
• Model, do not correct. If your child says "wabbit," you cheerfully say "rabbit" back, with no "say it again."
• Celebrate the effort, not the perfect sound. A high five for trying keeps them coming back tomorrow.

What good practice actually looks like

It looks like play. You spot three red things on a walk and roar the R together. You read a bedtime book and point to the S words. You name silly rhyming pairs in the bath. Your child barely notices it is practice, which is exactly the point. The moment it feels like homework, most kids who already find talking hard will shut down.

When it starts to feel like a fight

Stop and switch to play. Pushing a frustrated child to repeat a sound rarely helps and often backfires. There is no prize for finishing a drill. Back off, make them laugh, and try again another time. A child who feels safe and unpressured will practise far more, over far more days, than one who feels tested.

A ready-made place to start

If you want something concrete for tonight, our free Calm Practice Pack gives you word banks, play ideas, and cut-out picture cards for the exact sound your therapist is working on. You can also read a short practice guide for each speech sound. Both are free and need no signup.