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Using plastic Easter eggs in speech therapy is a great way to target language skills with emergent communicators! Easter eggs are inexpensive and super motivating to target all of your IEP goals. In this post you will learn how to use plastic Easter eggs to target specific speech and language goals in your therapy sessions.

Skills: Following directions, labeling, identifying, sentence expansion, core words, AAC, turn taking, basic concepts

When you’re teaching language to emergent communicators, it really helps to incorporate seasons or holidays into activities! The repetition of vocabulary really helps build a solid foundation of language skills.

One of my favorite Easter-themed activities is using plastic Easter eggs to target vocabulary, WH questions, sentence expansion, and more!

Get a basket or box and create a sensory bin. You can add Easter grass or shredded paper. Then, fill it with some of those cheap, plastic eggs (you can pick these up at the Dollar Tree!). Fill the eggs with a variety of things, like small animal figurines, mini objects, small balls, stickers, pictures cut out from magazines, etc.

Turn taking: Have your student practice taking turns opening eggs with you or a peer.

Early language: Have your student request “more” eggs using the word or the sign. Or your student can request in a full sentence, like ‘I want an egg.’

Body Parts:

For expressive language, put an egg on your nose, hand, mouth, etc; and ask your student “Where is the egg?”

For receptive language, ask your student to put the egg on his/her head, tummy, foot, etc.

Labeling: Have your student practice labeling each item inside, as you open each egg together. If your child does not know the word, label it for them several times. Take time to play with the item, being sure to label the item while you play with it.

Identifying: Open up two (or more) eggs. Place the items found inside on the floor or table and ask your student to “Find the______” or “Show me the _________” or “Where is the __________?”

Following Directions: Put the basket on the floor or table. Try some of these directions or make up your own:

1. Give me the red egg.
2. Open the blue egg.
3. Put two orange eggs on the floor.
4. Hand an egg to your sister.
5. Give one egg to me.
6. Find one that looks like a cat.
7. Point to the one with polka dots.
8. Put the sticker inside the pink egg.
9. Put the block between two eggs.
10. I am going to close my eyes. Go hide an egg!

Responding to questions:

1. Shake an egg. Say “Hmmmm…what do you think is inside?”
2. What color is this egg?
3. This egg looks like an animal. What animal is this?
4. Which animal says Meow?
5. Open the egg. “What’s inside?”

Asking questions:

1. Say “Something is inside.” Shake the egg. Wait for the child to ask “What is it?” If the child does not ask, tell them what you want them to say.
2. Pass out the eggs to all people present. Have people hide them between their legs while sitting cross-legged or in their own container. Children can ask “Who has the pink egg?”

Increasing sentence length:

Say one more word than your student, after he/she says it. For example:

1. Your child says “More.” You say “More egg.”
2. Your child says “Egg.” You say “More egg” or “Open egg” or “Red egg.”
3. Your child says “I want egg.” You say “I want blue egg.”

Practicing speech sounds:

If you are practicing a specific speech sound with your child, you can have them open up an egg each time they practice their sound!

Easter eggs are not just for Easter in speech therapy either. This is a great activity to do with your spring theme, as it targets a TONNN of speech and language skills to use in your speech therapy sessions!

If you want a great print and go activity to go along with your Easter eggs, check out this Plastic Easter Egg Companion! It includes picture cards, a communication board, and visuals to target a ton of speech and language goals!

And, if you’re looking for a no-prep Easter Activity, check out these Easter Interactive Boom Cards, featuring real photographs and symbols with voice output!

What was your favorite Easter egg activity? Did you try anything that I didn’t mention?