When we plan themed therapy lessons for our speech therapy caseloads we want them to help students make progress on their goals. In this episode of the Real Talk SLP podcast, we are going to be talking about how to play speech therapy themes by month and learning how you can theme smash two themes together! I will be sharing what theme smashing is, how to do it, and ways to think through the themes you are choosing throughout the year.

Before we chat about what theme smashing is, I encourage you to use a theme for longer than a week. At the beginning of this podcast episode, I share two of the benefits of planning only one or two speech therapy themes in a month. 

Trying to pick a theme for your speech therapy caseload can be overwhelming. When you have lots of paperwork and caseload management tasks, picking a theme can be the last thing on your list. That’s why I created a giant list of 100 seasonal and nonseasonal themes you can use to get inspiration for speech therapy lesson planning. Use the free speech therapy themes by month calendar to get organized with what to plan!

Theme smashing is when you work on two themes at the same time and infuse them into your themed unit.

You can bring in concepts from your last theme into the new theme to increase opportunities with background knowledge, vocabulary, and concepts from that theme.

Here are some examples of theme smashing options:

• Winter season and clothing
• Community helpers and transportation
• Insects and flowers
• Windy weather and kites
• Baking and birthday party

During this episode I break down how you can plan out these themed unit back to back to provide more opportunities with concepts from the previous theme. In the March and April months of the Themed Therapy SLP membership, we have options for baking, weather, insects, spring, community helpers and chores making theme smashing easier!

If you are just getting started with planning themed therapy or have been doing it for a while now, but need fresh ideas, take my free Themed Therapy SLP quiz! It will send you LOTS of blog posts and ideas for whatever stage you are in currently.

Here are some resources mentioned in the podcast episode:

• 3 Tips for Choosing Themed Therapy Materials
• Themed Therapy SLP Membership
• Bee Themed Lesson Plan Ideas
• Spring Themed Lesson Plan Ideas
• Plant Life Cycle Lesson Plan Ideas
• 4 Themes for Younger and Older Students
• March Themes for Your Speech Therapy Caseload

If you have any questions about planning by themes or need ideas, feel free to reach out on social media @thedabblingspeechie

The post What is Theme Smashing? – How to Plan Speech Therapy Themes by Month appeared first on thedabblingspeechie.