Creative Ways to Use a Pop-It Fidget in Speech Therapy

"Fidgets are tools, not toys" - Yes, this is true, especially in the context of a classroom setting. But they can be used in a variety of contexts. Let's see how a pop-it fidget can be used in speech therapy...

One more example of why SLPs Love Playing Games

Use a Pop-it Fidget as a Tactile Counter: Assign colors for the speech-language therapy target

1. Categories: Assign a question type for each color on the Pop-it and take turns asking/answering questions. Example: Red = fruit: apple, orange, banana, grapes, peach Orange = clothing: shoes, socks, pants, shirt, sweater Yellow = farm animals: cow, horse, sheep, goat, pig Green = tools: hammer, wrench, screwdriver, drill, saw Blue = vehicles: car, bus, boat, plane, train Purple = drinks: juice, coffee, water, milk, soda
   

2. WH Questions: Assign a question type for each color on the Pop-it and take turns asking/answering questions. Example: Red = What have Orange = What doing Yellow = Where Green = Who Blue = Why Purple = When
   

3. Articulation Practice: Say a target word the same number of times as a color on the Pop-It fidget.
   

4. Phonological Awareness Activities: assign a sound to each color. Name words beginning or ending with those sounds. Example: beginning of words Red = "s": sun, see, sock, sing, cereal Orange = "f": fork, fan, phone, fall, feet Yellow = "k": key, cow, kick, king, keep Green = "sh": shy, sheep, shower, shop, sugar Blue = "r": read, run, rain, robot, rope Purple = "ch": cheat, chop, chair, choose, chips
   

5. Describing Objects: Flip the fidget so each row has one of each color. Assign a word to each row. "Pop" a bubble/button each time you answer the following questions about each word: Red = What group does it belong to?  Orange = What does it do? Yellow = What does it look like? Green = What is it made of/from? Blue = What are its parts? Purple = Where can you find it?
   

6. Relational Vocabulary / Associations: Assign a word to each color. "Pop" a bubble/button each time you name a word that relates or is associated with Red = "bird": nest, egg, chirp, feathers, worm Orange = "car": drive, wheel, engine, stoplight, road Yellow = "barn": farm, cow, hay, stall, horse Green = "sand": beach, shovel, castle, ocean, dollar Blue = "book": read, pages, words, spine, library Purple = "penny": money, coin, quarter, round, thoughts
   

Use a Pop-it Fidget as a Board for Following Directions

1. Multi-Step using color sequences Examples:

   1. 1 Step: Pop the yellow bubbles

   2. 2 Step: Pop a yellow bubble and a blue bubble

   3. 3 Step: Pop a yellow bubble, flip the fidget over and pop a pink bubble
      

2. Quantitative Examples:

   1. Pop each green bubble

   2. Pop three yellow bubbles

   3. Pop an equal amount of blue and purple bubbles
      

3. Spatial Examples:

   1. Pop the bubbles between the blue and orange rows

   2. Pop the bubbles under the red row

   3. Pop the top and bottom bubbles
      

4. Temporal Examples:

   1. Pop 2 green buttons before popping 1 pink one

   2. After you pop a yellow bubble, pop a red one

   3. Pop the red row after I say "go"
      

5. Ordinal Examples:

   1. Pop the first blue bubble

   2. Pop the third red bubble

   3. Pop the last yellow bubble
      

Use a Pop-It Fidget as a Two Player Articulation Game with dice

1. Assign a side for each player

2. Press down half the buttons on one side

3. To Play:

   1. Player 1: roll dice, say & pop the same # of words/buttons

   2. Player 2: turn fidget over and repeat

   3. The first to pop their entire side of buttons wins

Use a Pop-It Fidget as a Hide & Find Activity Using Stickers & Marbles

1. Depress all the buttons of the fidget

2. Place a mini sticker into 3-4 buttons (or use a hole-punched paper dot)

3. Fill all the buttons with marbles, play dough balls, mini objects, pom-poms, etc.)

4. To Play:

   • Roll dice

   • Practice the same number of target words

   • Look under the same number of marbles (or similar) until all the stickers are found.

Give it a try! Subscribe to the Speech Hamster Newsletter to download 12+ Pop-It Fidget Activity Sheets!