Activities to Facilitate Communication Using AAC
Using a speech device doesn’t have to feel like “work.” Many everyday activities your child already enjoys can become natural, low-pressure opportunities to build communication skills.
Why Use These Activities🔗
Children learn best when communication happens naturally. Using AAC during familiar activities:
- Builds confidence using the device
- Expands vocabulary and sentence building
- Reduces frustration by giving a reliable way to communicate
- Encourages participation at home, school, and in the community
The more often a child sees their AAC used during real life, the more meaningful communication becomes.
Activities to Try🔗
Below are simple activities and examples of communication exchanges to employ during them!
Read Books🔗
Reading books is a great way to expand your AAC user’s vocabulary. You can target a variety of things while reading books.
- Answer Questions: “What is that a picture of?” → “Dog”
- Turn Taking: “Turn the page”
- Sentence Building: “I + see + a + truck”
- Requesting: “Can we read a book?”
- Identifying: “Yellow sun”
Make a Snack🔗
Making food together with your AAC user is a great activity that is engaging and fun for everyone!
- Asking Questions: “Can I try it?”
- Turn Taking: “My turn to stir”
- Requesting Help: “Help open”
- Commenting: “The brownies are good”
- Protesting: “No thank you”
Listen to Music🔗
Many children love to listen to a variety of music and it can be motivating to use their AAC to communicate.
- Asking Questions: “What is this song?”
- Requesting: “I want Wheels on the Bus”
- Sentence Building: “I + like + music”
- Commenting: “Fun!”
- Protesting: “Not that song”
Play a Game🔗
Playing games is a great way to engage an AAC user in communication! Here’s some example communication during Go Fish:
- Requesting: “Do you have any ____?”
- Turn Taking: “It is my turn”
- Identifying: “I have 2 matches.”
- Commenting: “I win!”
Conclusion🔗
You don’t need special materials or long sessions to support AAC communication. Everyday activities you already do together are powerful opportunities to build language, confidence, and connection.
Free Resource🔗
Download this complimentary resource for some examples of activities that you can do within your therapy session or that families can do at home to work on motivating an individual to communicate with their speech device and expand their vocabulary.
Related Links🔗
Need More Advice? Ask an SLP!🔗
From speech app guidance to AAC resources, our SLP Empowerment Team is here to help!
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