Research Informed Speech & Language Activities: The Power of Hands-On Learning
Research-Informed Speech & Language Activities: The Power of Hands-On Learning
At Speech & Smile, we believe that meaningful learning happens through purposeful interaction, creativity, and play.
Our speech and language learning materials are designed with these principles in mind. From our Say & Play Mini Objects® to our TALKETS® 3D-printed miniatures, we create versatile tools that speech-language pathologists, educators, and families can incorporate into a variety of research-informed teaching and intervention approaches.
Our philosophy is simple: The materials make learning interactive. The strategies behind their use make learning purposeful.
Our Commitment to Evidence-Based Practice
Evidence-based practice in speech-language pathology integrates three essential components:
- The best available research evidence
- Professional expertise and clinical judgment
- The individual needs, values, and preferences of the learner and family
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), these components work together to guide individualized clinical decisions.
At Speech & Smile, we recognize that no single toy, manipulative, or activity is a substitute for evidence-based instruction or intervention.
Instead, our products are designed to be flexible learning tools that can complement established approaches to speech, language, and literacy development.
Research reference: ASHA — Evidence-Based Practice
1. Speech Sound Production & Articulation Practice
Speech sound intervention frequently involves carefully selected target words, repeated opportunities for production, feedback, and systematic progression toward more complex speaking tasks.
Small objects representing familiar vocabulary can provide a tangible way to organize target words and create structured practice opportunities.
For example, mini objects can be used to:
- Sort objects by beginning, middle, or ending sounds
- Practice target sounds in words, phrases, and sentences
- Organize words by syllable structure
- Support minimal-pair activities when appropriately selected
- Incorporate target words into functional play and conversation
Our Say & Play Speech Sounds Kit and TALKETS® mini objects offer flexible materials for these types of activities.
The objects themselves do not determine the intervention approach. Rather, the clinician selects appropriate targets and uses the materials to support individualized practice.
Research reference: McLeod, S., & Crowe, K. (2018). Children’s Consonant Acquisition in 27 Languages: A Cross-Linguistic Review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(4), 1546–1571.
2. Vocabulary Development & Semantic Relationships
Vocabulary learning involves more than simply naming objects. Children benefit from opportunities to explore word meanings, relationships, categories, attributes, and how words are used in different contexts.
Hands-on objects can serve as visual and tactile examples during explicit vocabulary instruction.
Activities may include:
- Sorting objects into categories
- Identifying similarities and differences
- Describing objects by function, appearance, and location
- Exploring opposites and associations
- Practicing multiple-meaning words
- Building sentences using newly introduced vocabulary
Our Category Sorting Task Box, Language Task Box, Opposites Set, and Theme Therapy Kits can be incorporated into these learning activities.
ASHA identifies vocabulary knowledge, semantic relationships, and word meaning as important areas within spoken language intervention.
Research reference: ASHA Practice Portal — Spoken Language Disorders
3. Narrative Language & Story Retelling
Narrative language includes the ability to organize events, describe characters, explain problems, and communicate a sequence of ideas.
Research-informed narrative interventions often focus on story grammar, sequencing, and the language structures needed to tell understandable stories.
Physical story props can provide concrete representations of characters, settings, and events.
Our TALKETS® Story Packs and Story Kit Sets can be used to:
- Identify characters and settings
- Sequence story events
- Retell familiar stories
- Describe problems and solutions
- Answer who, what, where, when, and why questions
- Create original stories using selected objects
These materials offer a hands-on format for practicing narrative concepts within a structured instructional approach.
Research reference: ASHA Practice Portal — Narrative Interventions
ASHA summarizes research on narrative intervention, including systematic reviews by Petersen (2011) and Pico et al. (2021).
4. Phonological Awareness & Early Literacy
Phonological awareness involves recognizing and manipulating the sound structures of spoken language.
Skills include identifying syllables, recognizing rhymes, blending sounds, and segmenting words into individual phonemes.
Research from the National Reading Panel supports explicit phonemic awareness instruction, particularly when learners connect sounds with letters.
Manipulatives can be used to represent spoken words, syllables, or individual sounds during structured learning activities.
Examples include:
- Sorting objects by beginning sounds
- Identifying rhyming words
- Counting syllables in object names
- Pairing mini objects with corresponding letters
- Using counters or letter tiles to represent individual phonemes
- Practicing sound blending and segmentation
Our Alphabet TALKETS®, Match & Play Mini Cards, Word Shape Kit, and Alphabet Monster Kit provide materials for creating interactive literacy activities.
Importantly, manipulatives are supports for instruction, not replacements for explicit teaching.
Research reference: National Reading Panel (2000). Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction.
5. Shared Book Reading & Language Development
Interactive shared reading provides opportunities to introduce vocabulary, discuss story events, ask questions, and encourage children to communicate about books.
Research has examined the effects of shared picture-book reading interventions on children’s expressive and receptive language development.
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Dowdall and colleagues (2020) found positive average effects on language outcomes, although effects varied across interventions.
Our TALKETS® Story Prop Sets can be paired with children’s books to extend the reading experience through hands-on activities.
Children can move characters, recreate story events, answer questions, and use objects to discuss what happens next.
These mini objects are optional supports that can be incorporated into interactive reading activities.
Research reference: Dowdall, N., et al. (2020). Shared Picture Book Reading Interventions for Child Language Development: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Child Development, 91(2), e383–e399.
6. Play-Based Language Learning & Naturalistic Strategies
Play creates opportunities for children to communicate about meaningful experiences.
Naturalistic language approaches may incorporate strategies such as focused stimulation, expansions, recasts, and adult modeling within everyday interactions.
Miniature objects can provide a shared focus for these interactions.
For example, an adult might use a small dog, house, and car to model:
- “The dog is sleeping.”
- “The dog is inside the house.”
- “The little dog is riding in the car.”
- “Where should the dog go next?”
These activities can create opportunities for vocabulary modeling, sentence expansion, following directions, and conversational interaction.
Our TALKETS® & Say & Play Mini Objects®, Around the Town Set, Community Helpers Set, and Language Task Box can be incorporated into these activities.
Research reference: ASHA Practice Portal — Language Intervention Approaches
Designed for Flexibility. Created With Purpose.
At Speech & Smile, we understand that speech-language pathologists, educators, and families use different approaches depending on the needs of each learner.
That’s why our materials are designed to be adaptable rather than tied to one specific program or methodology.
A single collection of mini objects might be used for articulation practice, vocabulary instruction, storytelling, phonological awareness, or imaginative play.
Our goal is to create practical, engaging materials that fit naturally into thoughtful, research-informed learning experiences.
Developed by a speech-language pathologist and created by Speech & Smile in Petoskey, Michigan, our products bring together professional experience, creativity, and a love of hands-on learning.
Explore our collection of speech therapy toys, mini objects, and interactive language learning materials at Speech & Smile.
Educational note: Speech & Smile products are instructional materials and play-based learning tools. Research cited on this page supports the described instructional or intervention approaches and does not establish independent clinical efficacy for specific Speech & Smile products. Clinical decisions should be made by appropriately qualified professionals.
Safety: Mini objects contain small parts and are intended for ages 3 and older. Not suitable for children under 3 or individuals who mouth objects. Adult supervision is recommended.