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The Mitten Speech Therapy Activities [Winter Book Companion]

If you’ve ever picked up the book “The Mitten” by Jan Brett’s then you know all too well that it is not just a charming tale of a mitten magically expanding to hold a family of woodland animals but it’s also a fantastic tool for speech therapy sessions! 

Over the years I have found that speech therapists and teachers alike adore The Mitten for the fact that the story is a treasure trove of language development opportunities. Filled with colorful, detailed illustrations, it is sure to keep your students of all ages engaged in activities that promote both sequencing as well as comprehension.

Therapists can also use “The Mitten” to work on articulation, descriptive vocabulary, and answering WH questions. By using story props like a tiny brown mouse or bear’s nose, therapists can create interactive sessions that feel more like play than work. Plus, the story’s engaging plot and surprise climax make practicing language goals feel like fun rather than like therapy.

It’s time to combine the fun of storytelling along with the benefits of therapy!  “The Mitten” is the perfect lesson plan to help children improve their language skills while enjoying some quality winter-themed fun. So,  all you parents and educators searching for a way to make learning more enjoyable this winter season look no further because you will find plenty of creative ideas and resources to explore with this delightful story. Enjoy our Free Book Companion for “The Mitten” by Jan Brett with Articulation practice, Language Expansion and Social/Emotional Prompts!

Key Takeaways

  • “The Mitten” is a great resource for language development.
  • Props and activities that can enhance your mitten speech therapy sessions.
  • The story offers engaging and fun learning opportunities.
the mitten book companion speech therapy

Unraveling ‘The Mitten’

Get ready to be drawn into a heartwarming tale filled with beautiful imaginative illustrations and loveable woodland animals. Through this picture book, you can focus on language activities, such as vocabulary, story retelling, and articulation.

A Glimpse into the Story – The Story of the Animals

The Mitten starts with a boy named Nicki who loses his white mitten in the snow. As the story unfolds, one by one, curious woodland animals squeeze into the mitten for warmth, with a big brown bear and a tiny brown mouse creating a hilariously cozy situation.

The wonderfully funny climax hits when the bear sneezes, sending animals soaring. The illustrations by Brett are rich and detailed, providing a visual treat on every page.

Literary Analysis

Brett’s The Mitten is a great book for teaching story sequencing and comprehension. The humorous interactions among characters make story retell activities engaging for kids. The clear narrative structure easily allows educators to explore basic concepts such as beginning, middle, and end.

The vocabulary used is simple yet descriptive, helping readers enrich their language skills. The predictable pattern of the story also makes comprehension questions easy yet effective for reinforcing understanding. In our Free Book Companion for The Mitten, we practice TH, S and L articulation.

Making It More than a Fable – Speech Activities

Speech pathologists and therapists find The Mitten as a perfect tool to use for their speech therapy sessions. For example, articulation activities might involve students practicing the names of the animals along with vocabulary cards or mini objects representing each furry character. 

It is through story retelling activities and descriptive vocabulary exercises, that educators can enhance language activities, ensuring a comprehensive development of language skills. In addition, smash mats and glue activities can also help in making therapy sessions fun and engaging, while promoting physical and cognitive learning.

The Mitten is not just a story; it’s a playful exploration of language wrapped in a warm, snowy adventure. Grab our Fun and Engaging Free Book Companion for the Mitten Below!

the mitten speech therapy book companion language

Therapeutic Techniques in Action

In the world of therapy, Jan Brett’s “The Mitten” turns out to be an unexpectedly amazing resource. Whether it’s occupational therapy or speech-language pathology, this magical book brings animals to life, helping develop fine motor skills and language abilities along the way.

Occupational Therapy Meets ‘The Mitten’

In occupational therapy, fine motor skills are crucial, and “The Mitten” provides plenty of opportunities to practice them. Imagine placing mini objects, like a tiny brown mouse or a big brown bear, into a real mitten as children work on hand-eye coordination.

This activity isn’t just fun—it sneaks in essential skills for activities of daily living. While squeezing animals into the mitten, kids also explore understanding different textures as each creature joins in. Sneaky, right? The goal is to make learning feel like a playful adventure.

Speech Pathology and ‘The Mitten’

Speech pathologists find “The Mitten” a goldmine for building language skills. By using the book, therapists can work on grammar and vocabulary, with activities designed to teach synonyms and antonyms.

Children can engage in role-play, becoming the curious mole or the sneezing bear, practicing verbal expression in a fun way. Using WH questions and comprehension questions about the story can help improve your students’ ability to piece together the plot while enriching their communication skills. It’s not just about speech, but telling a story and getting into character!

On the Path to Successful Story Sequencing with Picture Books

With “The Mitten,” therapists have a chance to guide children through story sequencing. Using graphic organizers or a story map, kids put the animals in the right order, working through who gets squeezed in when. This exercise supports logical thinking and sharpens their understanding of events.

Combining the illustrations with story props and visual tools helps cement their learning and boosts recall. It’s a practical way to visualize a winter wonderland, one mitten mishap at a time. And for kids, the chance to change the story’s wonderfully funny climax is an opportunity to get creative with their own twists!

sequencing activities language speech therapy winter book companion the mitten

Elevating Engagement with ‘The Mitten’

Using ‘The Mitten’ in therapy sessions offers a great way to enhance children’s speech and language skills while keeping them motivated and entertained. Through interactive, tech-savvy, and hands-on activities, speech pathologists can create an engaging learning environment.

Interactive Lesson Plan Ideas – A Winter Theme

Teachers and therapists can transform ‘The Mitten’ into an exciting adventure. Lesson plans can incorporate story props like animal figures that resemble the woodland creatures in the story. Creating a “real mitten” on a large board for kids to put these figures in can boost their imagination and make lessons memorable.

Motivational activities include using simple repetition for articulation practice. Encourage kids to help characters evade the big brown bear’s mighty sneeze! It’s a fun way to target language goals like articulation words and descriptive vocabulary.

Tech-Savvy Story-Telling

With the rise of technology, using interactive whiteboards and Google Slides has become popular in therapy rooms. They let therapists utilize animated versions of ‘The Mitten.’ These slides add dynamic elements to the story, captivating young audiences as they practice comprehension and WH questions.

Green screen and mobile apps can also turn therapy into a digital wonderland. Kids can see themselves alongside the story’s animals or inside the iconic white mitten. Such tech-savvy approaches make lessons thrilling and interactive, helping children of all ages stay focused and invested in their learning.

Hands-On Activities

For a tactile experience, therapists can create mitten activities like “smash mats” where children place characters in order of appearance. These activities support kids in learning story sequencing and retelling skills.

  • The Mitten Smash Mat FREEBIE! By Simply Speech is the perfect hands on smash mat to go along with the book, The Mitten. So, grab your favorite Play Doh and get started having some fun!

Another approach involves a glue activity where children paste mini objects or pictures of animals inside a mitten template. This hones their fine motor skills while reinforcing story comprehension and sequencing. Meanwhile, printable activities like coloring sheets and vocabulary cards give kids tangible takeaways to extend their learning beyond therapy sessions.

The multitude of creative ideas ensures that kids aren’t left out in the cold when it comes to having fun while learning.

language winter book companion speech therapy the mitten

Adapting ‘The Mitten’ for Diverse Learners

When using “The Mitten” by Jan Brett in therapy, adapting it for various learners can make a world of difference. Strategies can make this favorite seasonal story accessible for all, from early childhood to older children, and support language development and comprehension through engaging extensions.

Modifying for Early Childhood to Older Kids

You might wonder how a picture book about a white mitten can be so versatile. For younger children, it involves fun activities like cutting and pasting animals onto a mitten or coloring the woodland creatures—perfect for those tiny hands still perfecting their skills. Older kids dive into deeper language skills with activities like WH questions and practicing categories.

For the early childhood crowd, the key is keeping it tactile and visual. You can use printable activities and story props to make the experience a real hoot. Meanwhile, older kids can discuss simple analogies within the story or retell it using PowerPoint. Who knew a mitten could do so much?

Inclusive Strategies for Different Abilities

Inclusive strategies might involve using visual supports and simple answers for Yes/No questions to cater to those with varying abilities. Picture cues paired with vocabulary cards can assist in following along with the story. Whether it’s a curious mole or a big brown bear, everyone gets the chance to engage with the narrative.

  • The Mitten Resource by ThinkSpeechandLanguage contains visual picture prompts that are both in color or black and white that can be used for sequencing, story retell, listening, identifying, or following directions.
  • The Mitten WH Comprehension by Darianna Borowiec includes wh-questions with a multiple choice of 3 images to help provide extra visual supports.
  • The Mitten Coreboard AAC by Kimberly Drury is perfect for anyone looking for additional visual cues to help with story comprehension or story retell.

For those in physical or occupational therapy, these sessions can integrate upper body movements by reaching or pointing to story elements. Mixing and matching methods ensures each learner feels like the bear that got into the mitten—snug and comfy with their learning style.

Language Extensions and Variants

A powerful feature of “The Mitten” is its adaptability to target diverse language goals. The story can be modified with activities that focus on describing the characters and their actions. Using story maps with visuals, can help guide the learners in describing the sequence of events, sparking conversations using WH questions about what happens when the bear sneezes.

  • The Mitten Story Sequence by Learning with La Rocca is a simple yet fun activity of sequencing the story “The Mitten” using colorful pictures of all of the woodland creatures.
  • The Mitten Story Companion- Design a Mitten by More Than Words Speech Therapy is a fun way to have your students create their very own mitten that they can then use to retell the story or have them describe their mitten to a peer using a barrier game.

Creating variants, like using green screens to transport learners to the snowy setting or engaging in interactive whiteboard activities, brings the story to life. Who says mitten stories can’t be an adventure?

The Mitten Read Aloud

Therapy Tools and Takeaways

Therapists, parents, and teachers can use a variety of tools and activities to support language growth in kids during winter. From creative speech therapy sessions to innovative home activities, a wide range of ideas are available to foster language skills effectively. Many tools involve engaging content and practical sessions to encourage progress.

From Speech Sessions to Home Reinforcement

Speech therapists are always on the hunt for exciting ways to make their sessions more engaging. Thankfully, winter-themed activities offer a wonderland of ideas! Using vocabulary cards and mini objects, therapists can inspire young minds.

Once therapy sessions wrap up, the fun doesn’t have to stop. Parents can take the activities home, reinforcing learning with simple speech games. Re-telling favorite stories with the help of props, like a mitten, can be a memorable way for kids to practice language skills.

  • The Mitten Bingo by Grin and Barrett could be a great activity to send home for extra reinforcement practice. 
  • The Mitten Matching game by ThinkSpeechandLanguage would be a great game to send home for extra practice of the vocabulary words along with an opportunity for students to retell the story to their families.

Developing Speech Therapy Activities

The development team behind educational content always strives to craft activities that are not only helpful but fun for all ages. This includes printables with silly illustrations of animals in mittens! Kids will giggle while enhancing their articulation with themed words.

Articulation words and language targets become magical with the use of creative smash mats and interactive games. Winter speech therapy activities are crafted to cater to specific needs in a way that’s colorful and engaging.

Creating Compelling Content

Creating content that captivates is no small feat, especially in the world of speech therapy. Yet, great ideas often spring from simple concepts. Combining winter themes with traditional story-telling can create wonders!

Crafting activities that offer a visual and tactile experience enriches understanding. This could involve using a printable version of Jan Brett’s The Mitten with props. Even adults can’t help but smile when the bear’s sneeze flings those woodland creatures out of the white mitten.

These activities are not only effective but also serve as a reason to laugh together while learning. Overall, it’s about tailoring content that’s as engaging as it is educational, providing opportunities for every child to flourish.

Scaling Up Your Resource Library – The Mitten Speech Therapy

In the quest to expand a resource library, consider how to offer a variety of materials that cater to different learning styles and therapy needs. Both digital and print resources play key roles in enhancing therapy sessions for children of all ages.

Expanding Beyond the Book

When it comes to scaling up, book companions go beyond the simple page-turning experience. By adding items like smash mats and story props, therapists can engage young readers with hands-on activities that reinforce what’s read on the page.

Imagine the suspense of a story with a curious mole or bear’s sneezes coming to life! Activities like print book companions from the TPT Store often include vocabulary cards, story props, and winter scenes, making them an enchanting addition to any library.

Grab our FREE DOWNLOAD of a Book Companion for The Mitten below!

Digital and Printable Resources

For those tech-savvy therapists, digital resources are a game-changer. Utilizing interactive PowerPoint books or print activities on interactive whiteboards opens up a world where the white mitten can be enlarged to gigantic proportions!

Yet, for the more tactile crowd, the print version of these resources works just as well. Print activities from sites like the TPT Store offer a plethora of practice pages perfect for targeting speech and language goals.

Beginning with basic concepts and story retelling, these printable activities offer clear language targets and are often used in winter speech therapy sessions, keeping them as engaging as a movie plot twist with a big brown bear. 

Conclusion – The Mitten Speech Therapy

Jan Brett’s The Mitten sure is a great book for sparking creativity in any therapy session! It’s not just a tale of a lost mitten and some wild woodland animals—it’s a great opportunity for speech therapists to work their magic.

For kids, this tale is a favorite seasonal story where a tiny brown mouse can cause a bear to sneeze. Therapists can use this wonderfully funny climax to engage children in laughs and learning. They’re secretly sneaking in wh questions between the giggles.

Using activities like story sequencing and vocabulary cards, therapists can target language skills with ease. Even a curious mole would be impressed by the variety of activities that can come from this book. Who knew a white mitten could be so educationally packed?

From printable activities to clever story props, there are plenty of ways to keep children entertained while boosting their speech and language skills. And let’s not forget the green screen fun—because why wouldn’t you want a bear to sneeze in virtual reality?

Use the The Mitten Read Aloud above with our FREE Book Companion to start working on Language, Articulation and Social/ Emotional goals! 

articulation language social goals speech therapy book companion the mitten winter themed

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    Frequently Asked Questions – The Mitten Speech Therapy

    Be prepared for some fun facts as tiny animals join in language therapy. Explore how a mouse, bear, and mole contribute to child development in creative ways. Also, find out how a simple mitten can become part of story hour.

    How can a tiny brown mouse improve language skills in children, and does it pay rent for living in the mitten?

    The tiny brown mouse, snug in the mitten, helps children with storytelling and creativity. While it doesn’t drop tiny coins for rent, it earns its keep with big imaginations.

    What are the odds of a big brown bear fitting his snout into a speech therapist’s itinerary?

    The big brown bear can’t be ignored! While his snout might not fit in a schedule, his presence makes articulation more engaging for kids. Just don’t ask him to roar his R’s too loudly!

    Can a curious mole navigate the complexities of occupational therapy or is he too busy being, well, curious?

    A curious mole might be too intrigued by all the tunnels to focus on therapy. Yet, his inquisitive nature helps kids explore concepts through sensory activities and hands-on learning. They bond over curiosity!

    In the event of a bear sneeze, what’s the protocol for maintaining a sterile speech pathology environment?

    When the bear sneezes, tissues and humor fly! Speech pathologists quickly wipe surfaces, ensuring the sneeze doesn’t disrupt therapy. Giggles become part of the protocol.

    If one uses a real mitten in story re-telling, is it a fashion statement or a tactile challenge for the audience?

    Using a real mitten is both stylish and interactive. It engages children’s senses and imagination as they grasp its texture, making the story more lively. Mittens may soon become the next trendsetter in storytelling.

    Should woodland animals be charged a fee for attending group language activities, or do they get a ‘forest friends’ discount?

    It’s a ‘forest friends’ free-for-all! Woodland creatures attend at no cost, fueled by friendship. Their participation is priceless as they add enchantment to learning language skills.

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