Theme: Happy International Dog Day 2020!

If you’re planning a dog theme for International Dog Day, I’ve compiled a few “doggy” resources which include online books, games and products!

It is so easy to incorporate lovable dogs into speech or language therapy. I find it is a great way to connect with a child by asking them if they have a pet. If they do have one, their faces just light up as they tell me all about their puppy! If they don’t have a dog, chances they sigh, “no”, and often they add, “Mommy/Daddy’s allergic to cats and dogs!”. Sure enough, they all have a lot to say about dogs!

I like using themes, and I adapt them to different children’s goals as I go. In-centre, I used to love games such as Diggity Dog as well as Puppy Racers. These might be hard to find but I suspect you can still find Puppy Racers online or at thrift stores. I’ve had to start compiling lists of online resources and making my own. See the Dog-Themed ideas and also a specific Book set relating to “Dog’s Colorful Day” by Emma Dodd.

Other Great Dog-Themed Suggestions:

Real Life – For parents, just encourage them to go out for a walk to find some dogs!

Worldess Picture Books – Anything from Good Dog, Carl series

Books – Harry the Dirty Dog, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Big Dog Little Dog

Games – Diggity Dog, Puppy Racers (or the newer version Paw Patrol Racers)

Youtube – Short video clips of cute dogs doing funny things! Always great for conversation

Connect To Child’s Interests – Talk about the Paw Patrol team and what their different talents or attributes might be!

BOOK IDEAS: DOG’S COLORFUL DAY by Emma Dodd

We have lots of fun using Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd in therapy (I love board books, but through telepractice I’ve had to find alternate options). And it is a wonderful story to retell, both in its simplicity, repetitive structure, and multiple opportunities for key artic and motor speech targets.

Dog’s Colorful Day Book Reading on Youtube

Book Companion “Dot the Dog” by playTOK > on Boom LearningTM