Blog2021-10-22T14:47:12+00:00

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ABOUT THIS BLOG: Janice Lee is a Speech-Pathologist, blog writer and author of digital speech and language materials. She is a professional graphic designer and mom. This blog was created to share her insights and opinions on various speech and language topics with others. The content and information contained are not meant to substitute professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your speech-language pathologist, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your child’s condition. 

*FULL DISCLOSURE: playTOK is an author of Boom CardsSM on Boom LearningSM (Boomlearning.com).  This page does not receive advertising or paid promotional posts. This blog does include third-party affiliate links which will be disclosed fully within each blog post. You can read my full disclosure statement here.

Latest Features

Featured posts and opinion blogs

My Main Street

We are so excited to announce that our business was one of the many successful applicants for the @My Main Street’s Business Sustainability stream! With this support, we

Candy Castle Reinforcer Boom Cards TM by playTOK Yum yum! If you've been following my latest Instagram updates, you will know that I have been animating the Candy

St. Patrick’s Day Fun

Don't Pop Lucky! Boom CardTM by playTOK This activity is animated and includes involving quick and motivating turns for speech therapy reinforcement. It is available as a Reinforcer

STORY SPOTLIGHTS – Halloween 2

My newest Story Spotlight (Halloween 2) is posted free for the month of October! This activity is from the Story Spotlight series where you can use various characters,

Let’s Talk about Feelings

After children learn their initial vocabulary for a variety of emotions and feelings, I find it helpful to provide mini narratives and scenarios for discussion. With Feelings Scenes

Don’t Pop Lucky! Boom Cards

My top tricks for St. Patrick's Day and a set of St. Patrick's Boom Cards! Top In-Centre Activities Use construction paper and cut out 3 or 4-leaf clovers

Updates! Garage Door

Being nit-picky as I am, I'm bound to come across little details or Boom Decks that aren't quite up to par. I really recall "Garage Doors" being one

BOP! Groundhog Day

Since Feb 2, 2021 is Groundhog Day, I began thinking about how I could make a game similar to whack-a-mole but include various speech and language goals. I

Learning about Feelings

I like to introduce feelings by sharing various books with children. One of the books I love is "The Way I Feel" by Janan Cain. After one or

Story Spotlights!

Story Spotlights are no-prep simple narrative props with a theme. With the help of a spotlight, you can select a character, setting, problem, action and resolution (feelings). The

I Love Matroyshka Nesting Dolls!

I absolutely adore Matroyshka dolls with their simplicity, beautiful colours, and intricate details. Typically, I make activities that spark fun and curiosity. Much of the time, I try

Balloon POP!

Here's a new POP! game, "Balloon POP! (Counting + Reinforcer". This Balloon POP! Counting game includes: 1) Counting POP (0 to 10) - Yellow, red and blue balloons

Winter Boom Blues

After making the "Feed the Reindeer, Reindeer Poops!" game over the holiday, I found that kids loved the repetitive pattern of interactive books. I've enjoyed making these and

Conditioned Play Audiometry

It's here! Do you need a way to practice conditioned play audiometry via telerpractice? There are some ways you can adapt your practice face to face online to

Hannukah Treats!

This Hannukah Treats! playTOK series has many play options. Have fun as you prepare special holiday treats challah, rugelach and sufganiyot. 1) Let's Bake Challah and Rugelach! -

Story Time IS Family Time

That's right. IS. Story time IS family time. And the 10 minutes you take to share a book together? That's 10 minutes of time you spent sowing the

November Demos

November playTOK activity demos. Do you want access to our Theme lists and Catalog? Sign-up for our mailing list. ALL NEW! playTOK Google Catalog

Muddy Dog + Dot The Dog

We love books about puppies, dogs and all pets! I incorporate books with dogs very easily into sessions because many children relate to this topic. Many children have

Quality Audio

I have been really paying attention to sound quality since starting telepractice. There are a few key things to consider when trouble-shooting sound quality. How is my sound?

October Demos

October playTOK activity demos. Do you want access to our Theme lists and Catalog? Sign-up for our mailing list. ALL NEW! playTOK Google Catalog

My Top Telepractice Toys

Think of these as wind-up-toys and simple, quick reinforcers for speech therapy -- but online! I really needed some short breaks for the kids, which were fun, motivating,

Pirate Themed Boom Cards

I had so much fun with the first "Don't Pop Pete!" Boom CardsTM version of Pop-Up-Pirate, that I went on and added a "Don't Pop Penny!" (with expanded

Contest on Instagram!

playTOK Let's Go Apple Picking Boom Cards The interactive "Let's Go Apple Picking" Boom card set by playTOK is $1 until Sept 13. It is perfect

Halloween Is Here!

It's only September, but I've been having so much fun getting ready for Halloween! I've added some new Boom CardsTM! Until Sept 21, you can demo these games

September Demos (

(SEPTEMBER DEMOS ARE NOW FINISHED. SIGN-UP TO OUR MAILING LIST FOR OCT). This demo will only work on a tablet, laptop or desktop. Remember to sign up for

Ideas for Back To School

It's that time of year again - September! But this is the first year in history where parents around the globe must decide between mass cohorts of in-class

Telepractice toys, why?

There's no substitute for real world connection, real life experiences or a child's play in the real world. The time you spend during bath time, your special pancake

Superheroes to the rescue!

I'm always asking parents "What dolls does your child play with?". For parents of boys, they always respond "They don't play with dolls". So, I've changed my question

Share Books

We all know that literacy starts from birth. A child’s knowledge of their own experience and the world contributes to their lifelong literacy as well. How does self

Covid-19, Clean Hands & Face Masks

Since making my playTOK Feelings and playTOK Let's Pretend interactive games, I really wanted to use characters for other topics. I find it really useful for targeting various

August Demos

Wow! I can't believe I've made so many games in just the last month! I wanted to share some full demos for all of you who

playTOK ABC Cookies

Yummy, we made a new Boom CardTM deck! It's called ABC Cookies! It'll be lots of fun playing "fridge magnet" or "cookies and tray" with this set of

Demo Videos Now on Youtube!

Check out some sneak previews on how our newly launched games play on Boom LearningTM. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC60bsPuruWgiBIc7lYOHljQ/featured We use these games during speech and languages sessions through screen-sharing via

Excited to Design Again!

It's been 4 months since Covid-19 has hit the world. The truth is, the first few months were all a blur. It took that long to reorganize, regroup

Introducing playTOK boards!

How To Use playTOK Boards Why should I use playTOK Boom Cards? We all need some go-to resources that are versatile, fun and easy-to-use!! I love using

We read research, scout out the best websites and resources and share with you tips and tricks to support your child’s development.

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Not sure what to do this winter? We visit and discuss some of the best activities you can do with your family on a budget.

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From communication, fine and gross motor, to social well-being. We ask experts what they think of childhood development.

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Speech Therapy

Speech therapy resources for professionals.

Although we promote naturalistic play and creative, engaging play, sometimes it isn’t possible for professionals to do therapy within various environments or play settings. With limited time and resources, our Speech-Language Pathologists list some of their favourite activities! We have also developed some quick and easy open-ended materials for therapists to use in therapy.

Read More

“Play is often talked about as if it was a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is the work of childhood.” –

Fred Rogers • Quote of the Day

“The quickest way for a parent to get a child’s attention is to sit down and look comfortable.”

Lane Olinghouse • Quote of the Day