Speech Snacks for School: Celebrating Flip-Flop Season!

Yes, there truly is a day for celebrating EVERYTHING! And believe it or not, National Flip-Flop Day is celebrated in June! I love my flip-flops just as much as I love summer! I live on the East Coast where we experience the four seasons so I take full advantage of wearing flip flops when the weather is appropriate (and even sometimes when it’s not) . I usually find myself in denial when it’s time to switch to the closed toe shoe once late September approaches. I will extend my flip-flop wearing experience as long as I possibly can–and then some! While perusing Pinterest recently, I came across a very cute summer-themed snack idea. I made a few modifications of my own, and voila, the “flip-flop cookie” was created! I thought this would be such fun and so simple to make with your kiddos!! —and a great way to work on sequencing and direction following! Most of this treat can be assembled with just a little bit of prep from an adult. Enjoy them at your next poolside party or summer celebration!

Additionally, I’ve created a great activity for those of you working with students in summer speech programs! Of course, the theme is flip flops and all the target words are summer themed! Be sure to wear your flip flops on the days you use Flip Flop Phonology with your kiddos! Check it out in my TpT store!

Flip Flop Phonology is the perfect activity for those SLP’s/students who are giving/receiving summer speech services or anytime you need a summer or beach themed phonological awareness activity!

Use the game cards with or without the accompanying game board and game pieces. The first player to reach the beach and not have to turn back home is the winner! Use all the cards or target specific phonological goals. If a card with one flip flop is drawn, move your playing piece one space. If a card with two flip flops is picked, move two spaces. Draw a FLIP FLOP, TURN AND STOP card and go back toward home either one or two spaces.

This game includes tasks with both recognition (receptive) and recall (expressive) components. i.e.: recall tasks require the player to name words that rhyme, name multisyllable words, name words that start and end with specific sounds. These tasks are found on the flip flop pair cards and are considered more challenging. The single flip flops contain rhyming recognition tasks, phoneme blending, phoneme discrimination, syllable segmentation and counting.

Flip-Flop Cookies:

You will need:

Nutter-Butter Cookies (Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies will work well too!)

multi-colored gummy worms

Pull and Peel string licorice

colored cookie icing (I like the squeeze tubes–they are easy to apply and kids can have fun squeezing it out with little mess)

First, squeeze some cookie icing onto the Nutter Butter.

Then, spread it out evenly using a dull knife.

Next, take two gummy worms or licorice strings and cut the ends on an angle. I used kitchen sheers. You can use a knife and cut them on a cutting board as well. (This part might be easier for an adult to do, depending on the child’s age.)

When you place both angled ends together, they should stick together.

Place the angled ends at the top of the cookie, the blunt or rounded ends should be placed parallel so that it resembles the straps of a flip flop.

Finally, place a few graham crackers into a zip loc baggie and finely crush them. We used a wooden rolling pin. The kids are going to love this part! Your final product should resemble sand……..