Using Cookbooks and Recipes to Address Speech & Language Concepts

I love keeping my therapy sessions fun, functional, motivating, and multi-sensory. Incorporating a FOOD theme seems to check all those boxes! I know it can seem a little intimidating to use real food in your sessions (although all the recipes in my LANGUAGE CHEF program require minimal kitchen equipment and basic foods and ingredients.) It can also be tricky if you have students with allergy-related restrictions, so of course, always check with parents/guardians and the school nurse before you start any food activities. If you are looking for a way to use the cooking theme without actually cooking, I have the PERFECT activity. It can be used with a wide range of ages/levels. This is a SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITY to my language-based recipe curriculum ©LANGUAGE CHEF and it’s FREE in my TpT store. While it requires no actual food, you will need a cookbook or two. Don’t own any cookbooks? No worries! You can search the internet for an endless variety of recipes. Dollar Stores carry cookbooks too! The ones in the photo below are from Dollar Tree! The recipes are simple and contain full-color photos! You can also borrow cookbooks from your local library or school library.

Use the recipes in the cookbooks to address TONS of concepts like direction following, categorizing, describing skills, parts of speech, vocabulary building, comprehension, and articulation (for identifying and practicing speech sounds).

In this example, my student underlined the sweet foods, highlighted fruits, and circled new vocabulary: *garnish, pulse* and *finely*

Click over to my TpT store, download this three-page activity and get “cooking!”

How to use this activity:

1. Provide a variety of cookbooks or online recipes for your students to choose from. A recipe with an accompanying photo is recommended. After they pick one out, make a photocopy—they will be marking up the recipe by highlighting, circling, and/or underlining various parts of the recipe.

2. Page one addresses direction following. You decide the direction you would like your student to carry out (circle, underline, highlight).

3. Page two requires students to describe, recall, sequence, identify and reflect on the recipe.

4. Page three provides a space for students to draw VISUALS of the recipe while addressing VISUALIZATION skills.

I hope this activity helps you work up an appetite for trying some REAL cooking in your therapy and classroom setting!! I’m looking forward to Cooking Up Good Speech & Language with you and your students!!