Why Is My Child’s Speech Therapist Using the Gym Instead of Sitting at a Table?

When you picture speech therapy, you might imagine a child sitting at a table, practicing flashcards or repeating words in a quiet room. While that can sometimes be a small part of therapy, it’s definitely not the whole picture - especially in neuro-affirming, child-led, and play-based settings like the Boston Ability Center! 

If you’ve ever walked through our clinic and seen a speech therapist pushing a scooter, crawling through a tunnel, or jumping into a ball pit with a child, you might have wondered: 

“Wait… is that speech therapy?”

Here are 5 of the reasons that the answer is YES! 

1. Children Learn Best When They’re Having Fun 

We believe that play is not only natural, but essential to learning. Research consistently shows that when children are engaged, happy, and moving their bodies, it sets their brains up for success. This is why you’ll see our speech therapists building obstacle courses, setting up scavenger hunts, or making slime in the kitchen! 

Fun isn’t just a reward...it’s the foundation for effective learning!  

2. Sensory and Gross Motor Play Boosts Speech and Language Development 

All kids can benefit from sensory input or movement-based activities to help regulate their bodies and minds. When a child is feeling calm, organized, and alert, they’re better able to listen, process language, and express themselves! 

👀You might see…a speech therapist and a child bouncing the hammock swing. 

👂🏼You might hear…a speech therapist say, “Let’s say a magic word to get this hammock to bounce!” to work on target speech sounds OR “Uh-oh the hammock stopped bouncing! I wonder what we should do…” to work on early language.  

👀You might see…a speech therapist helping a child go down the zip line. 

👂🏼You might hear…a speech therapist modeling ways to request (“Let’s do more!, Can I have a turn?), comment (“Look over there!”, “This is so fun!”), terminate/protest (“I’m done with this”, “Don’t hold it!”), and share play ideas (“Let’s pretend to be Bluey! I wanna be Bingo!”, “Can you make your car go that way?”).  

👀You might see…a speech therapist putting crash mats under a child climbing the rock wall. 

👂🏼You might hear…a speech therapist asking, “Can you find a blue rock after you find a yellow rock?” to work on following directions with imbedded concepts while labeling colors or following directions OR practicing using “bumpy” and “smooth” speech for fluency while shouting out which color we’ll go to next to.   

These activities are strategic! 

3. Therapy Should Reflect Real Life, Not Just Flashcards 

Speech and language don’t happen in isolation or at a table—they happen during play, during movement, and during interactions with the world. 

We aim to teach communication skills that kids can use in everyday life, not just ones they can repeat back in a quiet therapy room. For example: 

• Practicing sequencing and storytelling while navigating an obstacle course 

• Building vocabulary and language expansion during a sensory bin treasure hunt 

• Supporting social communication while working together to plan a scavenger hunt 

• Targeting speech sounds while bouncing on a ball or crawling through a tunnel 

These experiences create deeper, more meaningful learning than drilling flashcards. This learning can help our kids more easily generalize these speech and language skills into real life scenarios rather than getting stuck in just one context.  

4. It’s Neuro-Affirming and Child-Led 

Many of our clients are neurodivergent, meaning their brains may process the world differently. Our therapists honor and embrace each child’s unique sensory needs and communication & processing styles. 

A child-led approach means that we follow your child’s interests in the moment and use them to build skills. If a child is interested in jumping into the ball pit, we might embed language goals by searching for hidden items or using descriptive words. If they’re zooming around on a scooter, we might add in language-rich obstacles or opportunities for turn taking and requesting. We meet them where they are and build from there! 

5. It Increases Engagement and Motivation 

Kids are more motivated to talk, listen, and engage when they’re excited about what they’re doing. Using our multi-sensory gym spaces helps children stay involved and eager to participate throughout our sessions. More engagement = more practice = more progress! 

Here at the BAC, we are so lucky to have a collaborative team of Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and Speech-Language Pathologists all working together. When we use our shared gym spaces, we’re not just “having fun” …we’re building a bridge between disciplines, helping kids develop skills that overlap and reinforce each other. 

Whether we are climbing on the rock wall, bouncing in the hammock, swinging down the zip line, playing hide and seek, or digging through a sensory bin, we’re helping children: 

• Develop stronger regulation and attention 

• Build communication skills they can use in any setting 

• Foster confidence and independence in their own way 

So, the next time you see your child’s speech therapist hanging out in the ball pit or crawling through a tunnel…it’s not a break from learning. It IS the learning!  

Communication doesn’t only happen at a table. It happens wherever your child is the most ready to connect, explore, and grow! 

Have any questions about our play-based therapy approach? 

We’d love to chat more! You can reach out to our team anytime to learn more about how we support the whole child through fun, movement, and meaningful connection by calling 781-239-0100 or emailing frontdesk@bostonabilitycenter.com.