The Best Speech Therapy Toys, According to Speech Therapists

When my son was about 1.5 years old, my husband and I noticed he had trouble communicating, and we struggled to understand him. We discussed our concerns with his pediatrician, who recommended we get him into speech therapy to help improve his language and communication skills, and it’s a decision I’ll never regret making. He graduated from speech therapy after two years of hard work with his therapists and my husband and me at home. One of the biggest things that helped him succeed? Toys. 

Sitting in on so many of my son’s appointments taught me how important playing with toys, such as a baby doll with a bottle, a pretend cash register, or bubbles, can be for a child’s development. According to Tena McNamara, AuD, CCC-A/SLP, 2024 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) President, “tried-and-true classics,” including baby dolls, “still prevail when it comes to children’s communication development.”

To learn more about the best speech therapy toys and how they can help develop language skills, I spoke with McNamara, Jeannette Reiff, M.S., CCC-SLP, Associate Director, Clinical Issues in Speech-Language Pathology, ASHA , and Lynn Viani Sudak, CCC-SLP, a New York-based speech-language pathologist. Below, you’ll find eight toys speech therapists recommend for kids, and they start at $7.

Battat Pop-Up Pals 

One of the top toys recommended by speech-language pathologists at ASHA is a pop-up option. The Battat Pop-Up Pals help teach children cause and effect and about animals, shapes, and colors. When children press or turn one of the toy’s buttons, an animal friend will pop up, showing them that their actions can affect their environment. This type of cause and effect is necessary for speech development because children will learn that if they say something to someone, that person responds, and it can encourage more speaking attempts.

We like that this pop-up toy also includes a built-in carrying handle, so kids can take their new friends anywhere.

Giant Gazillion Premium Bubbles 

Bubbles are among the best speech therapy toys. My son’s therapists often had them nearby at every appointment. They would pull them out and start with one word: “Pop!” As he progressed, they moved on to more words, like “pop the bubbles!” Plus, they help kids learn cause and effect (if their finger touches a bubble, it pops) and teach them how to properly shape their mouth for speaking.

The Giant Gazillion Bubbles holds one liter of non-toxic bubble solution and doesn’t leave behind stains on furniture or clothes. Plus, it includes a 7-in-1 bubble wand, so you can blow dozens of bubbles simultaneously. 

Adora Sweet Babies 11-Inch Baby Doll

Just like McNamara said, baby dolls are a classic toy that “still prevail” in children’s communication development, especially when you narrate play so kids can understand their actions. I can’t tell you how many times I watched my son beeline toward the baby dolls at speech therapy.  His therapists would encourage him to “feed baby” with a bottle, and he loved giving the doll kisses, so his therapists would say, “Kiss baby.” When he started to learn more words, he also learned complete sentences like, “I like to feed the baby.”  

While my son is no longer in speech therapy, he still loves to play with a baby doll, like this 11-inch option on Amazon. It comes in various skin tones and with different accessories, such as a bottle, a pretend crib, and an extra outfit. 

Melissa & Doug K’s Kids Pull-Back Town Vehicles

When playing with your child, Sudak encourages parents to “scaffold” their language (turning simple language into something more complex). These Melissa & Doug pull-back vehicles aren’t just cute and fun; they’re a great learning tool for this speech therapy skill. For example, Sudak recommends that if a child is at a single-word stage, such as only saying “car,” parents and caregivers can respond with two or three words, like, “Yes, blue car” as they pull the car back and let it go. You can also say “pull blue car back” as their speech improves and they prepare for longer sentences.  

Lesuter Toys 70-Piece Pretend Food Play Set 

There were many speech therapy appointments where my son stayed busy at the play kitchen cutting pretend food.  I enjoyed watching his therapists follow his lead on playing, encouraging him to “cook tay-tow” (it’s what we called a potato until he could say the whole word), or take a pretend bite and say “yum!” Sudak recommends this type of interaction for speech therapy. “Rather than asking a question, make a comment about what’s happening as you play (i.e., label your actions and your child’s actions),” she says.

After seeing how much fun he had and the learning opportunities a pretend food set can offer, I bought this 70-piece set for his play kitchen at home. It includes plates, utensils, and so many different foods, allowing kids to whip up something yummy.

Learning Resources Calculator Cash Register 

A pretend cash register is another top speech therapy toy recommended by ASHA because it teaches cause and effect as kids press a button and watch the cash register open. A helpful way to play with this toy is to use it for labeling your and your child’s actions, like saying “open” when the drawer pops out or “push the button” when they ring up your order. In this situation, a child may be encouraged to speak more when they see how their actions affect their environment.

The Learning Resources Calculator Cash Register includes 30 pretend bills, 40 plastic coins, a pretend credit card, and more. When the drawer opens, it makes a realistic “cha-ching” sound. Pair it with the pretend food play set, and you’ve got yourself a grocery store (and lots of pretend play) right at home. 

Fisher-Price Medical Kit 

Toys like a doctor play kit offer numerous opportunities for speech development, like learning new words and building social skills and conversation. The Fisher-Price Medical Kit includes seven pieces: a blood pressure cuff, thermometer, doctor bag, stethoscope, and more to play doctor right at home. There’s even a bandage to put on boo-boos, which lets kids practice saying “all done” once you’re fixed up.

Reiff tells Parents that social skills are a “critical part” of speech and language therapy. “Strong social skills help people interact effectively with each other, build relationships, and navigate different social situations,” she says.

Mr. Pen Washable Watercolors 2-Pack

A basic paint set, like the Mr. Pen Washable Watercolors Set, helps children practice sequencing, which involves breaking an activity down into individual steps. For example, you can tell kids to choose a paint, put the brush on the paper, dip the brush in the water, and then repeat. With this watercolors set, kids can choose from eight colors and use the included brush to create their masterpiece.