Why Repetition is Important in Speech Therapy & How to Make it Fun!

Repetition is a key component of learning new skills, especially in speech therapy for young children and preschoolers. When children or adults work on improving their speech and language skills, consistent practice and exposure to words, sounds, and sentence structures are essential for progress. Speech therapy materials like Chomper Champs that emphasize repetition help reinforce skills and build confidence!

How Repetition Enhances Speech and Language Skills

1. Strengthens Neural Pathways

Repetition allows the brain to strengthen the connections between neurons involved in speech and language processing. The more frequently a word, sound, or phrase is practiced, the stronger and more automatic it becomes! I liken this to a phrase I heard in high school sports: “If running is hard, run MORE!”. Practice really does make perfect when the human brain is involved, and Chomper Champs is a great resource in the speech room to make that repetition a little more fun!

2. Improves Retention and Recall

Mastering speech sounds and language structures requires repeated practice to master the new way of doing things! I compare it to if you wanted to learn to hold a pencil a new way, it would be possible but would require LOTS and LOTS of practice!

3. Builds Muscle Memory for Speech Production

Speech involves coordinated movements of the tongue, lips, and vocal cords. Repeated practice of speech sounds and words helps develop muscle memory, making articulation more natural and effortless over time.

How to Incorporate Repetition in Speech Therapy

Make it FUN!

Repeating the same thing over and over can be…. Draining! Make sure that your repetition is engaging and fun *cough* Chomper Champs *cough*! Using materials that have a lot of pieces supports repetition when you practice the skill each time you take your turn!

Some of my favorite common speech therapy activities for high repetitions are: Connect 4, Pop The Pig, Pop Up Pirate, Magnetic Wand and Dots, and my favorite of course: Chomper Champs!

Daily Practice at Home

Parents and caregivers can reinforce therapy sessions by encouraging children to practice target words and sounds at home. Simple activities like naming objects during playtime or repeating key phrases during storytime help integrate repetition into daily routines.

Multisensory Approaches

Incorporating visual, auditory, and tactile elements into speech activities can enhance retention and make the repetition more engaging and fun! For example, using play-based speech therapy kits that allow children to manipulate objects while practicing language increases engagement and effectiveness. This is why I created Chomper Champs and the Chomper Champs Speech Therapy Kits! We can target tons of goals with high levels of repetition as you feed items to Chomper Champ. The kids think they are playing but in reality they are getting 200+ repetitions of a target while we’re “playing!”.

Interactive Digital Resources

I try to avoid using screens too much in the speech room for things other than AAC, BUT there are some amazing digital speech therapy tools and apps out there that provide additional opportunities for repetition through engaging, interactive exercises that reinforce target speech and language goals. Some of my favorites are from the Ultimate SLP!

How to Use Chomper Champs For Repetition

Repetition is a powerful tool in speech therapy, enabling individuals to build strong neural connections, improve speech production, and develop confidence in their communication abilities. Chomper Champs is designed by me, Stephanie, an SLP, with all of this in mind! Chomper Champs includes 15 miniature bone or fish trinkets with every order to start each session with ready-to-go items for high levels of repetition! When we feed them all to him, we get super silly and make him “throw up” his food and then we do it again! This provides so many fun opportunities to practice skills with high levels of repetition while keeping a fun environment where kids can’t wait to come back to speech!