Motivation

How do you motivate children who just don’t want to interact with you - in a therapy session or in an early years setting?
How do you make things fun for those who attend therapy sessions week after week?

What about joining in at group time – there’s always one who just can’t focus their attention long enough to take a turn.

Look in this section for ideas to solve these problems.

Disney Bubbles x 4 An old favourite! Four bottles of bubbles with Disney designs. (designs may vary) Price:       £4.99 Product Code:       CA024 Bubbles have a multitude of uses, whether you are working with individuals or groups of children. They can be a treat at the end of a session or as an attention-grabber at the beginning. All children love to pop the bubbles. They can also be used to develop oral awareness and awarenes of airstream through the mouth.

Piggy Torch Torches are an excellent tool for motivating young children’s learning. Our piggy torch has a conventional on/off button, but also a wing that powers a dynamo to light him up – so you don’t need batteries. Use in dark dens and gloomy corners to create a discussion point, or in activities to develop any sort of vocabulary. Length: 12cm Price:       £4.99 Product Code:       CQ149 Can you shine the light on the big elephant? What about shining the light on the little lion’s nose? Inject a bit of fun into group time in your setting, or into your speech therapy session by turning off the lights and using a torch to light the way.

Pop-up People An amusing wooden toy with four colourful people which bob up and down. Designed to encourage hand and eye coordination and introduce colour awareness. Manufacturer: GALT. Price:       £7.99 Product Code:       CQ307 An attention grabbing little toy which rarely fails to encourage young children to interact - and often delights adults too. Ideal for ‘ready – steady – go’ games, or as an ice-breaker.

Stack and Nest Farm Friends Four colourful animals to stack by size or nest inside each other for a fun game of peek-a-boo. With textures and sounds to explore. There is a rattle, bell or squeaker in each animal as well as crinkle texture material. Soft, safe and machine washable. Packed in a PVC bag with carry handle. Click on the picture to the left for a closer look. Manufacturer: GALT. Price:       £12.99 Product Code:       CQ309 A useful resource for young children, this toy can be used in any activity which reinforces animal vocabulary. Take turns to build and topple the tower, encourage interaction and manipulation skills, or turn them upside-down and use the cups to hold counters for older children. I have also hidden sound or object cards underneath the cups in a hide and seek game.

Stamper Pen Set Eight stamping pens with washable inks. Each colour has a different design. Excellent for motivating and rewarding in many situations. I have used these when helping children practice saying speech sounds clearly - say the sound and get a stamp. Manufacturer: GALT. Price:       £2.99 Product Code:       CQ313 These pens are excellent for motivation and rewarding in many situations. I have used these when helping children practice saying speech sounds clearly - say the sound and get a stamp. Eight different designs mean at least eight different attempts!

Soft Building Blocks Six foam-filled fabric cubes with colourful animal pictures. Soft and safe. Ideal for squeezing, throwing and building. Different sets of pictures on the sides mean that the cubes can also be used to play match the pairs, name the animals, find the verb, join clothes on a washing line or sequence stories using the six teddy activities. This resource is a fun activity for any child… or a whole therapy session rolled into one! Packed in a PVC bag with carry handle. Manufacturer: GALT. Price:       £8.99 Product Code:       CQ308 Ideal for anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of the more traditional wooden building block! These soft cubes really are a useful resource. The simplest activity is probably a turn taking tower build. However, you can adapt the complexity of your activity to the child’s language level with this one toy, depending on which side of the block you talk about.

Soft Bowling Set Set contains one bowling ball and six bowling pins. All are soft and wipe clean, so it doesn’t matter where they end up! This game can be used as a turn-taking activity for a wide range of ages, or as an entertaining activity for one child. Price:       £6.99 Product Code:       CG115 For language or speech development activities, place appropriate pictures or cards underneath each pin, then see which one gets knocked down. To simplify the game, just use two or three pins and keep them close to the child.

Soft Ball A medium sized, soft, foam filled football which will get many children up, active, and interacting. Safer for all than a large hard ball, plus it can be wiped clean. Colours available are white and: red, blue or black. Let us know your preference with the order. Diameter: 11cm Price:       £1.49 Product Code:       CM935

Play Mat / Toy bag This innovative product from 'ALEX Toys' folds from a toy carrier to a play mat. On one side of the mat is a fun green polker-dot design, on the other is a road lay out which can be used with any of the transport pieces in the Vocabulary Development: Transport Section Please note: One play mat / toy bag supplied. Other toys (and boy) shown for illustration, they are not included. Manufacturer: ALEX Toys. Dimensions: Play Mat: 90 x 90cm Price:       £18.99 Product Code:       CQ402 I really like this product. Imagine, from the child’s point of view, you come into the room with this big container of toys (exciting in itself), then after a few seconds a play mat appears, as if by magic. Can be used for motivation or early interaction, or along side the ‘Megabolks Transport set’ (CQ137) or ’Squidgy Transport pack’ (CQ400) for phonology drills. Obviously as a bag for toys this product will help to tidy the store room, toy cupboard or the back of the car.

Bean Bag 'toss and Tote' Game A wipe-clean mat with brightly coloured designs and 4 bean bags. The mat is double-sided, for 2 bean-bag throwing games. Use as designed for a turn-taking game or small group activity… or adapt for language or speech sound practice. Manufacturer: ALEX Price:       £18.99 Product Code:       CQ403 To practice specific sounds or vocabulary, attach pictures or symbols to the targets. Can you hit one with a bean-bag? Get them to tell everyone what they got!

Fill and Spill Flowerpot A soft flowerpot with crinkle grass to fill with four colourful toys. Spill out the toys and start again. With sounds and textures to explore, including a squeaky snail, dotty flower, ladybird rattle and crinkle butterfly. Soft, safe and machine washable. Packed in a PVC bag with carry handle. Manufacturer: GALT. Price:       £12.99 Product Code:       CQ305 The GALT ‘Fill and Spill Flower Pot’ can be used as an early interaction activity, as a turn taking game amongst groups of children. It tends to generate a lot of fun and laughter and is a great compliment to the Frog in a box.

Sticker Set: Sealife This high quality sticker set focussing on Sealife can be used as rewards for those children who need that little bit more motivation, or just for fun - in therapy, nursery or home settings. The set contains 3 sheets of stickers of various designs and a notelet book. Two sheets are matt and the third ‘glittery’ Each sheet is 18cm x 18cm. Price:       £2.99 Product Code:       CQ261 Not another boring therapy session on how to say that sound… Wait just there! Every time I say it correctly, I get a sticker. I put them all on my Sound Certificate, and take it home with me.

Sticker Set: Transport This high quality sticker set focussing on Transport can be used as rewards for those children who need that little bit more motivation, or just for fun - in therapy, nursery or home settings. The set contains 3 sheets of stickers of various designs and a notelet book. Two sheets are glittery and the third matt The matt sheet is 18cm x 18cm and the glitter sheets are 15cm x 18cm. Price:       £2.99 Product Code:       CQ262 Not another boring therapy session on how to say that sound… Wait just there! Every time I say it correctly, I get a sticker. I put them all on my Sound Certificate, and take it home with me.

Sticker Set: Fun Faces This high quality sticker set focussing on Fun Faces can be used as rewards for those children who need that little bit more motivation, or just for fun - in therapy, nursery or home settings. The set contains 3 sheets of stickers of various designs and a notelet book. Two sheets are matt and the third ‘glittery’ Each sheet is 18cm x 18cm. Price:       £2.99 Product Code:       CQ263 Not another boring therapy session on how to say that sound… Wait just there! Every time I say it correctly, I get a sticker. I put them all on my Sound Certificate, and take it home with me.

Sticker Set: Butterflies & Insects This high quality sticker set focussing on Butterflies and Insects can be used as rewards for those children who need that little bit more motivation, or just for fun - in therapy, nursery or home settings. The set contains 3 sheets of stickers of various designs and a notelet book. Two sheets are matt and the third ‘glittery’ Each sheet is 18cm x 18cm. Price:       £2.99 Product Code:       CQ264 Not another boring therapy session on how to say that sound… Wait just there! Every time I say it correctly, I get a sticker. I put them all on my Sound Certificate, and take it home with me.

Sticker Set Collection In this multideal you get the four different sticker, while saving yourself 15% on the combined individual price. This collection includes one of each sticker set: Transport, Fun Faces, Butterflies and Insects and Sealife. Each set contains 3 sheets of stickers and a notelet book. Price:       £9.99 Product Code:       CQ260 Not another boring therapy session on how to say that sound… Wait just there! Every time I say it correctly, I get a sticker. I put them all on my Sound Certificate, and take it home with me.

'What's Next' Puzzle Game This box contains ten colourful puzzles designed to develop storytelling skills and help language development. Each three-piece sequence puzzle is a simple storyline drawn from a child’s own experience. Will also encourage left to right orientation. Manufacturer: GALT. Price:       £4.99 Product Code:       CQ312 An excellent start to sequencing activities, for home, clinic, nursery or toy library! The jigsaw design makes success more likely, therefore an ideal introduction or support for time or sequence concept development. Children can use the 3 pieces to practice a ‘first… next… then…’ format to their story sequence.

MegaBloks: BumperPack This is a great value 100 piece Megabloks bumper pack including reusable soft plastic container. Manufacturer: MegaBloks Price:       £14.99 Product Code:       CQ115 Construction made easy for small hands. This ‘Bumperpack’ contains 100 pieces including eyes, wheels and a range of shapes. As it says on the bag… this product is ideal for developing imagination, problem solving, social development, fine motor skills, and knowledge of colours and shapes.

MegaBloks: Standard Pack The MegaBloks ‘Standard Pack’ contains 24 pieces and includes a reusable soft plastic container. Manufacturer: MegaBloks Price:       £7.99 Product Code:       CQ118 Construction made easy for small hands. This ‘Standard Pack’ is ideal for a distraction activity while professionals and parents talk, or as a resource for smaller groups. Play ideas included inside. As it says on the bag… this product is ideal for developing imagination, confidence, social development, fine motor skills, and knowledge of colours, shapes, maths and science.

MegaBloks: Winne the Pooh This official ‘Winnie the Pooh’ MegaBloks ‘Character Pack’ contains 12 pieces, including Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and a 'hunny' pot. It is a great way to add character to the ‘Standard’ or ‘Bumper packs’. Manufacturer: MegaBloks Price:       £6.99 Product Code:       CQ119 Construction made easy for small hands. This ‘Character Pack’ is ideal as a distraction activity while professionals and parents talk, or as a resource for smaller groups. Pooh characters can also be used as characters in activities to develop understanding and use of spoken language, (e.g. in word level activities).

Frog Jack-in-a-box This froggy favourite will be a well loved addition to any collection. Open the lid and the frog jumps out. The box has a soft cover to reduce bumps and bashes and a textured textile flower on its lid. This product is suitable for children 9 months and over. Manufacturer: GALT. Price:       £14.99 Product Code:       CQ306 The GALT Frog-in-a-box can be used as an early interaction activity, as a turn taking game amongst groups of children or as an early cause and effect toy. It tends to generate a lot of fun and laughter and is very popular as a speech and therapist’s aid.

Jack-In-A-Box A soft version of the classic toy. Lift up the lid and the friendly Jack jumps up with a squeaky sound. Hide him away in his colourful box and repeat the game of peek-o-boo, time and time again. Soft and safe with removable, machine washable box and lid covers. Manufacturer: GALT Price:       £14.99 Product Code:       CQ314 An excellent toy to amuse young children… and any adults who happen to be around! This funny Jack can help turn taking and attention skills when you pass him round a small circle, and has been known to halt proceedings when he drew a crowd in a busy stay and play session. A useful resource for group or one to one sessions, and a real attention – grabber.