5-Minute Kids Therapy Program!! ((Product Review!))

I am always looking for new and efficient ways to provide services for articulation students.  I find with my older students, it is difficult for me to justify pulling them out of academic classes to work on only articulation goals.  It is also hard to work individually with students (which is what they deserve) in a school setting because I am always pressured to work with larger groups (to fit more students in).  I finally stumbled across a program called 5-Minute Kids.  

I knew I had to learn more!  I am so glad I did!  The generous folks over at 5-Minute Kids provided me with a chance to check out their program overview materials and one of their articulation target books.  Keep reading to learn more!

What is this program?
The idea of this program is to schedule students for 5-10 minute sessions.  How is that possible?!  Just pull them into the hallway!  Or take your group of 5 students and schedule them for 35 minutes and work with each student 5 minutes each!  The creators of this program even suggested using chairs in the hallways!  The point of this program is to practice targets as much as possible in a drill structured setting.  

How many responses will I get per student per 5 minute session?

• Naming pictures: 117 
• Repeat words: 157
• Repeat phrases: 125
• Create sentences: 35

The materials in the 5-Minute Therapy Series book provides the framework to make this program possible!  

What does this book include?

• Information and implementation
• Baseline testing forms
• Pictures and sentence cards for testing
• Data forms
• Lesson plan and homework sheets
• Attendance calendars

The introduction of this book goes into all of the data and explanation behind this program.  It describes how to create IEPs using this method of service as well as scheduling.  It describes a typical therapy session which helps you create one for your students.

What instructional materials will you need?

• A copy of all word/sentence lists and/or pictures.  You can also add your own lists from other resources/lists.
• Combine all pages for each individual sound into separate folders or binders.
• You can use different colored paper as the cover to help designate the different sounds.
• You can store all books with targets together in a ready to grab location!
• Folders for storing student data.  You can also keep these forms in their student files or in a data collection book.  If you decide to create folders.  This book tells you how!

Baseline forms

Do you hate creating lists for baseline?!  No need!  This program has the lists and the forms ready for you!!!!!!!  On each page contains a sound target and baseline lists for initial, medial, and final as well as sentences and places to mark baseline and end results.  There is a blank page if you wanted to create your own lists.  Sounds included: /s, r, l, k, g, sh, ch, th, f, v/.  How amazing!

Pictures and Sentence Cards for Testing:

Students can't read?  How are you suppose to test for baseline without saying the words on the data sheets to your students?  Well, there are pictures for you!

There are pages of the sentences this way students can read them without seeing the data sheets.

Data Sheets

Data sheets...oh boy! Creating those that work best and most efficiently can be time consuming!  No need, this program does it for you!  The book provides an example on how to use their forms too.

What forms?

• Ways to document data over the course of a school year for each sound in all positions and levels
• Articulation in reading and conversation data and way to document which words were said correctly and incorrectly in conversations/reading

Lesson Plans and Homework Sheets

The program states there is no correct way to create a 5-minute lesson.  However, they provide you with the tools to make your job easier.  Now that it is summer, you can take their forms and plan ahead.  How can you plan for the school year.  Where will you start? End?  Don't want to be plan too much ahead?  How about just September?  

How are the forms provided?

• Week by week plan for each month (September-June and August-May forms provided)
• Week by week without months labeled
• Homework log: date, assignment, and place to document if completed (this will help with justifying progress or lack there of and whether or not to discontinue program with a student that is not carryover and practicing at home.)  Are you being rated on student performance?  This can help you!

Attendance Forms:

Want a separate attendance form for your 5-minute kids since 5-minute sessions in hallways don't fit in your usual template?  The book has forms for you for the school years 2011-2012 through 2022-2023!!  YES THAT MANY YEARS READY TO GO WITH MONTHS AND DATES AUGUST THROUGH JUNE!!!  It provides a key to easily document attendance, consult, snow day, or other reasons a session may or may not be held.

Are you loving this program yet?!  Now that you learned about the program, the forms, and the baseline probes provided, how about learn about the program for each individual sound.  Each sound program can be purchased separately for $18 or as a complete set of all 6 for $99.  

Volumes for purchase:

• R
• S/Z
• L
• SH/CH
• K/G
• F/V/TH

I was provided with the /r/ book.  It seems like all books follow the same format just with a different target. 

What does this book include?

• Introduction
• Data sheets (word, phrase, sentence, and fill-in pages)
• Word bank lists (initial, final, medial, blends)
• Reading lists (word, phrase, sentence)
• Games for 5-minute therapy (open-ended but can be used with target)
• Envelope games (open-ended using target)
• Homework activities (directions, word of the day, sight word flashcards, bookmarks, homework sheets)
• Percentage charts

Once you have identified students that can benefit with this program and scheduled them in, and now you have collected baseline and determined where to start, it is time to start!

Lists for drill practice

This book provides lists for each position and level of /r/ and on each page there is a place to document progress 6 times for each word.  The words are already on the forms!  There is one page of 50 words for each position at the word level including multi-syllable words.

There is a page of 25 phrases at each level with the phrases provided so you know exactly which ones the student can and can not produce.

Complete word banks are provided so you can create your own activities.  There is also lists of words for students to practice reading with the sounds.

Speedy R Words

Ready for rapid productions?!  There is a page with 12 words and pictures with /r/ in the initial position.  Have the student name the pictures as quickly as possible for one minute.  The student should repeat the list as many times until you as the SLP says STOP!  How many correct/incorrect?  Record it!  When they are working quickly are they able to recall their strategies for correct productions?

Games and Homework

There are 9 suggested games to target sound.  These can add variety to drill session while still drilling.  It is recommended at you ensure the student produces probe several times when taking a turn to maximize about of responses.  Recommended to be played in an individual session with SLP as the second player or you can play them in small groups.

One such game is tic-tac-words and the book provides the boards for you.  The book provides a "good speech score sheet" which can be used while playing a game.  Minimizes the "look" of drilling but still collecting data.

Envelope Games

These games are adapted to target word, phrase, and/or sentences.  All you have to do is copy the pages, cut cards apart, paste directions to the front of an envelope, and place cards into envelope for safe keeping.  Feel free to laminate if desired (you know I like to laminate!).

The responses in these games can be at any level and students can create their own sentences with their target sounds.  The book even provides techniques for using the EET with these games!  Connecting two loves!  The book goes into more detail on how to play these games to ensure fun and drilling.

7 games are included with adorable themes.  Target words, phrases, and sentences are provided for EACH game using the /r/ target!  Do you see above  PIRATES!

Homework activities

There is a sticker page which can be copied and printed on address labels.  This makes it easy to attach to envelopes which will include practice words.

There are sight words lists that can be cut apart, bookmarks with lists at each level, and half pages with lists of 10 words and a place for a homework helper to mark down how many times the student practiced the list (2-10 times).  Great way to get parental/guardian involvement!

The last thing this book includes are percentage charts based on all of the lists/calculations provided to easily document data percentages.  This will be helpful if IEPs are written with % progress markings.

What do I LOVE about this program/products?

• Easy to photo copy and use
• Gives step-by-step from setting up lessons, collecting baseline, and activities
• Leaves flexibility to incorporate own word lists and activities
• Will be great for working with students at the Tier 3 level of RTI and document if interventions are working
• COMPREHENSIVE and easy to understand/implement

Only challenge I see with this program?

• Change!  Change to 5-minute sessions vs. 30-minute group sessions may be difficult to design and explain to an administrator.  But if I show all of the data to prove it works, how can they stop me?!

I really look forward to implementing this program into my speech program this year!  How do I plan to use it?

• RTI for articulation only students.  I plan on setting up a time in my day for RTI articulation.  Teachers will know I will be coming around to pull student in hallway to quickly drill.  I will have my "tote" filled with forms, a mirror, and drilling games/activities.  Maybe I'll add reward stickers!
• If I am able to schedule a group with articulation only goals for my IEP kids, I will use the forms and philosophies to create their program for the year.  MORE DRILL, MORE PRACTICE, MORE PROGRESS!

Want to learn more?

View their website HERE!

Order forms and prices can be found HERE!