Wordless picture books are some of my favorite tools to use with children of all ages. If you’re not currently using them, I highly recommend getting a few books and introducing them into your speech therapy practice. Because there are only illustrations, wordless picture books are a versatile tool with tons of language opportunities. They give children (and you!) the chance to explore language in creative and engaging ways.
Some ways to use wordless picture books:
- Dissect the Illustrations: Have children describe what they see in the picture. This could be as simple as pointing out an object they recognize or more complex in describing the scene.
- Tell a Detailed Story: Start a narrative for the story, then ask the child to take over. Ask engaging questions to get them to expand on the story they create.
- Ask for a Prediction/Recommendation: Ask the child what they think will happen next or what they think the main character in the story should do next.
- Retell the Script: Go through the book with a script to tell the story. Have the child retell the story again in their own words.
- Ask for an Opinion: Once you’ve completed the story, ask the child to tell you what they did or did not like about the story or its illustrations.
- Inferencing: Wordless picture books are highly dependent on making inferences to comprehend the story. This makes them perfect for working on inferring from pictures. Making inferences from picture books is a great in-between step between simple pictures and text-based inferences.
- Comprehension Goals: Picture books are an awesome way to work on and access comprehension goals with students who have difficulty reading.
Some favorite wordless picture books:
The Adventures of Polo: A Picture Book
Frog, Where Are You? (A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog)
Good Dog, Carl: A Classic Board Book
Frog Goes to Dinner (A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog)
Frog on His Own (A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog)
Thanks for reading!
Do you have any other books to add to this list?
30 Books to Target Inferencing
30 Books to Target Negation
25 Books to Target Verbs
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ThAnk you for this list!! I have a couple wordless books and want to get more. One of my favorites is Carl’s Afternoon in the Park (of Good Dog Carl). It’s perfect for spring!
That’s such a great one!
Love this. I’m always looking for wordless picture books to use in therapy. Would add Goodnight Gorilla to the list!
Thanks for compiling a great list! I love all of Barbara Lehman’s books. You already have The Red Book on your list, but I also like Rainstorm, The Secret Box and Museum Trip. Once Upon a Banana is great by Jennifer Armstrong. Aaron Becker has a third book called Quest. And the last one I’ll mention is Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage.
I would add “Pancakes for Breakfast” and by Tomie de Paolo to this list!