National Day Themes in April - Week 1: Unique and Engaging Speech Therapy Activities
- shannon | speech hamster
- Mar 23
- 27 min read
Updated: Apr 26
Spring is in full swing, making it the perfect time to refresh your speech therapy sessions with fun and meaningful themes. National Days in April Week 1 offers creative ways to engage students while targeting important speech and language skills.
Welcome to National Days in April Week #1 Whether you're embracing the fun of April Fools' Day on April 1, searching for colors during National Find a Rainbow Day on April 3, or collecting peeps for National Peep Day on April 6, these creative themes can add an extra spark to your speech therapy sessions.
This blog post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase through them, with no extra cost to you.
Use the table below to explore some of the national days celebrated the first week in April. To avoid scrolling fatigue, use the quick links to view activity ideas and book suggestions for each theme.
When you're done browsing, use these links to view additional weeks:
April National Days Week 2 (April 8 - 14)
April National Days Week 3 (April 15 - 21)
April National Days Week 4+ (April 22 - 30)
To view themes for all 12 months head over to 10 Reasons to Use National Day Themes for Easy Speech Therapy Planning.
*Free resource links listed here may change over time. Please check the original source for current availability and terms.
April National Days Week 1
(Month-long Observances: Autism Awareness, Apraxia Awareness)
Date | National Day Quick Links |
April 1 | |
April 2 | |
April 3 | |
April 4 | |
April 5 | |
April 6 | |
April 7 (2025) | Geologists Day (First Sunday in April) |
April 1:
🎭 April Fool's Day (April 1)
About: April Fool’s Day is a lighthearted holiday celebrated worldwide with pranks, jokes, and playful tricks.
Fun Fact: In 1996, Taco Bell pulled an elaborate April Fool’s prank by announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it the "Taco Liberty Bell". Thousands of people called the National Park Service in outrage before the company revealed it was just a joke!
Articulation:
Pranks: Have students draw 5 target words/cards and practice them correctly. Then have them create a prank idea using a least 3 of the target words (e.g., sock, sand, soap, sandwich, sister: I could fill my sister's sock with sand, I could make my sister a soap sandwich.)
Game Board Take Over: Use any game board and change the rules based on a dice roll. 1 = Say target words 3x, 2 = Make up a silly joke using 2 target words (e.g., Why did the seal jump into the soup? It thought it was souper cool), 3 = Act out a silly sentence created by another player, 4 = Switch a target word with another player, 5 = Oops! Go back 2 spaces, 6 = Make up a silly story using 3 target words.
Language:
Create an April Fool's Game Board: Using the concept listed above, have students create their own game board and directions for playing while incorporating language-based task cards for specific goals. Make it more interactive by using post-it notes as the squares for the board game.
April Fool's Day Fill in the Blank Story: Create a story using this April Fool's Day Fill in the Blank Story free download.
Function vs. Fake Function of Item: Fill a bag with everyday items. Have students take turns pulling an item from the bag, stating the function of the item. Then have them create an alternative "fake" or "silly" function of the item.
Free Resources: Browse these free April Fool's Day Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Popular Children's Books:
April Foolishness – Written by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott: A grandmother and grandfather hear wild claims from their grandkids, like cows dancing and pigs flying, but Grandpa isn’t fooled—until the tables turn! 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The April Fool, Phyllis – Written by Susanna Leonard Hill, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler: Phyllis, a groundhog, predicts a blizzard on April Fool's Day, but no one believes her because of the date. When the storm hits, Phyllis helps everyone find shelter, proving that her weather instincts are always right. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
🤹 National Fun Day (April 1)
About: National Fun Day is all about setting aside time for laughter, play, and enjoyment. Whether it's playing games, telling jokes, or engaging in exciting activities, the goal is to embrace a spirit of fun and positivity.
Fun Facts:
Laughter has real health benefits—studies show that laughing can reduce stress, improve mood, and strengthen the immune system.
The longest game of Monopoly ever played lasted 70 days!
Scientists say that playing and having fun can actually improve memory, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Articulation: Do what you do best! Most importantly...Have fun!
Create a Board Game: Have students create their own board game while practicing their target speech sounds. My students love these Articulation Game Strips that are phoneme specific ($).
Cringe Toys: You know what I'm referring to, right? Those toys kids love and you despise? *ahem - Honey Bee Tree, anyone? Make National Fun Day a "yes" day of sorts, allowing students to choose the activity/game. Ask them to make up their own version of the rules for even "more" fun!
Tongue Twisters: Try this free Would You Rather - Tongue Twister Edition digital download for articulation practice of "s', "l" and "r".
Language:
Rhyming Game: Find rhyming words for fun (e.g., run, sun, bun, one) and day (e.g., say, play, tray, neigh).
Vocabulary: Have students help make a list of synomyms for "fun" (e.g., enjoyable, amusing, pleasurable, pleasant, entertaining, witty, etc.). What are some opposite words for "fun"?
Sequencing: Have students describe three things they would do to have the most fun day ever, using first, next, last.
Craft-ivity: Decorate two jars or bags and label one "fun" and the other "not fun". Make a list of activities and ask students to sort them based on THEIR own opinion. Discuss how "fun" can look and feel different to each person.
Board Game: download this Open Ended Board Game with Dice Cards. Have your students create their own game while you insert the practice targets!
Popular Children's Books:
Pete the Cat and the New Guy – Written by Kimberly & James Dean, illustrated by James Dean: Pete meets a new friend named Gus and realizes that everyone has their own way of having fun, even if it’s different from his own. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
We Don't Eat Our Classmates – Written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins: Penelope the dinosaur struggles to make friends because she keeps trying to eat her classmates—but through humor and fun, she learns to be a good friend. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Book with No Pictures – Written by B.J. Novak: A hilarious book that forces the reader to say silly and ridiculous things, proving that words alone can be fun. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
💌 National Greeting Card Day (April 1)
About: National Greeting Card Day celebrates the tradition of sending heartfelt messages to friends and family. Whether it’s a birthday card, thank-you note, or just a simple “thinking of you” message, greeting cards help us connect with others in meaningful ways.
Fun Fact: Hallmark was the first company to sell folded greeting cards in 1910, changing the way people sent messages.
Articulation:
Game-based Activity: Each student picks a target word card. Roll dice to determine how many times to practice the word. After reaching 50 repetitions, students can each design a mini greeting card with a message using their target word(s) to take home and read to a family member for extra practice.
Opening Cards: Place target word cards inside blank greeting cards and insert them into envelopes. Hide around room and have students search for the cards, open them and practice their target words.
Language:
Vocabulary: Introduce words like "message", "handwritten", "signature", "thoughtful", "personalize", and "gratitude".
Following Directions: Give students a step-by-step activity for decorating a greeting card and see how well they listen.
Sequencing: Have students describe the steps for making and sending a greeting card.
Syntax: Students fill in sentence starters: "If I wrote a thank-you card to my teacher, I would say _____."
WH Questions: What is a greeting card? Who could you send one to? Where can you find one? When would you send one? How would you send one? Why would you send one? or How many different kinds of greeting cards can you think of?
Craft Ideas
DIY Pop-Up Cards: Use construction paper to create fun greeting cards with a pop-up design. Have students follow the directions from this young person on YouTube: How to Make a Pop Up Card using paper, scissors, glue, markers.
"Secret Message" Cards: Write messages in white crayon, then reveal them by coloring over them with markers.
Greeting Card Collage: Cut out images from old cards and magazines to create a mixed-media greeting card.
Popular Children's Books:
I Wanna Iguana – Written by Karen Kaufman Orloff, illustrated by David Catrow: A boy and his mother write letters back and forth as he tries to convince her to let him have an iguana, showing the power of persuasive writing. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Dear Dragon – Written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Rodolfo Montalvo: George and Blaise, pen pals who share everything about their lives, are unaware that George is human and Blaise is a dragon. What will happen when they meet face-to-face? 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Can I Be Your Dog? – Written by Troy Cummings: A homeless dog sends letters to different houses, hoping to find a family, offering a heartwarming look at perseverance and kindness. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
🪙 National One Cent Day (April 1)
About: National One Cent Day celebrates the history of the penny, the smallest unit of U.S. currency.
Fun Facts:
Did you know that it costs more than one cent to produce a penny? In recent years, making a single penny has cost around 2 cents due to the price of materials.
The phrase "A penny for your thoughts" comes from the 1500s and was used to encourage people to share their ideas.
There are over 130 billion pennies in circulation today!
Articulation:
Penny Toss: Place target words on index cards (or quarter sheets of paper). Have students toss a penny onto a word card. They must say the word 5 times before collecting the penny. the first to collect 10 pennies wins!
Coin Cards: Download these Open Ended Penny and Coin Cards and use for articulation practice. Write target words on back of penny cards (or paperclip image cards to back of penny cards). Have students practice words to collect pennies. Collect 5 pennies for a nickel, two nickels for a dime and so on. How much money can each student collect while practicing their target words? This resource also comes with a 50 Penny Trials worksheet.
Heads or Tails: 2 Player articulation game. Using 16 real pennies, place 8 heads up on the table and 8 tails up. Assign sides: Heads or Tails. Goal: Be the first person to flip all the pennies to one side. To Play: Roll a die and practice the same number of target words. Then flip over the same number of pennies to "heads". Player 2 rolls, practices, then flips same number of pennies to "tails". Repeat until all pennies are either heads or tails.
Language:
Vocabulary: Introduce words like currency, mint, value, exchange, savings, collector and discuss what they mean.
Following Directions: Set up a "Penny Hunt" where students follow multi-step directions to find hidden pennies.
Syntax: Use sentence starters like, "If I found a rare penny, I would ______."
Listening Comprehension: Browse these free Penny Pusher Listening Comprehension Activities by K Ratliff on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Craft Ideas:
"Lucky Penny": Make a Lucky Penny Bookmark using this free resource by Sue Pal to the Rescue on TpT.
Penny Rubbing: Have students place a paper over a penny and color over it with a crayon. Repeat until they've created a page full of multi-colored pennies.
Popular Children's Books:
Patrick Picklebottom and the Penny Book – Written by Mr. Jay and illustrated by Gary Wilkinson: a boy named Patrick discovers that even a single penny can buy a world of imagination when spent on the right book. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Worthless Penny – Written by Greyson Masters: A penny feels insignificant compared to more valuable coins. Through various encounters and a lesson in kindness, the penny discovers its true worth, reminding readers that even the smallest or most overlooked things can have great importance. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
April 2:
📚 International Children's Book Day (April 2)
About: Celebrated on Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, International Children's Book Day promotes the love of reading and the importance of literacy among children worldwide.
Fun Facts:
Hans Christian Andersen, whose birthday is celebrated on this day, wrote famous fairy tales like The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and Thumbelina.
The first book specifically written for children is believed to be Orbis Pictus (1658), a picture book designed to teach Latin.
Dr. Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham using only 50 different words after being challenged to write a book with a very limited word list.
Articulation:
Storytime Sound Hunt: Choose a book that contains your students’ target sounds. (Search booksharetime.com for inspiration or grab Speech Sprout's Sound Loaded Book List for Articulation on Teachers Pay Teachers.). As you read, students listen for their sound and use sticky notes to mark those words. At the end of the story, students practice all the marked words.
Create a Book Title: Using target words, have students choose 2 - 3 to create a title for a book (e.g., The Fantastic Fluffy Fish, The Shiny Shell and the Shark, Cozy Kitten in the Castle).
Build a Book: Using index cards, a hole punch and a binder ring, have students write and illustrate their own mini-book using words with their target sounds.
Story Element Sort: Write articulation words that fit different story elements (character, setting, action) on small slips of paper. Students pick a word, say it, and sort it into the correct story element.
Language:
Vocabulary: Introduce book-related words like fiction, non-fiction, genre, plot, character, setting and discuss their meanings.
Picture Book Retell: Review a wordless picture book then have students create or tell a story that goes along with the pictures.
Explore Books From Around the World: Grab this free International Passport Mini Book by Starlight Treasures on Teachers Pay Teachers. As you share stories from around the world, have students keep track of each location of the stories in their passports.
Story Cube Comprehension Questions: Write WH questions (Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?) on index cards and tape them to a cube. After reading a book, students roll the cube and answer a question about it.
Story Sequencing: Browse these free Story Sequencing Resources on TpT.
Popular Children's Books:
This Is How We Do It – Written by Matt Lamothe: One day in the lives of seven kids around the world. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
All Are Welcome – Written by Alexandra Penfold and illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman: Discover a school where all young children have a place, have a space, and are loved and appreciated. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
🔨 National DIY Day (April 2)
About: National DIY (Do - It - Yourself) Day encourages creativity and hands-on learning through crafting, building, and repurposing materials. It celebrates the joy of making things yourself, whether it’s home projects, arts and crafts, or upcycling old items into something new.
Fun Fact: The largest DIY craft ever made was a 15,000 square-foot crochet blanket in South Africa, created to raise money for charity.
Articulation:
DIY "Sensory" Target Word: Print out target words using a bold font or bubble font for students to fill in the letters using a variety of textured materials (e.g., string dipped in glue, staples, hole punch dots, aluminum foil, bubble wrap pieces, etc).
DIY Card Games: Using index cards and a selection of crafting supplies, have students create their own target word practice cards. Make two sets to play matching or "go fish" style games.
Crafts: Browse these free articulation craft activities on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Articulation Art: For students that like to draw but prefer direct instructions, try out my Articulation Art resources ($) below orr sign up for the Speech Hamster Newsletter to download the sampler for 2 Element Clusters.
Click image to view bundle on Teachers Pay Teachers
Language:
Would You Rather: Download this Would You Rather...Do It Yourself edition PDF to engage students in formulating opinions.
Vocabulary: Teach DIY-related words like materials, design, construct, assemble, tool, repurpose and use them in sentences.
Sequencing: After completing a craft, have students describe the steps they took using temporal concepts like first, next, then, before, after, last.
Categories: Create a list of common DIY tools and materials. Have students name the function of the items and sort into smaller categories.
DIY Crafts Using Everyday Items:
Paper Plate Masks Materials: Paper plates, markers, scissors, string, glue, craft sticks Directions: Cut out eye holes and decorate the plate to look like animals, people, or silly faces. Add a stick handle or attach string to wear the mask.
Cardboard Tube Binoculars Materials: Two toilet paper rolls, yarn, tape, markers, stickers Directions: Tape two rolls together side-by-side, decorate, and add yarn for a neck strap. Great for pretend play or “sightseeing” games.
Egg Carton Creatures Materials: Egg cartons, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, paint, glue Directions: Cut apart individual egg cups and turn them into bugs, animals, or monsters. Add eyes, legs, and antennae.
Tissue Box Monster Materials: Empty tissue box, construction paper, glue, googly eyes Directions: Turn a tissue box into a monster with a big open mouth. Great for practicing articulation by "feeding" the monster target word cards.
Paper Bag Puppets Materials: Paper lunch bags, construction paper, crayons, glue Directions: Make animal or character puppets using a paper bag as the base. Add features like ears, eyes, arms, and hair.
Popsicle Stick Picture Frames Materials: Popsicle sticks, glue, markers, stickers, photo or drawing Directions: Glue 4 sticks into a square or rectangle and decorate. Add a picture and use string to hang.
Yarn-Wrapped Letters Materials: Cardboard, yarn, tape or glue Directions: Cut out letters (like the student’s initials) from cardboard and wrap them with colorful yarn for texture and decoration.
Bottle Cap Stamps Materials: Plastic bottle caps, foam stickers or sponges, paint Directions: Stick shapes or letters onto the flat side of caps, dip in paint, and stamp onto paper.
Coffee Filter Butterflies Materials: Coffee filters, washable markers, spray bottle, clothespins Directions: Color the filters, lightly spray with water, let dry, then pinch in the middle with a clothespin to create butterfly wings.
Magazine Collage Art Materials: Old magazines, glue sticks, scissors, paper Directions: Cut out pictures, colors, letters, or themes from magazines to make a visual collage.
Homemade Shakers Materials: Plastic bottles, rice or beans, tape, stickers Directions: Fill small containers with dry materials and seal tightly. Decorate and use as music shakers.
Spoon Puppets Materials: Plastic spoons, yarn, googly eyes, markers, glue Directions: Turn plastic spoons into puppet characters by decorating the "face" and adding yarn hair or paper clothes.
Paper Towel Tube Marble Run Materials: Paper towel tubes, tape, marbles Directions: Cut and tape tubes onto a wall or large board to create a marble maze.
Popular Children's Books:
If I Built a House – Written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen: Jack imagines and describes his dream house, complete with fun inventions like a flying room and a race track floor. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
If I Built a Car – Written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen: Jack is back and has designed the ultimate fantasy car. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
What Do You Do With an Idea? – Written by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom: A young boy nurtures an idea and watches it grow, learning that ideas can change the world if we believe in them. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
April 3:
🌈 National Find a Rainbow Day (April 3)
About: National Find a Rainbow Day celebrates the beauty and wonder of rainbows, which occur when sunlight passes through raindrops, creating a spectrum of colors. This day encourages people to look for rainbows in nature, create rainbow-themed crafts, and learn about the science behind them.
Fun Facts:
Rainbows don’t have a specific location—they appear differently depending on where you’re standing.
The longest-lasting rainbow on record appeared over Taiwan in 2017 and lasted nearly 9 hours!
Rainbows can appear at night, too! These rare "moonbows" happen when moonlight refracts through raindrops.
Articulation:
Make a rainbow chain with articulation words on each link.
Make a rainbow using torn construction paper. Write words on different colored paper. Students can practice the word repeatedly as they tear it up for the craft. Use Sparklle SLP's free* Rainbow Craft Activity.
Draw or print a rainbow outline. Write target words on the rainbow. Students color over the words as they practice them.
Rainbow Craft: Grab this free rainbow craft for articulation resource by Speech Path Creative on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Language:
Color Scavenger Hunt: Encourage students to find objects of specific colors around the room, promoting vocabulary development and descriptive skills.
Vocabulary and Categories: Create lists of items that are specific colors of the rainbow. For older students, introduce words like prism, spectrum, arc, vibrant, reflection, refraction and discuss what they mean.
Following Directions: Grab Mia McDaniel's free Build a Rainbow Game on Teachers Pay Teachers for a fun following directions activity.
Concepts: Compare dark vs. light, bright vs. dull, warm vs. cool colors in a rainbow.
"Rainbow in a Bag" Science Experiment: Fill a bag with water and tape it to a sunny window to create a mini prism effect. Have students practice retelling the sequence of the experiment so they can share the idea at home.
Free Resources: Browse these free rainbow themed Boom Cards or free rainbow themed printables on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Popular Children's Books:
What Makes a Rainbow? – Written by Betty Ann Schwartz, illustrated by Dona Turner: A fun interactive book where a little rabbit learns about colors as each page adds a new rainbow color. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Rainbows Never End and Other Fun Facts – Written by Laura Lyn DiSiena and Hannah Eliot, illustrated by Pete Oswald: This nonfiction book shares fun rainbow facts and explains the science behind how they appear. 📖 [Amazon Link]
How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow – Written by Monica Sweeney, illustrated by Feronia Parker-Thomas: Determined to save the rainbows and fix the Sun and Clouds’ friendship, the crayons draw rainbows all over town. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
😊 National Inspiring Joy Day (April 3)
About: This day is about spreading happiness and positivity through kind words, small gestures, and acts of generosity. Whether it’s writing a thank-you note, giving a compliment, or making someone smile, this day reminds us that joy is contagious and that even small actions can have a big impact.
Fun Facts:
Science shows that smiling can actually improve your mood—even if you don’t feel happy at first.
People who perform random acts of kindness report feeling happier and more connected to others.
Laughing for just 10-15 minutes a day can burn up to 40 calories!
Articulation:
Collect Smiles: Download this free Collecting Smiles Articulation Sampler for "J" or view the full resource on Teachers Pay Teachers:
Emoji Cards: Write out target words on index cards. Have students draw matching sets of joyful emojis on the back of each card (one emoji per card) to play matching / memory games.
Tic Tac Toe: Place 9 articulation target words in 3 rows of 3. Use two sets of the colored "smile" cards from the Collecting Smiles activity (above) to cover the target words as students try to get 3 in a row. Have students practice the target word the same number of times as on the "smile" card.
Phonological Awareness:
Rhyming Words: List rhyming words for joy, glad, laugh, kind.
Sound Sorting: Name the beginning sound for each of the rhyming words.
Syllable Counting: Clap out syllables in joy-related words (joy, joyful, happy, laughing, giggle, kindness, enjoying).
Language:
Vocabulary: Introduce words like joyful, generous, cheerful, thoughtful, kindness, happiness and discuss what they mean.
Following Directions: Play a "Simon Says" style game for following directions replacing "Simon Says" with "If You're Happy and You Know It".
Kindness Jar Conversations: Create a Kindness Jar filled with 20 simple acts of kindness ideas for students to draw and discuss ways they would inspire joy through acts of kindness.
Inspire Joy Posters: Create posters to hang around the school or home. Brainstorm what the posters could include that would help inspire joy (e.g., pictures, words, definitions, quotes).
Sequencing: Give students materials to create a card for someone. Don't give any directions. After completed, ask students to describe the steps they took to make the card. Follow their direction to see if you can recreate their card based on their verbal directions.
Popular Children's Books:
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? Written by Carol McCLoud and illustrated by David Messing: This heartwarming book uses 'bucket filling' as a metaphor for kindness, encouraging children to perform daily acts of kindness to fill both others' and their own buckets.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Last Stop on Market Street – Written by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson: A young boy learns about gratitude and joy as he rides the bus with his grandmother through their city. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Be Kind – Written by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jen Hill: A young girl learns how small acts of kindness can spread and make a difference in the world around her. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
April 4:
🥕 International Carrot Day (April 4)
About: International Carrot Day celebrates this crunchy, nutritious vegetable enjoyed in many forms—raw, cooked, or even in desserts like carrot cake. Carrots are packed with vitamins, particularly vitamin A, which is important for eye health.
Fun Facts:
Carrots were originally purple, white, and yellow before orange ones became the most common variety.
The largest carrot ever grown weighed 22 pounds and was over 20 feet long!
While carrots contain vitamin A, eating too many won’t actually give you super eyesight—but they do help maintain healthy vision.
Articulation:
Counting Carrots: Use this free Carrot Crunch math activity created by From the Pond on Teachers Pay Teachers as a dice rolling articulation activity.
Carrot Sensory Bin: Download the Carrot Seed Craftivity by PreK Partner on TpT. Print the carrot page onto orange paper and cut out each carrot. Place the numbered carrots in a sensory bin for students to collect and practice their target words the same number as on the carrot.
Language:
Vocabulary: Introduce words like harvest, root, nutritious, crunchy, farmer, fresh and discuss their meanings.
Creepy Carrots: There are so many free Creepy Carrots resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Fact Sheet: Peachie Speechie offers a free Language Pack for Bunnies and Carrots on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Word Associations: Kari Radovich has created free Bunnies and Carrots Association Puzzles on TpT targeting vocabulary, categories, object function, and describing skills.
Carrot Life Cycle: Review the life cycle of carrots (Kindergarten Kupcakes on TpT) then have your students retell or draw out the sequence.
Popular Children's Books:
Too Many Carrots – Written and illustrated by Katy Hudson: Rabbit collects more carrots than he can handle, leading to a funny adventure about sharing and problem-solving. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
The Carrot Seed – Written by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Crockett Johnson: A little boy patiently cares for a carrot seed, even when others doubt it will grow, teaching a lesson about determination and patience. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
Carrot Soup – Written and illustrated by John Segal: Rabbit plants a carrot garden and waits for his delicious carrot soup, but when the carrots go missing, he must solve the mystery. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Creepy Carrots – Written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown: Jasper Rabbit loves carrots—especially Crackenhopper Field carrots. Until the day the carrots start following him...or are they?. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
April 5:
🌼 National Dandelion Day (April 5)
About: National Dandelion Day recognizes the bright yellow flower that many consider a weed, but which actually has many uses. They are one of the first flowers to bloom in spring, providing an important food source for bees and other pollinators.
Fun Facts:
Every part of a dandelion is edible, including the leaves, flowers, and roots.
Dandelions are one of the first flowers to bloom in spring, making them an important food source for bees.
A single dandelion puffball can release up to 200 seeds, which can float 5 miles in the wind.
Articulation:
Blow 'Em Away: Draw a stem on a piece of paper. Students will place a cotton ball above the stem for each target word practiced, forming a dandelion "puff". At the end, the students can blow the cotton balls off the paper.
Fingerprint Dandelion Painting: Use white and yellow paint to create dandelion flower fingerprint petals while practicing speech sound targets. Visit Roots & Wings dandelion blog post for a visual example and other ideas.
Dandelion Flip: Download this free two player Dandelion Flip Open Ended dice activity. Choose between the dandelion and the "puff" side. Who can be the first to flip over all the cards to their side first?
Language:
Vocabulary: Review the parts of a dandelion (roots, stem, leaf, flower, petals, seeds) with My Montessori Hub's Parts of a Dandelion resource on Teachers Pay Teachers. Other vocabulary words to consider: puffball, bloom, weed, wish, pollen.
Dandelion Hunt: Get outdoors to observe the life cycle of a dandelion using the Joys of Learning's Dandelion Life Cycle Hunt on TpT.
Breathing Exercises / Following Directions: Whether used for regulation or as a fun little following directions craft activity, Sandra Berney's free Dandelion Breathing for Kids Q-Tip art on TpT is a fun resource to have on hand.
Concepts: Compare light vs. heavy, soft vs. rough, small vs. big using dandelion parts.
Dandelion Wishes: Have students complete "If I blew on a dandelion, I would wish for _____." in a full sentence.
Not a Dandelion: Following the concept from the "Not a Box / Not a Stick" books, have students gather dandelion flowers and use their imagination to turn them into something different. The Primary Patch offers a free This is Not a Dandelion resource on TpT for inspiration.
DIY Dandelion Play Dough: Follow the directions from the Parenting Chaos blog post to create naturally dyed dandelion play dough. (*calls for boiling water). A great hands-on activity to inspire natural conversations.
Popular Children's Books:
Dandelion – Written and illustrated by Don Freeman: A lion named Dandelion tries to change himself to impress his friends, only to learn that being himself is the best way to fit in. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Dandelion Seed – Written by Joseph Anthony and illustrated by Cris Arbo: A single dandelion seed floats through the world, teaching a lesson about adventure, resilience, and growth. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
🐥 National Peeps Day (April 5)
About: National Peeps Day celebrates the famous marshmallow chicks and bunnies that are a favorite Easter treat. These colorful, sugary confections have been around since the 1950s and come in a variety of flavors and shapes.
Fun Facts:
Originally, it took 27 hours to make a single Peep by hand—now, machines can make 5.5 million Peeps per day.
Yellow Peeps are the most popular, followed by pink and blue.
Peeps can expand when placed in the microwave due to their air-filled marshmallow structure.
Articulation:
Flip A Peep: Download this open-ended Flip a Peep activity. Choose between the multi-colored peeps and the non-colored peeps. Roll dice to determine how many speech trials to practice and how many cards to flip. Who will be the first to flip over all the cards to their side first?
Carrier Phrases: Create a "peep" related carrier phrases for practicing target words. For example, for /f/ have student practice the phrase "I found a peep holding a (fish, fan, fork)"; for /s/ = "I saw a peep eating (soup, cereal, sardines)", etc.
Hide and Seek: Hide one peep (or picture of a peep) inside one of multiple plastic eggs. Place eggs on target words. Students practice words to collect eggs until the peep is found.
Language:
Vocabulary: Introduce words like pastel, fluffy, chewy, squishy, sugary, festive, melt and discuss their meanings.
Following Directions: Have students follow multi-step directions to "decorate" pretend Peeps using colored paper and craft supplies.
Temporal Concepts: Using the peeps from the "Flip a Peep" activity (above), have students follow temporal directions (eg., before flipping the orange peep over, give the yellow peep to me; Flip the yellow peep first then the blue peep).
Science Experiments: Browse these free Peep Science Experiments on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Popular Children's Books:
Peeps in Pajamas – Written by Andrea Posner-Sanchez and illustrated by Ron Cohee: A picture book featuring Peep characters as they go through their bedtime routines and prepare for sleep. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Owen's Marshmallow Chick – Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes: A board book that follows young Owen as he discovers a soft, squishy chick resembling a marshmallow and how he cares for this new little friend. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
April 6:
📖 National Library Day (April 6)
About: This day recognizes the importance of libraries in providing free access to books, knowledge, and community resources. National Library Day encourages people to visit their local library, explore new books, and appreciate the role of librarians in supporting literacy.
Fun Facts:
The largest library in the world is the Library of Congress, which holds over 173 million books and historical items.
The oldest known library dates back to 2600 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia.
In Norway, the National Library Archive is storing copies of every book ever published in case of a disaster.
Articulation:
Pick a Book, Any Book: Provide an assortment of books and have students choose one. Randomly assign a page and have students search for words with their target speech sound. Make a list of the words and try to formulate a sentence with them.
Change of Scenery: Schedule your speech session to be in your school or local library. Browse the books looking for titles that contain each student's speech sound targets.
Sort Books: Provide a selection of books with varying titles. Once students identify words in the titles containing their speech sounds, have them sort the books alphabetically by title. Or list the words they found and have them sort the words by initial, medial or final word positions.
Language:
Tour the Library: Schedule your session to be in the school or local library. Provide students choices of which books to find then walk them through the process. Can they repeat the sequence to another person?
Vocabulary: Introduce words like fiction, non-fiction, genre, librarian, reference, index, catalog and discuss their meanings.
Following Directions: Have students follow prepositional directions using real books (e.g., put the big book under your chair, give me the book between X and Y books).
Concepts: Compare big vs. small books, hardcover vs. paperback, fiction vs. nonfiction.
Wh Questions: Have students complete "If I could write my own book, it would be about _____." Ask them Who What Where When Why questions to help them expand their idea further.
Popular Children's Books:
A Library Book for Bear – Written by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton: Bear doesn’t understand why he needs a library when he already has one book at home. His friend, Mouse, helps him discover the magic of reading different stories. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Library – Written by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small: A young girl, Elizabeth Brown, loves books so much that her house is overflowing with them—until she finds the perfect solution by creating a library for everyone to enjoy. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians – Written by Carla Morris, illustrated by Brad Sneed. A young boy spends his childhood at the library, where librarians encourage his love for learning and exploration. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
April 7 (2025):
🪨 National Geologists Day (First Sunday of April)
About: Celebrated on the first Sunday of April, National Geologists Day honors the scientists who study the Earth—its rocks, minerals, and history. Geologists play a key role in discovering natural resources, understanding environmental changes, and uncovering fossils that tell the story of our planet’s past.
Fun Facts:
The Grand Canyon is one of the best places in the world to see layers of Earth's history..
Geologists use volcanic ash layers to date ancient civilizations and fossils.
The world’s largest gold nugget ever found weighed over 150 pounds and was discovered in Australia in 1869.
Articulation:
This Rocks!: Collect rocks and write a number on the bottom of each one. Hide them around the room for students to collect. Have them say their target words the same number of times as shown on the rock. Play until "so many" rocks have been found or "so many" words have been practiced.
Collecting Rocks: Similar to the above activity. Choose one rock to be the "winning" rock by sticking a sticker onto the bottom of it. Hide multiple rocks around the room and have students practice their target words before searching for a rock. Play until the winning rock is found.
Rock Paper Scissors: Play this classic game to determine who will draw a target word (or two or three) or try out my Rock Paper Scissors Boom Cards for "T" and "D".
Language:
Vocabulary: Introduce words like erosion, sediment, lava, fossil, geode, crust, mantle and discuss their meanings.
Inferencing: Thumb Bunny Speech created Rock Painting Inferencing Boom Cards on Boom Learning.
Pet Rocks: Browse these free Pet Rock resources on Teachers Pay Teachers for inspiration.
Describing: Collect different kinds of rocks and place in a basket, bowl or similar. Take turns choosing a rock and describing it using 2-3 adjectives.
Following Directions: Have students color rocks with different colors and patterns and use those for following "conepts" direction activities (e.g., put the small blue block up high and the large striped rock down low).
Craft Salt Dough Fossils: Press toy dinosaurs, shells, or leaves into salt dough to create "fossils."
Popular Children's Books:
If You Find a Rock – Written by Peggy Christian, illustrated by Barbara Hirsch Lember: A poetic exploration of different kinds of rocks and their significance, from skipping stones to lucky rocks. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Let’s Go Rock Collecting – Written by Roma Gans, illustrated by Holly Keller: A beginner’s guide to rock collecting that teaches young readers about different types of rocks and minerals. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth – Written by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen: Ms. Frizzle takes her class on a wild adventure underground, where they explore rock layers, caves, and magma. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Simple Themes That Pack a Playful Punch for April Week 1
From Fun Day to Geologists Day, April Week 1 brings a little bit of everything—crafts, snacks, and silly themes that are perfect for speech therapy. Whether you're working on describing, sequencing, or just having fun in your pajamas, this week’s celebrations make it easy to keep learning fresh.
See More National Day Themes for April:
April National Days Week 2 (April 8 - 14)
April National Days Week 3 (April 15 - 21)
April National Days Week 4+ (April 22 - 30)
Quick Link to View All 12 Months: 10 Reasons to Use National Day Themes for Easy Speech Therapy Planning (each month's themes are noted at the end).
Hi! I'm Shannon, creator of Speech Hamster. If you have found the information in this blog post useful, there's more where that came from! Subscribe to the Speech Hamster Newsletter to gain access to the Free Resource Library; a hub containing a host of National Days downloadable resources and so much more!
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