National Day Themes in April - Week 4+: Creative Ways to Build Language Skills
- shannon | speech hamster
- Apr 20
- 22 min read
Updated: May 3
April may be winding down, but there’s still plenty of excitement to bring into speech therapy. National Days in April Week 4+ is filled with engaging themes that offer fresh opportunities to build language skills, foster conversations, and keep students excited about learning.
Welcome to National Days in April Week #4 and Beyond. Whether you're recognizing hardworking drivers for National Bus Drivers Day on April 25, twisting up some fun with National Pretzel Day on April 26, or celebrating everyday heroes for National Superhero Day on April 28, these playful themes are great ways to keep students engaged as the month wraps up.
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 during the final days 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 1 (April 1 - 7)
April National Days Week 2 (April 8 - 14)
April National Days Week 3 (April 15 - 21)
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 4+
(Month-long Observances: Autism Awareness, Apraxia Awareness)
Date | National Day Quick Links |
April 22 | |
April 23 | |
April 24 | |
April 25 | Bus Drivers Day (4th Tuesday in April) |
April 26 | |
April 27 | |
April 28 | |
April 29 | |
April 30 |
April 22:
🌍 National Earth Day (April 22)
About: Earth Day, first celebrated on April 22, 1970, was created by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson to raise environmental awareness. It has since become a global movement promoting actions like recycling, conserving water, and planting trees.
Fun Facts:
More than 1 billion people in over 190 countries celebrate Earth Day each year.
The first Earth Day helped spark the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Earthworms are considered “nature’s recyclers” because they help break down organic material.
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours.
Trees help clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen.
Articulation:
50 -100 Trials: Download this Earth Day theme sampler page for 50 Trials - 100 Trials Themed 1-2 Player Games. Subscribe to the Speech Hamster Newsletter and grab the larger sports themed freebie that includes "s, z, f, v, k, g" image pages.
Free Printable Resources: Teachers Pay Teachers has a plethora of Earth Day Articulation freebies.
Free Boom Cards: Browse these free Earth Day themed Boom Cards for articulation.
Phonological Awareness:
Syllables: Clap and count syllables in Earth Day related words (e.g., re-use, re-cy-cle, gar-den).
Rhyming: Name rhyming words for Earth Day words like: earth - worth, day - say, dirt - shirt, trash - cash.
Blend or Segment short CVC or CCVC words like “sun,” “plant,” “trash.”
Sound Deletion: practice sound deletion activities with environmental words (e.g., “Say ‘trash’ without the /t/”).
Language:
Action Words: Download this Earth Day Action Words resource to use as a word/definition matching activity.
Follow Directions: Grab Gold Country SLP's free Earth Day Following Complex Directions resource on TpT complete with images and direction lists.
Sequencing: steps to plant a seed or recycle an item.
WH Questions: Ask and answer WH- questions about Earth Day. Download these Earth Day WH Questions to get you started.
Functions: Speech Friend created free Earth Day Functions Boom Cards for vocabulary building.
Boom Cards: Browse these other free Earth Day Boom Cards for speech language therapy.
Earth Craft: Use 1Teaches 2 Learn's free printable Earth Day Craft as an open ended activity.
Popular Children's Books:
The Earth Book – Written and Illustrated by Todd Parr: This colorful and simple book shares easy ways kids can take care of the planet, from using both sides of paper to turning off lights when leaving a room. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth – Written by Mary McKenna Siddals and illustrated by Ashley Wolff: This alphabet book teaches readers what can (and can’t) go into a compost bin, helping young learners understand how to reduce waste and give back to the Earth. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
🍬 National Jelly Bean Day (April 22)
About: National Jelly Bean Day is a fun, unofficial holiday celebrating the sweet, chewy candy loved by all ages. Though its origin is unknown, jelly beans have been popular since the 1800s, especially in the U.S., due to their association with Easter and presidential favorites.
Fun Facts:
Jelly beans were one of the first candies to be sold by weight.
It takes 7–21 days to make a single jelly bean.
There are over 100 different jelly bean flavors, including unusual ones like popcorn and pickle.
President Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans and kept a jar of them on his desk in the White House.
The most popular jelly bean flavor in the U.S. is cherry.
Articulation:
Jelly Bean Jar: Roll a die and say that many target words before adding a jelly bean to a jar. How many jelly beans can each student collect?
Color Coded Articulation: Sort jelly beans by color and match each to a target word (e.g., red = sun, green = sock, yellow = soap, etc.).
100 Trials: Peachie Speechie offers a free 100 Trials Jelly Bean Challenge of Teachers Pay Teachers.
Jelly Bean Graph: Grab Sunshine and Sweetness' free Jelly Bean Graphing Activity and use alongside articulation cards for a fun graphing activity. Assign a number to each jelly bean on the spinner to determine how many words to practice.
Playdough Jelly Beans: Use Sunny Sprouts by Miss Jane's free Jelly Bean Counting Mats and play dough along with articulation cards or word lists as a fun speech therapy activity. Choose a card, practice the same number of words and create the same number of jelly beans with play dough.
Phonological Awareness:
Syllables: Clap and count syllables in jelly bean flavors (e.g., grape, straw-ber-ry, cher-ry).
Rhyming: Draw 10 different colored jelly beans. Assign a sight word for each color. Have students think of rhyming words for each color/sight word.
Sound Matching: Name words that start with the same sound as each color of jelly bean (e.g., red = road, yellow = yes, pink = pig, etc).
Language:
WH Questions: Grab Pinwheel Speech Resources' free Jelly Bean Dice Ice Breaker for answering WH Questions and conversational turn taking.
Following Directions: Use a variety of colors of jelly beans for following directions activities.
Same/Different: Fun in ESCE offers free Same vs. Different Jelly Bean Clip Cards for students to identify "what's different".
Mystery Flavor: Create a blind, taste-test activity to practice turn-taking and descriptive language.
Jelly Bean Graph: Grab Sunshine and Sweetness' free Jelly Bean Graphing Activity and use for reviewing concepts vocabulary (e.g., more, less, equal, same, different, etc).
Reading Comprehension: Shelley Rees has created a FREE Easter Reading Comprehension Passage and Jelly Bean Bookmarks resource on TpT.
Jelly Bean Experiment: Make predictions and observe the outcome of adding water to jelly beans using My Day in K's free Jelly Bean Experiment on TpT.
Popular Children's Books:
Jack and the Jellybean Stalk – Written by Rachael Mortimer and Illustrated by Liz Pichon: Jack and the Beanstalk with a delicious twist. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
How Many Jellybeans? – Written by Andrea Menotti: How many jelly beans are enough? How many are too many? Aiden and Emma can't decide. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
April 23:
🧺 National Picnic Day (April 23)
About: Picnic Day celebrates the simple joy of eating outdoors and spending time in nature with family and friends. While the exact origin is unclear, the tradition dates back to the 18th century and continues as a beloved spring and summer activity.
Fun Facts:
The word “picnic” comes from the French word pique-nique.
In the 1800s, picnics were elaborate meals with multiple courses.
Ants are frequent but uninvited picnic guests.
Articulation:
Picnic Time Game: DE Speechie has created a open-ended picnic theme game that could be used ofr articulation and so much more. Grab the Picnic Time Game Freebie on TpT.
Hide and Find: Hide a picture of a picnic treat under one of five articulation cards. Students practice words while searching for the food item.
Teddy Bear Picnic: Sandy's Learning Reef created this free R Controlled Vowels Teddy Bear's activity/game board on TpT.
Food Puzzles: Use Simply Special Ed's free picnic themed Cut and Paste Fine Motor Puzzles on TpT as an articulation activity. Cut apart the puzzles and place all of the pieces in a basket. Students roll a die and practice the same number of target words then choose the same number of puzzle pieces from the basket. Who will be the first to collect all four pieces to a puzzle?
Phonological Awareness:
Syllables: Clap and count syllables in picnic-related words (e.g., wa-ter-mel-on, cook-ie, bas-ket).
Sound Sort: Sort food picture cards by beginning sounds.
Blend or Segment simple words like “grape,” “cup,” or “bug.”
Sound Deletion: Play a sound-deletion game with food names (e.g., “Say ‘plate’ without /p/”).
Language:
Descriptive Words: Use food cards and have students describe them using sensory words (e.g., crunchy, cold, sweet).
Follow Directions: Give/Receive directions for setting up a pretend picnic with visuals or mini objects.
Categories: Sort picnic items into categories: food (fruits, vegies, etc), utensils, activities.
Auditory Processing: Jenn Alcorn created a free Picnic Categories resource (TpT) that can be used for a "What Does Not Belong?" auditory processing activity.
Boom Cards: Browse these free picnic themed Boom Cards on Boom Learning.
Popular Children's Books:
The Teddy Bear's Picnic – Written by Jimmy Kennedy and illustrated by Alexandra Day: A musical rhyme that takes readers on a playful journey as teddy bears enjoy an adventurous day in the woods with music, games, and a grand feast. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
We're Going on a Picnic! – Written and illustrated by Pat Hutchins: Three animals pack a picnic and set off to find the perfect spot—but along the way, their food keeps disappearing. This fun, repetitive story is great for predicting and sequencing. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
April 24:
📝 National Bucket List Day (April 24)
About: Bucket List Day encourages people to think about the experiences or goals they want to achieve in their lifetime. The idea was popularized by the 2007 film The Bucket List, which inspired people to reflect on personal dreams and adventures.
Fun Facts:
The term "bucket list" comes from the phrase “kick the bucket.”
Common bucket list items include skydiving, travel, and learning new skills.
Keeping a bucket list can help with goal-setting and motivation.
Articulation:
Brainstorm and Highlight: Review and discuss the definition of a "bucket list". Have students brainstorm goals they may have for things they would like to accomplish. Review the list and highlight any target sound included on the list.
Word List: Create a “bucket list” of words with target sounds—students pull cards from a mini bucket and say each word multiple times.
Sentence Starters: Use themed sentence starters like “One day I want to…” to embed target sounds/words in connected speech.
Bucket List Craft: Download this free Bucket List for Speech & Language activity. Add student goals to the stars and hearts and glue onto the bucket. This is a good time of year to review speech-language targets and create a "bucket list" of goals for finishing out the year strong.
Phonological Awareness:
Rhyming Wish List: Start a "bucket list" wish list (e.g., Fly on a plane) and have the next person change the wish to something that rhymes with "plane" (e.g., Drive a train, Buy a cane, Fix a drain, Watch it rain, etc.). Repeat to see how many wishes /rhymes can be added to the rhyming wish list.
Syllables: Clap and count syllables in goal-related words (e.g., fly, climb, trav-el, par-a-chute, sky-di-ving).
Segment/Blend: Segment "goal related" words by sounds (e.g., h-i-ke, c-a-m-p, f-l-y) and have students blend them.
Language:
Describing: brainstorm and describe dream activities using action words, tools needed, and locations.
Categories: Sort dream activities by category (e.g., travel, food, learning/growth, hobbies).
Following Directions: Follow step-by-step directions to create a craft-based bucket list. Use the bucket list craft listed above under Articulation to decorate bucket page with dream words listed on the hearts and stars shapes.
WH- questions: ask/answer WH questions about personal goals or imagined adventures.
Summer Bucket List: There are so many free "summer bucket list" resources on TpT. Check them out for inspiration.
Popular Children's Books:
What Do You Do With a Chance? – Written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Mae Besom: A young child explores what happens when they take a chance, miss an opportunity, and finally find the courage to try again. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
The Thing Lou Couldn't Do – Written and Illustrated by Ashley Spires: Lou and her friends love adventures, but when climbing a tree feels too hard, Lou must figure out how to face something she’s never done before. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
April 25:
🚌 National Bus Drivers Day (Fourth Tuesday of April)
About: Also known as National School Bus Drivers Day, this day was created to honor the hard work and dedication of school bus drivers who safely transport students each day. It’s typically observed during the fourth week of April.
Fun Facts:
The first school bus was horse-drawn and appeared in the 1820s.
There are more than 480,000 school buses in the U.S.
School buses are yellow because yellow is easy to see in early morning light.
Articulation:
Bus Activity Mats: Grab Mrs. Jackson's Little Learners free School Bus Visual Discrimination Pattern Activity Cards for students to complete as they practice their target sounds.
Coloring Dot Pages: Roll dice, Practice the same number of target words then fill in the same number of dots on Kid Sparkz' bus theme Dot Marker Printable Page (TpT).
Open Ended Bus - Stop Card Game: Play this free Bus Stop Open Ended Card Game. This deck includes 30 bus cards and 6 stop sign cards. Students take turns saying how many cards they want to flip over (up to five) then practice the same number of speech targets. If bus cards are flipped, the student keeps them. If a stop sign is flipped at any point in their turn, all the cards for that turn move to a discard pile. Goal: Who can collect the most buses?
Digital Boom Cards:
School Bus Speech, a free digital activity for /ch/ created by Little Speech Shop on Boom Learning.
Back to School Articulation Memory Game, a free digital activity for /k/ created by Pinwheel Speech Products on Boom Learning.
Find the School Bus ($): View my Find the School Bus articulation activity for 21 phoneme targets on Boom Learning.
Digital Boom™ Cards Articulation Activity
Phonological Awareness:
Bus Parts: Grab Mrs. Speech's free Beginning-Middle-End Bus on TpT to use for sorting sounds in words.
Rhyming: Name words that rhyme with bus, stop, sit, door, tire, drive, etc.
Language:
Following Directions: Use a toy bus and toy people or animals as a following directions activity using concept words such as first, next, in back, in front, behind, between, etc.
Digital Boom Cards: Nicole T the SLP has created a free Open the Bus Door activity for naming pets (who are hiding behind the door).
Bus Driver Appreciation: Browse these free school bus driver appreciation activities/resources on TpT.
Bus Safety: Use this free Bus Safety Word Search created by First Tries and Sunny Skies (TpT) for teaching bus safety vocabulary.
Narratives: Create an adventure story about a bus driver who comes across a problem and needs to find a solution. You can download and follow the outline from this Let's Tell a Fairy Tale resource following the Story Grammar Marker® components.
Popular Children's Books:
The Yellow Bus – Written and illustrated by Loren Long: An old school bus feels forgotten as newer vehicles take over its route, but when the community restores and repurposes it, the bus finds a meaningful role again. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! – Written and illustrated by Mo Willems: A bus driver steps away, and a pigeon tries everything to convince the reader to let him drive. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
🐧 World Penguin Day (April 25)
About: World Penguin Day coincides with the annual northward migration of Adélie penguins in Antarctica. It’s a day to raise awareness about penguin conservation and celebrate these unique flightless birds.
Fun Facts:
There are 18 different species of penguins.
Penguins can swim up to 15 miles per hour.
Unlike most birds, penguins have solid bones to help them dive.
Articulation:
Feed a Penguin: Use Carrie Manchester's Feed the Penguin Bilabial CV, CVC, CVCV resource (TpT) in multiple ways. She offers "blank" fish cards that could be used in an open-ended way. Cut around the penguin's mouth and attach to a tissue box (or similar). Add paperclips to the fish and use a magnet want to go fishing!
Penguin Puzzles: Use Prince Padania's free Penguins Pattern Block Puzzles during articulation practice. Assign words to each pattern block shape (not included).
Penguin Waddle: tape articulation cards onto beanbags. Have students practice the word as they balance a beanbag on their head while waddling like a penguin across the room to drop it into a bucket.
Free Resources on TpT: There are so many penguin themed articulation freebies on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Phonological Awareness:
Syllables: Clap and count syllables in penguin-related words (e.g., pen-guin, ice-berg, wa-ter, fish, arc-tic).
Rhyming: Match or create rhyming pairs like “cold–gold”, "ice–nice" “fish–dish.” Or grab Sarah Escamilla's free Perfect Penguin Pairs rhyming activity on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Blend and Segment simple words like “swim,” “snow,” or “chill.”
Sound Substitution: Play a sound substitution game (e.g., change the /p/ in “penguin” to /t/—what word do you get?).
Language:
Following Directions: Have students complete a penguin scene or coloring page while following directions. Even better, Grab Sippin Speech's free Handprint Penguin Craft (TpT) complete with visual directions or create a Toilet Paper Penguin Craft as shown on Ducks 'n a Row's blog post.
Vocabulary: Use Spirit-Filled Montessori's free Penguin Lifecycle Spinner Wheel craft to teach vocabulary or sequencing.
Categories / Divergent Naming: Make a list of other arctic animals.
Narrative: Tell a story about a penguin who goes on an unexpected adventure. You can download and follow the outline from this Let's Tell a Fairy Tale resource following the Story Grammar Marker® components.
Live Cam: Students can watch a penguin live cam from the San Diego Zoo and describe what they see.
Popular Children's Books:
Penguin Problems – Written by Jory John and illustrated by Lane Smith: A grumpy penguin complains about everything from the cold to noisy neighbors, but eventually gains a new perspective. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
If You Were A Penguin – Written and Illustrated by Wendall and Florence Minor: This simple, rhyming book introduces readers to penguin traits, habitats, and behaviors with playful text and colorful illustrations. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
April 26:
🥨 National Pretzel Day (April 26)
About: National Pretzel Day originated in Pennsylvania in 2003 to celebrate this salty snack’s rich history. Pretzels are believed to have been invented by monks as early as 610 A.D.
Fun Facts:
The largest pretzel ever made weighed over 800 pounds.
The word “pretzel” comes from the Latin word bracellae, meaning “little arms.”
The looped shape is said to resemble folded arms in prayer.
Articulation:
Pretzel Craft: Use large or small pretzel sticks to build a "log cabin" or any other design while practicing target words. Use a die to determine how many words to practice and how many sticks to use for each turn. Grab Ashley Yarbrough's free Build a Log Cabin Project on TpT for inspiration.
Pretzel Art: Practice target words before adding “salt” (i.e., cotton, pom-poms or paper dots) to a pretzel picture. Download and use this free My Pretzel Craft open ended resource.
Following Directions: Make following directions even more fun with this free, yummy printable Pretzel Flower Visual Recipe resource by Live Love Speech (TpT). In addition, try her free digital Boom Cards version for working on a variety of language targets (Boom Learning).
Describing: Have students describe the 5 senses of a pretzel using Adrianne Hakhanson's free Pretzel Taste Test page on TpT.
Popular Children's Books:
Walter the Baker – Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle: Walter, a royal baker, must invent a new kind of roll—and ends up creating the very first pretzel. This imaginative tale explains a fictional origin of pretzels and is great for sequencing and retell. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
The Talented Pretzel – Written by Megan Morales and illustrated by Amanda Lecher: Pretzel Peyton feels untalented as her class prepares for a big talent show, but she discovers her strength lies in helping others. Through acts of kindness, she learns that being supportive is a talent all its own. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
April 27:
🍬 National Gummi Bear Day (April 27)
About: Gummi Bear Day honors the sweet, chewy candy originally invented by German confectioner Hans Riegel in the 1920s. The treat became popular worldwide through the brand Haribo.
Fun Facts:
The original gummi bear was inspired by trained dancing bears.
Gummi bears come in more than 20 flavors.
They’re used in art, baking, and even science experiments.
It takes about 3–5 days to make a single gummi bear.
There’s a giant gummi bear that weighs over 5 pounds and contains more than 6,000 calories!
Articulation Snacks: Roll a die and say that many target words before picking a gummi bear to snack on. Yum-o-licious!
100 Trials: Peachie Speechie created a free 100 Trials Gummi Bear Challenge (TpT).
Practice, Sort & Graph: Sort & Graph gummy bears while practicing speech or language targets. Focus on concept words like most, least, equal, etc. Grab Sarah Chesworth's free Gummy Bear Graphing activity.
Following Directions: Have students follow directions by placing gummi bears in patterns or groups.
Narratives: Create a story about a gummi bear that comes to life and goes on a silly journey. You can download and follow the outline from this Let's Tell a Fairy Tale resource following the Story Grammar Marker® components.
Create Your Own Activity: If you enjoy creating activities, grab Tree House Studio's Gummy Bears Clip Art (TpT)
Science Experiments: Browse through some of the free Gummi Bear Experiment resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Popular Children's Books:
The Gummi Bear Counting Book – Written by Lindley Boegehold: This bright, engaging book helps young readers count from 1 to 10 using colorful gummi bears using simple rhyming text and bold illustrations. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
📖 National Tell a Story Day (April 27)
About: Tell a Story Day celebrates the art of storytelling, whether oral, written, or read aloud. Observed in the U.S. and U.K., it encourages people to share original tales or favorite books.
Fun Facts:
Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication.
Fairy tales were originally passed down by word of mouth.
Listening to stories helps develop vocabulary, comprehension and imagination.
Many cultures have storytelling festivals where tales are shared through music, puppetry, or theater.
Interview: Interview your students to get some information about some of their favorite things then create a story about them using this information. Use this simple Student Interview & Storytelling Outline to get started.
Story Dice: Use story dice or cards with target sound images to create a sentence or mini story.
Story Starters: Use picture cards or some of these free* story starter resources on Teachers Pay Teachers to get the creative juices flowing. Take turns adding to a story and see how the story evolves.
Boom Cards: Have students retell stories or use the picture scenes from Language Speech and Literacy's free Telling Short Stories: My New Puppy or Speech and Language at Home's Free Sequencing Cards (Boom Learning).
Story Telling Resources on TpT: Browse these free elementary-age story telling resources on TpT.
Make Paper Bag Puppets, Masks and Props: Its' amazing what puppets and props will do to get your students engaged in storytelling. The bonus is the actual making of the puppets and props involves so much language!
Bookmark Worthy Online Resource: As mentioned earlier, be sure to bookmark booksharetime.com. It hosts an insane amount of children's book titles with amazing filters for finding the perfect books to support any of your speech and language targets.
Popular Children's Books:
Rocket Writes a Story – Written and Illustrated by Tad Hill: Rocket the dog loves books and decides to write his own story. With help from a yellow bird and a shy owl, Rocket learns that stories come from curiosity and connection. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
Ralph Tells a Story – Written and Illustrated by Abby Hanlon: Ralph thinks he has nothing to write about—until he realizes the small things in his life make great stories. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
Journey – Written and Illustrated by Aaron Becker: A wordless picture story following a girl who draws a magic door and embarks on a fantastical adventure. It’s ideal for building narrative skills, describing, retelling and lends itself for leading discussions. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
April 28:
🦸 National Superhero Day (April 28)
About: Superhero Day was started in 1995 by employees at Marvel Comics to recognize both fictional superheroes and real-life heroes who make a difference. It's become a popular day in schools and communities to dress up and celebrate bravery.
Fun Facts:
Superman first appeared in 1938.
Batman has no superpowers—his strength comes from his intelligence and training.
Many superheroes were created during wartime to inspire hope.
Kids often identify parents, teachers, and first responders as their real-life superheroes.
Superhero Names: Have students create superhero (and/or sidekick) names for themselves. Download this free Superhero Name Generator open ended dice rolling game for speech therapy (dice not included).
CV Patterns: Use Speech Therapy Plans' free Apraxia Build a Superhero Game (TpT) when targeting CV, VC, CVC, CVCV and CVCVC patterns.
Comic Book Companion: Grab Ashley Egger's free Comic Book Companion activity for speech and language therapy (TpT). *check out her articulation comic books ($) while you're at it!
Syllables/Phonological Awareness: Clap and count syllables in superhero names (e.g., Bat-man, Spi-der-man, Won-der Wom-an).
Building Words: How many words can your students create using the letters from SUPERHERO?
Free Boom Cards: Browse through these free superhero boom cards activities marked for speech therapy on Boom Learning.
Free Resources on TpT: here are some freebies to consider -
Superhero Sentence Comprehension created by Speech Time Fun.
Superhero Spatial Concepts from Speech Language Lady
Superhero Listening for Language by K Ratliff
Speech Therapy Super Language (Mats) created by Shelley SLP
Superhero Sorting by Category from Violet Visuals
Roll a Story: Superhero Edition from Primarily Speaking by Aimee Salazar
and so much more!
Superhero Obstacle Course: Set up a simple obstacle course where each “mission” is linked to a speech or language task. Students pretend to be superheroes completing challenges to save the day—building motivation, movement, and practice into one fun session! Here are some set up ideas:
Cushions or spots to hop between buildings
Tunnel or blanket fort to crawl through a cave
Hula hoop as a “laser ring” to jump through
Mask or cape station to “power up”
Paper flames or villains to knock over with beanbags
Speech cards hidden along the course
Superhero mission signs (e.g., "Rescue the Puppy! Say 5 /s/ words first!")
Superhero Masks: Download the free printable Superhero Mask Templates from FirstPalette.com.
Popular Children's Books:
Even Superheroes Have Bad Days – Written by Shelly Becker and illustrated by Eda Kaban: This playful book shows how superheroes manage big feelings in healthy ways. It’s great for building emotional vocabulary and self-regulation strategies. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
10 Rules of Being a Superhero – Written by Deb Pilutti: A young boy explains the essential rules of being a great superhero—from always responding to a call for help to cleaning up messes. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
April 29:
🧷 National Zipper Day (April 29)
About: Zipper Day marks the 1913 patent of the modern zipper by Gideon Sundback. It celebrates the invention that made fastening clothing, bags, and more quick and easy.
Fun Facts:
The original name for the zipper was “hookless fastener.”
Zippers are used in many things from jackets to space suits.
Japan produces 90% of the world’s zippers.
Vocabulary: Have students name as many items as they can that include zippers (e.g., jacket, jeans, lunchbox, backpack, coat pockets, pencil pouches, etc.).
Zipper "Z" Craft 1: Take a look at this Lower Case Letter Z zipper craft on From ABC to ACTS' blog post. Have students complete speech/language tasks then collect the small construction paper "teeth" strips to add to the zipper craft.
Zipper "Z" Craft 2: Watch this Zipper Craft video (YouTube). Instead of drawing out the zipper strips, use strips from graph paper and after each speech trial mark the graph paper as a way to outline the zipper's teeth.
What’s in the Zipper Pouch?: Students take turns either describing or guessing describe mystery objects placed into a zipper pouch (or similar).
Zip Up Words: Play word blending games - Segment words by individual sounds and have students "zip up" the sounds by saying the complete word (e.g., "Zip up this word: b-a-t").
Word Search: Grab Puzzles to Play's Zipper Word Search on TpT.
Popular Children's Books:
A Pocket for Corduroy – Written and Illustrated by Don Freeman: Corduroy the bear searches for a pocket, leading him on an unexpected adventure. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
Snackasaurus! – Written by Georgie Taylor: This board book invites readers into a prehistoric adventure with a dinosaur who loves snacks. The wobbly eyes and zipper mouth add a fun twist to the reading experience. 📖 [Amazon Link]
April 30:
🌈 National Tie Dye Day (April 30)
About: Tie Dye Day celebrates the colorful, creative art of tie-dyeing, which became popular in the U.S. in the 1960s. The day encourages artistic expression and bright, bold fun.
Fun Facts:
Tie-dye has roots in ancient Asia and Africa.
Tie-dye became a fashion trend in the 1960s and was associated with peace and freedom.
No two tie-dye patterns are ever exactly alike.
The most common tie-dye colors are rainbow, blue, and spiral designs.
Tie Dye Open Ended Game: Download this free Tie Dye My Shirt open ended activity for speech and language as a fun way for students to complete high repetitions for their speech or language tasks.
Color Rhyming Pairs: Create rhyming pairs with color names or tie-dye verbs (e.g., red–bed, blue–glue, dye–sky, shirt–dirt, swirl–girl, band–sand).
How To Tie Dye: If you're feeling inspired, grab Ms. Quarter's Corner's How to Tie Dye a Shirt for visual instructions.
Tie Dye Butterfly Craft: View Creative Lesson Plan's Coffee Filter Butterflies craft (TpT) and use as a following directions activity.
Tie Dye Toss: Follow the Coffee Filter Butterflies craft (above) but leave the coffee filters open as a circle. Once dried, have students practice target words while tossing a beanbag to try to get it onto a tie dyed circle.
Popular Children's Books:
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes – Written by Eric Litwin and illustrated by James Dean: Pete’s white shoes change colors as he steps into different things, but he doesn’t let it ruin his day. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
The Day the Crayons Quit – Written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers: A collection of hilarious letters from crayons expressing their complaints, wishes, and personalities. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
April Week 4: A Colorful Close to the Month
The final week of April is packed with fun and relatable themes that will keep your speech therapy sessions both creative and low-prep. Whether you're sorting sweets on Jellybean Day, waddling into animal facts for Penguin Day, or building narratives for Tell a Story Day, these activities offer endless opportunities for engaging and meaningful language work.
See More National Day Themes for April:
April National Days Week 1 (April 1 - 7)
April National Days Week 2 (April 8 - 14)
April National Days Week 3 (April 15 - 21)
➜ or see what's ahead in May Week 1
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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