National Day Themes in May - Week 4+: Meaningful Ways to Target Language Goals
- shannon | speech hamster
- May 21
- 20 min read
Updated: Jun 1
May 22 - 31
May isn’t done yet! The last week (and a little extra) is packed with relatable, engaging, conversation - ready themes that keep speech and language goals front and center. From solving mysteries to turtles and creative tools, this final round of activities is all about finishing strong—and keeping the learning playful.
Welcome to National Days in May Week 4 and Beyond! From mystery-solving fun on National Sherlock Holmes Day (May 22) to airborne creations on National Paper Airplane Day (May 26) and feathered flair on World Parrot Day (May 31), this final lineup brings playful twists to your sessions. These lighthearted themes are perfect for keeping students engaged while continuing to target meaningful speech and language goals.
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 fourth week in May and beyond. To avoid scrolling fatigue, use the quick links to view activity ideas and book suggestions for each theme.
View other weeks in May:
May National Days Week 1 (May 1 - 7)
May National Days Week 2 (May 8 - 14)
May National Days Week 3 (May 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.
May National Days Week 4+
Welcome to Better Hearing and Speech Month!
Date | National Day Quick Links |
May 22 | |
May 23 | |
May 24 | |
May 25 | |
May 26 | |
May 27 | |
May 28 | |
May 29 | |
May 30 | |
May 31 |
May 22:
🕵️ National Sherlock Holmes Day (May 22)
About: National Sherlock Holmes Day celebrates the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the iconic fictional detective. Known for his sharp mind, magnifying glass, and mysterious cases, Sherlock Holmes inspires curiosity and critical thinking—making him the perfect companion for a problem-solving themed speech session.
Fun Facts:
Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print in 1887 in A Study in Scarlet.
He’s been portrayed by more than 75 actors, including Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch.
The address 221B Baker Street in London, Holmes’ fictional home, is now a museum.
Holmes never actually said, “Elementary, my dear Watson” in any of the original stories!
Sleuthing Speech Game: Hide a riddle/clue along with articulation cards inside envelopes around the room and have students practice their target sounds and solve the mystery riddle.
20 Questions: Choose a mystery item and give one clue (e.g., "It's something you use at school"). Students take turns asking yes/no questions (e.g., “Is it something you can hold?” “Does it make noise?”). How many questions will it take to get to the answer?
Inferencing: Browse free inferencing resources on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Mystery bag: Use clues to help students infer what’s hidden in a bag or inside a mystery box.
I Spy Articulation: Browse the free I Spy Articulation Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers or the free I Spy Articulation Boom Cards on Boom Learning
Detective Dan Boom Cards: While these blog posts mainly include free resources, I could not leave out the Detective Dan Boom Cards digital activities. These escape room style speech and language activities are quite popular with early elementary students:
Detective Dan Boom Cards are digital escape room style activities for speech and language. Popular Children's Books:
The Detective Dog – Written by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie: Detective Dog Nell loves sniffing out clues—but what she loves even more is the smell of books. When the library books go missing from school, Nell follows her nose and helps track down the surprising culprit. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Hailey Haddie’s Minute Mysteries – Written by Juliet Klosterman, illustrated by Greg Arvanitakis: Hailey Haddie is a quick-thinking kid detective who solves mini mysteries in just one minute each. With every case, readers sharpen their own observation and reasoning skills alongside her clever clues and conclusions. 📖 [Amazon Link]
The Leaf Thief – Written by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater: Squirrel is convinced someone is stealing the leaves from his tree, and he sets out to catch the culprit. With the help of his calm friend Bird, Squirrel learns that the changing seasons—not a sneaky thief—are to blame. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
May 23:
🍀 National Lucky Penny Day (May 23)
About: National Lucky Penny Day celebrates the small copper coin often linked to luck, wishes, and surprises. This lighthearted theme is a great springboard for practicing descriptive language, making comparisons, and building narrative skills.
Fun Facts:
The first U.S. penny was minted in 1793 and was much larger than today’s version.
Finding a penny heads-up is considered good luck—tails-up is said to bring the opposite!
Abraham Lincoln has been on the penny since 1909.
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!
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.
Following Directions: Set up a "Penny Hunt" where students follow multi-step directions to find hidden pennies.
Listening Comprehension: Browse these free Penny Pusher Listening Comprehension Activities by K Ratliff on Teachers Pay Teachers.
"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]
Benny’s Pennies – Written by Pat Brisson, illustrated by Bob Barner: Benny has five pennies and uses each one to do something kind for a family member.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
🐢 World Turtle Day (May 23)
About: World Turtle Day raises awareness about turtles and tortoises, celebrating their unique traits and the need to protect their habitats.
Fun Facts:
Some turtles can live for over 100 years.
A group of turtles is called a “bale.”
Turtles have no teeth—but their beaks are strong enough to crush food.
All tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises!
Slow and Steady Turtle Race: Use green tokens (pom poms, mini erasers, etc.) as turtles with any of your favorite board games. Practice target words or complete language tasks with each turn. The turtle twist —slow and steady wins the race because the last turtle to cross the finish line wins!
Turtle Articulation Craftivity : Use From the Pond's free Turtle Fraction Craft and write in target words instead of fractions for a fun craftivity.
Turtle Life Cycle: View the free Sea Turtle Life Cycle printable by K-2 Guru on TpT or Mind Labrynith's free Sea Turtle Life Cycle Matching Boom Cards activity on Boom Learning.
Turtle Flashcards for "F" and "V": Grab Carly Fowler's free Articulation /f/ and /v/ Turtles on TpT. Print duplicates and use as a matching game.
Turtle Boom Cards: Check out Louder than Words' free Hatching Sea Turtles articulation activity for /f/. Move the eggs to reveal sea turtles while practicing target words.
Open-Ended Coloring Page: Use Mrs. Arnolds Art Room's Save the Turtles coloring page as an open-ended coloring activity for individual or group sessions.
Compare and Contrast: Discuss the similarities & differences of turtles and tortoises.
Turtle Facts - True or False?: Test your student's knowledge about turtles with these true/false questions:
Turtles are reptiles (true)
Turtles can take off their shells and grow new ones (false)
All turtles live in water (false)
Some turtles can live to be over 100 years old (true)
Turtles have teeth to chew their food (false, they have beaks)
Turtles lay their eggs in nexts on the ground (true)
The word for a group of turtles is a "bale" (true)
Turtles can only live in warm climates (false, some hibernate in cold areas)
Sea turtles come back to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs (true)
All turtles are slow (false, sea turtles swim quickly in water)
Popular Children's Books:
Yoshi, Sea Turtle Genius – Written by Lynne Cox, illustrated by Richard Jones: After being rescued from a fishing line injury, Yoshi the sea turtle is cared for at an aquarium for over 20 years. When she’s finally released, she amazes scientists by swimming more than 22,000 miles across the ocean—proving just how smart and strong sea turtles really are. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Foolish Tortoise – Written by Richard Buckley, illustrated by Eric Carle: A tortoise decides to leave his shell behind, but soon learns why he needs it. A simple story about consequences, emotions, and protective structures.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
May 24:
🔍 National Scavenger Hunt Day (May 24)
About: National Scavenger Hunt Day celebrates curiosity, problem-solving, and adventure. Whether indoors or outdoors, a scavenger hunt is a fun and flexible way to target a wide range of speech and language goals through movement, observation, and conversation.
Fun Facts:
Scavenger hunts date back to the 1930s and were originally used as party games.
The word “scavenger” comes from “scavage,” meaning to search or gather.
Modern scavenger hunts can include photos, checklists, riddles, or clues.
They're often used in team-building, classrooms, and even museums!
Speech Sound Hunt: Hide articulation cards around the room. Students find a card and say the word 3–5 times. Attach a puzzle piece to the back of each articulation card for students to assemble.
WH Question Clue Trail: Create a simple trail of WH questions that guide students from one clue to the next. Gather photos/images of familiar items and ask questions that lead students to the photo. Example, start with the question:
What do you wear on your feet when you go outside? (shoes)
(on the backside of the shoes photo place another sticky note question)
Where do you go to find lots of books? (library)
Who brings letters and packages to your house? (mail carrier)
When do you know it's time for lunch at school? (clock)
Why do we use a pencil instead of a pen when we're learning? (eraser)
What do you use to see better if something is far away? (binoculars)
Where do you keep your toothbrush? (bathroom)
Who helps keep your school clean? (janitor/custodian)
Language Item Hunt: Give students a list of categories (e.g., something soft, something blue) to find and describe the function of the item.
Descriptive Clue Game: Give clues that describe an object in the room—students guess and locate it. Take turns giving clues and guessing items.
I Spy Articulation: Browse the free I Spy Articulation Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers or the free I Spy Articulation Boom Cards on Boom Learning
Popular Children's Books:
We're Going on a Bear Hunt – Written by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury: A rhythmic and repetitive story about a family’s adventurous journey through various obstacles. Great for sequencing, vocabulary, and sound effects.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping – Written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt: Scaredy Squirrel goes on a scavenger-style camping adventure and learns that exploring isn't so scary.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resource on TpT]
The Ultimate Book of Scavenger Hunts – Written by Stacy Tornio: This interactive guide is packed with over 60 creative scavenger hunt ideas for indoors, outdoors, nature walks, road trips, and more. With playful prompts and themed lists, it’s a great resource for encouraging movement, observation, and language-rich conversations. 📖 [Amazon Link]
May 25:
🛁 National Towel Day (May 25)
About: National Towel Day honors the life and legacy of author Douglas Adams, best known for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In the book, towels are presented as the most essential travel item—and this quirky holiday has become a fun excuse to celebrate imagination, everyday objects, and sci-fi silliness.
Fun Facts:
The towel tribute began in 2001, two weeks after Adams’ death.
In The Hitchhiker’s Guide, a towel is said to be “about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.”
Fans around the world carry towels with them on May 25.
The term "throw in the towel" originated with boxing and means to give up or surrender.
Towel Talk Descriptions: Show towels with different textures, sizes, and colors. Have students describe each one using adjectives or compare them.
WH Question Tubes: Roll up questions and place them in paper towel tubes for students to choose.
Pack a Towel Bag Activity: Students decide what else they’d pack with their towel for a silly adventure - taking turns adding one more item to their travel bag.
In my bag I would pack a towel.
In my bag I would pack a towel and a toothbrush.
In my bag I would pack a towel, a toothbrush and a swimsuit...
Following Directions Towel Fold: Give step-by-step directions for folding or stacking towels. Watch how to fold towel a swan.
Not a Towel: Much like the Not a Stick and Not a Box books, have students create other uses for a towel (e.g., cape, sail, magic carpet, etc.)
Popular Children's Books:
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale – Written and illustrated by Mo Willems: A trip to the laundromat goes wrong when Trixie’s stuffed bunny gets left behind. Funny, relatable, and full of expressive faces for practicing emotions and storytelling.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
Harry the Dirty Dog – Written by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham: Harry hides from bath time, gets very dirty, and returns home unrecognizable. Perfect for discussing routines, cause and effect, and comparing before/after.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms? – Written by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague: This playful board book shows messy dinosaurs stomping, hiding toys, and making excuses—before turning it around and helping clean up. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
May 26:
✈️ National Paper Airplane Day (May 26)
About: National Paper Airplane Day celebrates the simple joy of folding and flying paper planes—a favorite pastime that combines creativity, engineering, and just a bit of competition. In speech therapy, this theme is perfect for hands-on learning, action verbs, and imaginative storytelling.
Fun Facts:
The longest recorded paper airplane flight was 226 feet and 10 inches.
Paper planes are often used to introduce basic physics concepts like lift and drag.
The Guinness World Record for time aloft is 29.2 seconds.
Leonardo da Vinci sketched early concepts of flying machines hundreds of years ago.
Fold & Fly Instructions: Target following directions and sequencing as students fold their own paper planes. This HGTV paper airplane tutorial shows a variety of ways of folding.
Plane Sound Targets: Write speech sound words on the wings. Say the word before flying the plane toward a target zone.
WH Flight Path: Place WH questions on landing zones—wherever the plane lands, answer that question.
Compare Flights: Compare different paper plane styles and their flight performance to introduce comparison language.
Open Ended Roll & Launch Dice Game: Roll a die, complete the corresponding number of tasks, then launch your plane. Optional: measure and record the distance!
Free Resources on TpT: There are so many free paper airplane resources to browse through on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Popular Children's Books:
The Great Paper Caper – Written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers: When trees begin disappearing in the forest, the animals launch a full investigation to find out who’s behind the puzzling paper theft. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Violet the Pilot – Written and illustrated by Steve Breen: A young inventor builds her own aircraft and enters a flying contest. Encourages themes of perseverance, STEM vocabulary, and narrative structure. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Rosie Revere, Engineer – Written by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts: Rosie builds flying contraptions but is afraid of failure—until she learns mistakes are part of the process. Ideal for encouraging creativity and expressing ideas. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
May 27:
➿ National Cellophane Tape Day (May 27)
About: National Cellophane Tape Day celebrates that sticky little strip we all rely on for wrapping, fixing, and creating. It’s the perfect theme for hands-on speech therapy sessions focused on sequencing, problem-solving, and describing everyday tools with big language potential.
Fun Facts:
Cellophane tape was invented in the 1930s by a 3M engineer named Richard Drew.
It was originally created to seal cellophane food wrappers—hence the name!
In WWII, it was used to seal ammunition cases and fix windows.
The term “Scotch tape” is a brand name that’s often used generically.
Fix-It Language Challenge: Present “broken” paper items and have students describe how they would use tape to fix them.
WH Question Tape Pull: Tape WH question strips to the table—students peel one up and answer it.
Stuck Sound Match: Tape articulation cards under the table or on walls. Students feel to find and say their target sounds.
Compare Tools: Compare tape to glue, staples, or paper clips—discuss function, texture, and use.
Following Directions Craft: Use tape to build a simple shape, fix a torn item, or tape together two pieces as part of a multi-step direction.
Roll & Stick Dice Game: Roll a die, complete the speech or language task that number of times, then add a piece of washi tape to “complete” a picture or craft.
Popular Children's Books:
Tap Tap Bang Bang – Written and illustrated by Emma Garcia: This colorful book introduces various tools and their sounds, including tape. A great introduction to functional vocabulary and verbs.📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Beautiful Oops! – Written and illustrated by Barney Saltzberg: A joyful reminder that mistakes can become creative opportunities—ideal for language around cause/effect and problem-solving. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Melissa & Doug Tape Activity Book: includes 4 rolls of easy-tear tape and 20 reusable pages. [Amazon Link]
May 28:
🍔 National Hamburger Day (May 28)
About: National Hamburger Day is a juicy celebration of one of America’s favorite foods. Whether real or pretend, burgers make a great theme for building language through sequencing, describing, and pretend play—layered with opportunities for articulation and vocabulary.
Fun Facts:
The hamburger likely originated in the late 1800s and was named after Hamburg, Germany.
The world’s largest hamburger weighed over 2,000 pounds.
Americans eat more than 50 billion burgers each year.
The most popular burger topping in the U.S. is cheese.
Articulation: Grab Dawn Speech Therapy's free Burger Flipping /s/ blend activity for initial and final word position practice - OR - Fun in Speech's free burger themed Articulation Spinner Worksheets.
Build a Burger: I created this free Build a Burger Sequencing Activity you can find on TpT or in my Free Resource Library (see bottom of blog to subscribe).
Use it with one or more of the following activities:
Burger Sequencing /Auditory Recall Activity: Describe how to make a burger by naming a sequence of toppings for students to recall as they build the burger with the flash cards. Start with sequencing 2-3 items and build to 7-8 items.
Articulation Roll & Grill Dice Game: Roll a die, say a target word that many times, and add the same number of items to your burger bun. How many layers can you add to your burger before topping it off with a bun?
WH Question Toppings: Tape WH questions to the backside of the toppings cards. As students build their burger, they answer a question for each layer.
Categories: The Speech Bubble offers a free Build-a-Burger Categories resource on Teachers Pay Teachers you may want to grab for some small group fun!
Describe Your Dream Burger: Students describe a silly or delicious burger using adjectives and food vocabulary.
Popular Children's Books:
The Dinosaur Who Discovered Hamburgers – Written by Adison Books: Written by Adison Books, illustrated by Jenny Leigh: This imaginative story follows a hungry dinosaur who stumbles upon the idea of stacking meat, buns, and toppings—accidentally inventing the hamburger. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Are You a Cheeseburger? – Written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo:
Grub, a hungry raccoon, finds a mysterious seed and hopes it will grow into a cheeseburger. As he waits and cares for the plant, a funny and unexpected friendship blossoms—along with a lesson in patience and discovery.
📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Burger Boy – Written by Alan Durant, illustrated by Mei Matsuoka: Benny loves burgers so much he turns into one! As he learns to enjoy other foods, he also learns balance and the importance of variety. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
May 29:
📎 National Paperclip Day (May 29)
About: National Paperclip Day celebrates the simple yet mighty office supply that holds things together. With its small size and endless uses, the paperclip makes a fun and flexible theme for building fine motor skills, describing actions, and practicing functional vocabulary in speech therapy.
Fun Facts:
The modern paperclip design was patented in 1899.
During WWII, Norwegians wore paperclips on their lapels as a symbol of resistance.
There’s a giant paperclip sculpture in Sandvika, Norway, honoring its symbolic history.
Some artists and inventors have made entire chains, sculptures, or even wallets from paperclips!
Clip - a - Sound Activity: Attach articulation cards to a line with paperclips. Students unclip one and say the word multiple times.
Paper Clip Crafts: Check out these paper clip crafts that would make great open ended activities for speech therapy
Jellyfish: Fine Motor Jelly Fish Craft for Kids by Buggy and Buddy
Discovery Bottle: No Rust Magnetic Discovery Bottle by Preschool Inspirations
Characters: Paperclip Pals by Almost Unschoolers
Fidget: Beaded Fidget Paperclip Craft by Sensibly Sarah
Paperclip WH Questions: Link WH question cards into a chain—each time a student answers, they add a clip to the chain.
Compare Tools: Compare paperclips to other tools like tape, glue, or staples and discuss how each is used.
Not a Paperclip: Much like the Not a Stick and Not a Box books, have students create other uses for a paperclip (e.g., fishing hook, bracelet, a key, etc.) OR create a fun craft using paperclips like this cute little character:'
Make a paperclip character Game Spinners: Browse these free spinner resources (paperclips not included).
Popular Children's Books:
Not a Stick Written by Antoinette Portis: A pig proves that a stick is not always just a stick. Whether it's conducting an orchestra, painting a masterpiece, or slaying a dragon...give a child a stick and let imagination take over and the magic begin. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Not a Box Written by Antoinette Portis: A rabbit turns an ordinary box into endless creative possibilities, inspiring kids to use their imagination in crafting and play. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
May 30:
🎨 National Creativity Day (May 30)
About: National Creativity Day celebrates thinking outside the box and expressing ideas in new and imaginative ways. It’s a perfect fit for speech therapy—giving students space to play with language, build stories, and solve problems in fun, open-ended ways.
Fun Facts:
Creative activities like drawing and storytelling boost problem-solving, communication, and emotional expression.
The word “create” comes from the Latin creare, meaning to make or produce.
Creativity is used in more than just art—it's essential in science, math, and even sports!
Creative Story Cards: Provide index cards to students to brainstorm different characters, settings and problems based on their favorite stories. When completed, mix the character, setting, and problem cards. Students draw one of each and tell an original story.
Creative "Things" Categories: Give students open-ended category prompts like “things that are fun” or “things you can build.” How many "things" can they list?
What If...? Prompts: Use creative "what if" questions to spark discussion. For example:
What if your backpack could talk—what would it say when you open it?
What if you found a tiny door in the wall at school—where would it lead?
What if it rained jellybeans?
What if your pet could go to school with you for a day—what would it do?
What if your shoes could fly—where would they take you first?
Describe & Invent: Show a common item (like a pencil or spoon) and ask students to invent a new use and describe it.
Design Your Own Game: Let students create their own speech game using cards, dice, or printable pieces OR 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:
Beautiful Oops Written by Barney Saltzberg: A beautifully drawn, interactive book that shows how mistakes can turn into something creative and wonderful. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Most Magnificent Thing – Written and illustrated by Ashley Spires: A young inventor sets out to build something amazing—perfect for talking about frustration, creativity, and persistence. This book is full of descriptive verbs. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
What Do You Do With an Idea? – Written by Kobi Yamada: A beautifully illustrated story about nurturing big ideas and seeing them through. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
The Most Magnificent Thing – Written by Ashley Spires: A story about persistence and creative thinking through invention. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
May 31:
🦜 World Parrot Day (May 31)
About: World Parrot Day celebrates these colorful, clever birds known for their bright feathers, playful personalities, and impressive ability to mimic sounds. It’s a lively theme for speech therapy—perfect for working on sound repetition, describing, and building expressive language with a tropical twist.
Fun Facts:
Parrots are one of the most intelligent bird species and can live up to 80 years.
There are over 350 species of parrots worldwide.
Some parrots, like the African Grey, can mimic human speech with surprising accuracy.
Parrots use their feet like hands to hold food while they eat!
Parrot Echo Articulation: Take turns being the "parrot" and the "trainer". The “parrot” repeats the target word or phrase said by the “trainer”.
WH Question Feather Pull: Create a paper handprint parrot (free template included in made to be a momma's blogpost) Make a handprint "feather" for each question type (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how, what if, etc.). Students choose a feather and answer a question (questions not included).
Parrot Feather Dice Game: Using the paper handprint parrot craft above, students can roll a die, complete that number of speech or language tasks, and earn a feather for the parrot craft.
Roll & Cover Dice Game: Grab Jessica Miller's free Parrot Roll and Cover game on TpT for a quick open-ended dice rolling activity.
Colorful Description Game: Use pictures of parrots to describe feathers, size, sounds, and habitats. Mr. Gray History offers a free Parrots Reading and Project Sheets on TpT that has real photos of parrots.
Antonyms / Synonyms: Name words and have students "parrot" back an antonym or synonym for the word OR grab WhitneySLP's free Polly Wanna Cracker Antonym Board Game on TpT.
Popular Children's Books:
Mango, Abuela, and Me – Written by Meg Medina, illustrated by Angela Dominguez: A young girl and her grandmother bond with the help of a parrot named Mango as they bridge a language gap. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud] 🛒 [Free Resources on TpT]
Memoirs of a Parrot – Written by Devin Scillian and illustrated by Tim Bowers: Brock the parrot isn't thrilled about his new home in a pet shop, especially with all the noise, rules, and routines. But through his witty journal entries, he slowly discovers the joy of connection, learning, and finding friendship in unexpected places. 📖 [Amazon Link] 🎥 [YouTube Read Aloud]
Wrapping up May with Creativity and Curiosity
Whether you're stacking clues on National Scavenger Hunt Day (May 24), pocketing possibilities on National Lucky Penny Day (May 23), or sticking to a language target on National Cellophane Tape Day (May 27), these end-of-May themes invite imagination and creativity into every session - just in time to roll into more fun with June's first week of speech-ready celebrations.
See More National Day Themes for May:
May National Days Week 1 (May 1 - 7)
May National Days Week 2 (May 8 - 14)
May National Days Week 3 (May 15 - 21)
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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