How to Keep up with Speech Goals While Traveling: 8 Practical Tips

By: Grace Whelan Tweedt

At Marigold Speech Pathology Services, we know that travel can bring new experiences, schedules, and challenges—but it doesn’t have to put speech progress on pause! Whether you're heading on vacation or visiting family, speech and language practice can be seamlessly incorporated into your trip. Here are 8 practical ways to support articulation and early language development while on the go.

1. Pack a Speech Travel Kit 👜

Bringing familiar tools from home can make speech practice fun and engaging:

✅ For articulation: Picture cards with target sounds, a mini-mirror to practice mouth placement, or a small dry-erase board to write and say words.

✅ For early language: A small book with simple prompts for storytelling, a set of small toys to model action words (jump, run, spin), or a laminated choice board with common travel-related words.

💡Example: If your child is working on /s/ sounds, use a small stack of /s/ picture cards and play a quick matching game at the airport or hotel.

2. Use Travel Time for Language Building 🚗✈️

Long car rides, flights, or train trips offer great opportunities for language-rich activities:

✅ I-Spy (“I spy something round and red”) to work on describing objects and expanding vocabulary.

✅ Would You Rather? (“Would you rather swim with dolphins or go on a safari?”) to encourage longer sentence responses and reasoning skills.

✅ Storytelling games, where each person adds a sentence to create a fun story, supporting sequencing and creativity.

💡 Example: If your child is learning new words, ask them, “Tell me three things about the hotel we are staying in,” and help expand their response (“Yes, it has a big pool, soft beds, and a yummy breakfast!”).

3. Keep Conversations Going 🗣️

Encourage back-and-forth conversations to strengthen expressive language skills:

✅ Ask open-ended questions instead of yes/no (“What was your favorite thing we did today?”).

✅ Model longer sentences if your child gives a short answer (Child: “Fun.” Parent: “Yes! The beach was fun because we played in the sand and found seashells!”).

✅ Help your child practice asking questions to keep conversations going (“What do you want to do tomorrow?”).

💡 Example: If working on WH-questions, ask, “Where do you think we will go next? Why do you think we need to check in at the airport?”

4. Incorporate Speech into Daily Routines ⏰

Everyday moments can be great times for speech practice:

✅ Morning: Practice sequencing steps (“First, we brush our teeth. Then, we put on our shoes.”).

✅ Mealtime: Encourage describing food (“This juice is sweet and cold.”).

✅ Exploring new places: Use verbs and adjectives (“The roller coaster was fast!” or “The sand feels soft.”).

✅ Evening recap: Ask your child to retell their day in order using past-tense verbs (“We walked in the park, then we saw a big fountain, and after that, we ate ice cream.”).

💡 Example: If working on articulation, choose a "word of the day" that includes their target sound and try to use it in different situations throughout the day.

5. Play Games That Reinforce Speech & Language 🎲

Games make speech practice fun and interactive! Try:

✅ 20 Questions: Guess a secret object by asking yes/no questions to work on categories and descriptive language.

✅ Simon Says: A great way to practice following directions and action words (jump, spin, clap).

✅ Mad Libs: Helps with sentence structure and vocabulary by filling in missing words in silly stories.

✅ Guess That Sound: If your child is working on articulation, find objects around you that start with their target sound (“Let’s find things that start with ‘B’—bus, banana, bottle!”).

💡 Example: If your child is working on verbs, play a version of Simon Says with action words (“Simon says wiggle your fingers! Simon says stomp your feet!”).

6. Adapt Speech Practice to Real-World Settings 🌍

Travel provides great opportunities to use speech skills in everyday situations:

✅ Ordering food: Encourage clear articulation when saying, “Can I have a pizza, please?”

✅ Greeting hotel staff: Practice full sentences like, “Hello! My name is Jake.”

✅ Asking for help: Encourage them to say, “Excuse me, where is the bathroom?” instead of pointing or staying silent.

💡 Example: If your child is working on articulation, remind them to use their best /r/ sound when ordering “French fries” or their /s/ sound when asking for “some soup.”

7. Encourage Storytelling & Reflection 📖

Help your child build expressive language and sequencing skills by reflecting on their trip:

✅ Draw pictures and describe them (“This is the beach. The sand was warm, and we built a big castle!”).

✅ Create a travel journal with simple sentences (“I saw a dolphin. It jumped in the water.”). ✅ Make a scrapbook story by putting photos in order and helping your child tell what happened in each one.

✅ Use sentence starters: “First, we… Then, we… Last, we…” to guide storytelling.

💡 Example: If your child struggles with telling a story, guide them by asking, “What did we do first? What happened next?”

8. Be Flexible & Have Fun! 🎉

Speech practice doesn’t have to be structured—natural conversations and playful moments count just as much! Celebrate small wins like:

✅ Using a new word in conversation.

✅ Asking a question independently.

✅ Speaking clearly while ordering food.

💡 Example: If your child is working on articulation, praise them for saying their target sound clearly in a real-world setting (“I heard you say ‘please’ with a great /s/ sound—awesome job!”).

At Marigold Speech Pathology Services, we believe speech therapy should be practical, engaging, and tailored to real-life experiences. If you need more ideas for incorporating speech practice into your child’s routine, feel free to reach out—we’re here to help!

Safe travels and happy communicating! ✈️🗣️

A special thanks to my student, Grace Whelen Tweedt, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for authoring this blog post as part of her practicum assignment. Your thoughtful work and insights are greatly appreciated, Grace!