How to Use One Picture Scene for a Mixed Speech Therapy Group
A practical way to simplify mixed speech therapy groups using one picture scene for articulation, grammar, vocabulary, and language goals.
Speech-Language Pathologists at Treetop Studio Press
9/17/20263 min read
Mixed speech therapy groups can make even a simple session feel complicated.
You may have one child working on articulation, another targeting grammar, another working on vocabulary and describing, and another developing narrative or higher-level language skills—all sitting at the same table.
The temptation is to plan something different for everyone.
You don't have to.
One detailed picture scene can give everyone a shared starting point while allowing each child to work toward an individual goal. The picture stays the same. What you ask each child to do changes.
Start With One Good Picture
Choose a picture with enough happening to give you options—people or characters, actions, objects, a clear setting, and preferably something that encourages a little thinking beyond simply naming what you see.
Before the session, look at each child's goals and decide on one or two prompts you'll use with that child.
That's the planning.
You don't need four separate activities for four different goals.
Here's What That Can Look Like
Imagine a picture of a family having a picnic at the park. There's a dog trying to reach the food, a child flying a kite, a picnic basket on the grass, and several people doing different things.
Four children can look at the same picture and have four very different therapy turns.
Child 1: Articulation
The picture doesn't need to contain a perfect list of target words.
Keep the child's established articulation targets nearby and use the picture scene between short bursts of productions:
5 productions → picture-scene turn → 5 productions → picture-scene turn
If useful target words naturally appear in the scene, use them. If they don't, don't force them.
The priority is still accurate, meaningful speech practice.
Child 2: Sentence Formulation & Grammar
This is where a busy picture gives you plenty of flexibility.
For sentence expansion, start with what the child gives you:
"Dog eating."
Expand it:
"The dog is eating the sandwich."
For a child working on pronouns, choose different people in the scene:
He is flying a kite.
She is opening the picnic basket.
They are eating lunch.
For verb tense, use an action across time:
What is he doing? — He is running.
What did he do? — He ran.
What will he do next? — He will run.
For more complex sentence work:
"The dog is trying to get the sandwich because he is hungry."
Same picture. Different grammar goals.
Child 3: Vocabulary & Describing
Choose one object, person, or action from the scene.
Instead of stopping at "What is it?", take the language a little further:
What does it look like?
What is it used for?
Where would you find it?
What is the person doing?
What other words could describe it?
Adjust the questions and level of support to match the child's individual goal.
Child 4: Narrative & Higher-Level Language
Now use the picture as one moment in a larger story.
What do you think happened before this?
What's happening now?
What might happen next?
For a child working on inferencing, add:
What makes you think that?
That last question encourages the child to look for clues in the picture and explain the reasoning behind an answer rather than simply making a guess.
The Real Time-Saver: Plan the Prompt, Not Four Activities
This is the shift that can make mixed groups much more manageable.
Instead of sitting down to plan and thinking:
"What activity do I need for each child?"
try asking:
"What does each child need to do with this activity?"
The picture scene is simply the shared material. The individualized therapy comes from the goal you're targeting, the prompt you give, the support you provide, and the response you expect.
And this idea isn't limited to picture scenes. Books, games, short passages, crafts, and other open-ended activities can provide the same shared starting point.
Keep Everyone Involved
One of the challenges with mixed groups isn't just addressing different goals. It's keeping everyone engaged while you're working with one child.
Give the other children something quick to think about while they wait:
Find something you could describe.
Choose what you think might happen next.
Look for something with your speech sound.
Think of a sentence about something happening in the picture.
You don't need another worksheet or a second activity. You're simply giving everyone a reason to stay connected to the same material.
Keep It Simple
Mixed groups don't require one perfectly matched activity for every child.
Sometimes the simplest plan is:
One picture. Different goals. Individual prompts.
Know what you're targeting for each child, choose flexible materials, and adjust your prompts and level of support as you go.
One good picture scene really can carry an entire mixed-group session and save you a lot of unnecessary prep.
Looking for Picture Scenes for Speech Therapy?
Explore our photo-style and illustrated picture scenes for practicing language skills across a variety of goals.
