I work in a rather gray area in that I’m a private clinician, but most often seeing kiddos in their school setting. I can easily go weeks, even months, without seeing the parent themselves.

In an effort to make home activities more orderly and help with parent contact, almost all of my students have a speech notebook. In my practice, I provide it–just a simple 1/2-1″ three ring binder with a window sleeved cover and a pocket inside. I can pick them up at any time at either Target or Wal-Mart, but I usually stock up when they go on sale for about a dollar.

Worksheets completed during a session go in the notebook. Sheets for home practice go in the notebook, and I stack “up,” meaning the newest item is always on top so parents can immediately see if there is something to complete. I have several that put payment or other notes in the inside pocket, so I know they see it regularly.

Early on, often during the evaluation, I’ll find out the child’s favorite color so when I present the notebook on the first day of therapy they like the look of it. I center their name in a large font (I often use Cooper Black at 72 pt.)–for privacy reasons, I don’t write “speech notebook”–and slide the sheet in the front sleeve.

The awesome part of this is that the name sheet becomes a great place to hold our stickers. As a mom who washed thousands of stickers (which leaves behind a nearly indelible sticky residue), I’m sensitive to where those little buggers get stuck. (I’m changing the world, people!). Some kids really get into making a “scene” of some sort.

This works for me. Anyone else still using old fashioned speech notebooks?  While great for the young crowd, you might need a more discreet option for older elementary school or the middle school crowd. Erik X. Raj recently shared his idea for pocket homework. Please check it out (there’s a free download)!