Spooky Speech Practice: Fun Halloween Words to Try at Home

Edited October 23, 2025

Halloween is one of the best times of year to make speech therapy fun and engaging for kids! Between costumes, candy, and spooky decorations, there are endless ways to turn everyday speech practice into something magical. At SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, we love helping San Diego families find creative ways to support communication goals at home. Whether your child is working on articulation, blending sounds, or building confidence while speaking, this Halloween-themed activity brings speech and language learning to life—no tricks, just treats for your child’s development.

Step Into the Haunted Mansion of Speech Practice

When asking for candy is an appropriate behavior
And fun and colorful doors decorate the halls
When you get a pumpkin sticker
Because your speech therapist said you did well
That is the time when kids are learning
Practicing their speech sounds in “ghoul”, “witch”, and “fright”.

Welcome, SmallTalk families, to our Halloween celebration. I am your speech therapist. Well,
your child’s speech therapist. Kindly reschedule any missed appointments, and call ahead for
planned absences. Please switch to a virtual session if you’re sick.

Our lesson begins here on this blog post, where you see lists of words for some of our
frequently-targeted speech goals.

Ghostly Repetition: Why Short, Repeated Practice Works

Your puzzled facial expression betrays your sense of skepticism, almost as though you think
this might be a waste of your time. Is practicing just five target words daily actually useful? Or is
it just more busywork? And consider this interesting observation: your child is motivated to say
these ghostly words this time of year…which offers you this additional challenge: to think of
more spine-chilling Halloween words! Of course, there’s always Halloween word lists published
online.

Did you know that when practicing speech sounds, repeating target words is often more
effective than practicing a long list of new words? Here are lists of some of our commonly-
targeted speech sounds to incorporate into your regular speech practice routine at home. If you
don’t see a list appropriate to your child’s speech sound goals, try making your own!

Celebrate Every Ghoul and Giggle

Halloween offers the perfect opportunity to blend play and progress. By turning speech practice into a fun, seasonal activity, children can stay motivated and continue building strong communication skills in a setting that feels exciting and natural. Whether your family is practicing speech sounds during trick-or-treating or at home with a candy-themed game, every little bit of practice helps.

At SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, we believe learning happens best when children are engaged and supported in ways that feel joyful and meaningful. From our clinics around San Diego in La Mesa, Mission Valley, and Scripps Ranch, we’re here to help families make every milestone, spooky or sweet, a success.

Happy Halloween from all your friends at SmallTalk!

By Kathleen Winger, M.S., CCC-SLP