The core word “go” is often one of the very first words we target in speech therapy.
And honestly? It makes sense.
“Go” is motivating, easy to model, and naturally fits into movement play. We use it while pushing cars, racing toys, running, swinging, and sending things down ramps.
But eventually, some of my kiddos are READY for more.
They are past using “go” only to make a car go down a ramp, and they need opportunities to explore all the different ways we use this powerful core word in real life.
That’s exactly why I LOVE using a vacation and travel theme to target the word “go.”
Instead of just:
- go car
- ready, set, go
- go fast
We start expanding into:
- go on vacation
- go to the beach
- go with me
- go to Grandma’s
- go in the plane
- where should we go?
This theme opens the door for so much richer language while still keeping the repetitive core word practice our students need.
Why a Travel Theme Works So Well
Travel play is naturally exciting for kids.
There are suitcases to pack, planes to fly, cars to drive, hotels to visit, and trips to plan. It feels FUN and playful while giving us endless opportunities to model the word “go.”
One of my favorite things about this theme is that it works for SUCH a wide range of communication levels.
For my emerging communicators or AAC users, we might simply target:
- go
- go now
- go car
- go plane
For students using phrases:
- go to beach
- go with me
- go in car
For more advanced communicators, we can stretch the activity into:
- WH questions
- storytelling
- describing
- sequencing
- pretend play narratives
Honestly, this is one of my favorite kinds of therapy themes because it is so easy to differentiate within mixed groups.
Using My Yes/No Visuals During Therapy
One activity my students LOVED was using the yes/no visuals from my Ultimate Visuals Bundle while talking about different kinds of vacations.
We looked at different trips and destinations from the resource and asked questions like:
- Have you been camping?
- Have you gone on a plane?
- Have you gone to the beach?
- Have you stayed in a hotel?
Students answered using the yes/no visuals, AAC, gestures, or verbal speech depending on their level.
Then, if they were ready, we stretched the conversation with follow-up WH questions like:
- Where did you go?
- Who went with you?
- What did you do there?
- What do you pack for that trip?
This made the activity feel so much more conversational and meaningful.
Packing for Different Vacations
Another HUGE hit was packing bags for different kinds of vacations.
We packed:
- beach trips
- camping trips
- pool trips
- sightseeing vacations
Students chose what items belonged in the suitcase while practicing phrases like:
- go to the beach
- pack to go
- go with this
- put it in
The resource includes printable suitcase activities and travel item cards that make this super easy to prep.
I also love adding real props whenever possible.
A toy suitcase, sunglasses, towels, maps, or travel toys instantly make the activity more engaging.
Pretend Travel Play with Toys
We also used little people toys, toy planes, and toy cars to send characters on all sorts of trips. Here is an easy to shop link of all my fave toys for this theme!
And honestly? The pretend play conversations that came out of this were AMAZING.
Some students practiced simple requests like:
- go plane
- go now
While other students created full pretend stories about:
- going on vacation
- packing bags
- flying somewhere
- staying at hotels
- going camping
That’s the beauty of core word therapy.
The SAME activity can support:
- one-word communicators
- AAC users
- phrase-level communicators
- students working on narratives and storytelling
It allows everyone to participate successfully at their own level.
AAC Modeling Opportunities
This theme is also packed with opportunities for AAC modeling.
Throughout activities, we modeled:
- go
- in
- out
- help
- more
- want
- stop
- again
The included communication boards make it easy to provide aided language input naturally during play.
And because the activities are repetitive and engaging, students get tons of exposure to functional language without it feeling drill-based.
Why I Love This Theme for Mixed Groups
If you work with mixed ability groups, this theme is GOLD.
It is so easy to adapt:
- one-word responses
- AAC modeling
- WH questions
- descriptive language
- pretend play
- sequencing
- storytelling
- social interaction
Everyone can participate in the same activity while working on completely different goals.
And honestly, those are always my favorite therapy sessions.
Grab the Travel-Themed Core Word “Go” Resource
If you are looking for an engaging summer speech therapy theme that supports AAC users, early communicators, and higher-level language learners, this travel-themed core word “go” resource includes:
- communication boards
- interactive books
- suitcase activities
- pretend travel play
- WH question opportunities
- travel vocabulary
- Boom Cards™
- cut-and-paste activities
It pairs perfectly with toy planes, toy cars, little people toys, backpacks, and pretend suitcases for hands-on, play-based speech therapy.