Wordless Picture Books For Speech Therapy

It’s always appreciated when kids are given books as gifts. Books don’t require batteries. They travel well. And they don’t have any tiny pieces that can get lost or inadvertently stepped on. And, of course, books are a fantastic addition to any speech therapy clinic or home setting! Using wordless picture books in speech therapy might seem counterintuitive, but they're one of the best tools for evaluating skills and working with kids on all sorts of speech and language goals.

According to Care Options for Kids Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) Laura Holden: "Not only do the best wordless picture books for speech therapy allow you to exercise your creative muscle, they also provide many receptive and expressive language opportunities. In speech therapy, we use wordless picture books to target vocabulary-building, narrative development, story retelling, sequencing, and temporal terms, describing, prediction and inference, perspective-taking and reading nonverbals, answering wh-questions, and so much more."

Books have a unique way of sparking imagination, encouraging language development, and fostering connections between adults and children. While books with words play a vital role in literacy, the best wordless picture books for speech therapy offer a unique and powerful tool for language development. Without written text, children are invited to be storytellers, using their own words to describe the action, sequence events, and make predictions.

Benefits of Wordless Picture Books for Speech Therapy

Wordless picture books aren’t just entertaining — they’re incredibly versatile tools for speech therapy and reaching key goals. Here’s why these books should have a place in every SLP’s toolkit:

• Encourage Expressive Language: Without printed words, children must create their own narrative, promoting the use of descriptive language, sentence structure, and storytelling skills.
• Build Vocabulary: Children naturally expand their vocabulary as they name objects, actions, and emotions in the illustrations.
• Enhance Narrative Skills: Storytelling requires sequencing, temporal concepts, and logical flow — all essential skills for strong communication.
• Improve Comprehension and Inference Skills: Children practice "reading" the visual cues in the story, strengthening their ability to predict and infer meaning from illustrations.
• Promote Social-Emotional Learning: Many wordless books highlight emotions and social situations, encouraging children to identify and discuss characters' feelings, perspective-taking, and empathy.
• Support Multilingual Learners: Without language barriers, wordless books offer a universal way to practice storytelling and vocabulary-building, regardless of the child's primary language.

With these benefits in mind, let’s explore some of the best wordless picture books for speech therapy, which will spark creativity and foster language growth.

15 Best Wordless Picture Books for Speech Therapy

Ready to discover some incredible resources for your speech therapy sessions? These best wordless picture books for speech therapy are packed with opportunities for storytelling, vocabulary building, and language exploration. Each page invites children to become storytellers, fostering creativity, sequencing skills, and critical thinking — all essential components of effective communication. From heartwarming adventures to whimsical journeys, these books offer something special for every child's language development journey. Let’s turn the page and explore the magic within!

1. Chalk by Bill Thomson

In this magical adventure, children find pieces of chalk that bring their drawings to life. The vivid, detailed illustrations provide countless opportunities for descriptive language, prediction, and sequencing. Children can discuss the order of events, imagine "what if" scenarios, and label various objects that appear as the story unfolds.

2. Flashlight by Lizi Boyd

This visually stunning book follows a child exploring the nighttime forest with a flashlight. The sharp contrast of light and shadow invites children to identify animals, plants, and hidden objects, supporting vocabulary development and descriptive language. It’s an excellent choice for discussing concepts like "light" and "dark" or "hidden" and "found."

3. Flotsam by David Wiesner

An undersea adventure begins when a boy finds an old camera washed up on shore. The story’s dreamlike illustrations spark conversations about perspective, fantasy, and reality. Children practice sequencing as they "retell" the events in logical order, working on narrative skills and temporal language.

4. Tuesday by David Wiesner

A hilarious tale of frogs soaring through the sky on lily pads provides endless opportunities for children to use descriptive language, prediction, and problem-solving skills. The whimsical storyline invites "what happens next?" discussions, and the action-packed illustrations encourage using action verbs.

5. Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day

This heartwarming tale of a dog’s adventures with a baby provides ample opportunities for children to sequence events, infer character motivations, and discuss cause-and-effect relationships. The playful antics of Carl are great for working on verbs, prepositions, and WH-questions.

6. Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

When the zookeeper’s keys get "borrowed" by a sneaky gorilla, kids can’t help but giggle. This book is fantastic for targeting prepositions like "in" and "out" and sequencing and problem-solving. The humorous scenes encourage perspective-taking and prediction.

7. Journey by Aaron Becker

A red marker becomes a portal to a magical world in this richly illustrated, visually stunning story. Children are encouraged to describe the setting, characters, and plot, promoting rich vocabulary and imaginative storytelling. It’s perfect for narrative development.

8. Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman

This story of a boy who finds a secret tunnel offers opportunities to practice prediction, inference, and problem-solving. Children can "map" the boy’s journey, fostering spatial awareness, vocabulary development, and narrative language skills.

9. The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

This classic fable’s lush illustrations convey emotion and action without a single word. It’s perfect for discussing feelings, empathy, and moral lessons while targeting sequencing and WH- questions.

10. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

This wintery tale of a boy’s magical adventure with a snowman offers rich opportunities for storytelling, emotional exploration, and sequencing. Children can practice describing scenes, characters, and actions using adjectives and verbs.

11. Wave by Suzy Lee

With simple but striking beach scenes, Wave allows children to practice action verbs and discuss concepts like "push" and "pull." It’s also an excellent book for exploring perspective and inference as children predict what’s coming next.

12. Deep in the Forest by Brinton Turkle

A playful twist on "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," this story invites children to predict and sequence the bear’s adventures in a human home. It’s great for targeting verbs, prepositions, and WH- questions.

13. Little Fox in the Forest by Stephanie Graegin

This beautifully illustrated book follows two children searching for a lost toy. The book’s emotional undertones encourage children to label feelings, discuss motivations, and engage in perspective-taking.

14. The Adventures of Polo by Regis Faller

This action-packed book’s wordless format makes it ideal for encouraging narrative development. Polo’s journey includes adventure, surprise, and humor — all perfect prompts for language-rich discussions and descriptive storytelling.

15. A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

This Caldecott-winning story of a dog’s beloved ball teaches empathy, feelings, and problem-solving. It’s perfect for discussing emotions, sequencing events, and engaging in storytelling.

How to Use the Best Wordless Picture Books for Speech Therapy

Using the best wordless picture books for speech therapy can be simple and fun with these practical strategies:

• Storytelling and Narrative Building: Ask children to "read" the pictures and tell you what’s happening. Use prompts like, "What happens next?" or "Why do you think that happened?"
• Target Specific Sounds: Select books that feature images of items with target sounds. For example, use a book featuring sea creatures to practice /s/ sounds.
• WH Questions Practice: Pause on key pages and ask WH questions like, "Who is this?" "What is happening here?" and "Where do you think they’re going?"
• Perspective-Taking: Ask children to consider what characters might be thinking or feeling. "How does the mouse feel right now?"
• Descriptive Language Practice: Have children describe scenes using adjectives, for example, "The big, blue ocean," focusing on textures, colors, and emotions.

Getting the Most from the Best Wordless Picture Books for Speech Therapy

The best wordless picture books for speech therapy provide endless opportunities to support language development in an interactive, engaging, and playful way. They promote storytelling, descriptive language, vocabulary building, and more. Whether you’re focusing on sequencing, perspective-taking, or expressive language, these books invite children to actively participate in creating their own stories. By incorporating these tools into your speech therapy sessions, you’ll allow children to become storytellers, building skills that will support them in every aspect of communication.

Every child’s communication journey is a story brought to life — filled with imagination, discovery, and growth. Care Options for Kids is passionate about helping each child become the storyteller of their own success. Like the best wordless picture books inspire creativity and language, we empower our speech-language pathologists with the resources, training, and support to guide children toward clear, confident communication.

With a team-driven approach, we create a space where personalized care meets every child’s unique needs. Ready to turn speech goals into stories of success? Join us in shaping these unforgettable narratives.

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