How Picture Walks Can Boost Speech & Language Skills at Home
As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, one of my favorite early therapy strategies is something simple, fun, and incredibly effective: picture walks through books. Families are often surprised by how much speech and language practice we can get before we even start reading the words on the page—just by exploring the pictures together.
The best part?
Picture walks are easy for parents to use at home, require no prep, and can support children of all ages and communication levels.
What Is a Picture Walk?
A picture walk means flipping through a book and looking at the illustrations before reading the story. You and your child talk about what you see, make predictions, label objects, and explore the visuals freely.
This builds:
vocabulary
comprehension
early literacy
attention and engagement
speech sound practice
social communication and joint attention
All without the pressure of reading every word correctly.
How I Use Picture Walks in Speech Therapy
In my therapy sessions, I use picture walks to:
✨ Follow the child’s lead
If they’re drawn to a particular page, character, or object, we stay there! This naturally increases motivation and communication attempts.
✨ Build vocabulary in a meaningful way
Instead of drill-style flashcards, we embed new words into a fun, visual context.
“Look! The bear is hiding.”
“He’s climbing up!”
“That’s a giant, sparkly cookie!”
✨ Target WH-questions
Picture walks create tons of organic opportunities to practice:
Who is in the picture?
What is happening?
Where are they going?
Why does he look upset?
How do you think they will fix that?
✨ Address speech sounds
If a child is working on a sound (like R, S, or L), I select books with repeated opportunities.
Example: For R, we may pause on “rocket,” “rain,” “tree,” “bird,” etc.
✨ Practice following directions
“Find something that is red.”
“Point to the animal that could fly.”
“Show me something bigger than the car.”
These give children a way to practice comprehension without feeling like a test.
How Parents Can Try Picture Walks at Home
You don’t need special materials or training. Here’s how to do it naturally:
1. Go Slow and Explore Freely
Let your child flip, pause, and linger.
There’s no “right way” to look through a book.
2. Comment More Than You Question
This takes pressure off your child.
Examples:
“Wow, the girl looks surprised!”
“I see a dog jumping.”
“That looks like a really big mess.”
3. Follow Their Interests
If they love trucks, spend your picture walk labeling parts, talking about actions, or comparing sizes.
4. Model Speech Sounds
If they’re working on a sound:
emphasize it (“That rainbow is so bright!”)
point out words that start with it
practice just one or two key words per page
5. Use WH-Questions in a Playful Way
Keep questions fun, not quizzing:
“What do you think will happen next?”
“Who would you want to help?”
“Where do you think they are?”
6. Celebrate Any Response
Words, gestures, pointing, sounds—everything counts!
Best Types of Books for Picture Walks
Parents always ask what books work best. Here are my go-tos:
Books with rich illustrations (noisy pages aren’t necessary)
Wordless picture books (Journey, Flotsam, Good Dog, Carl)
Books with repeating scenes or themes
Books about your child’s favorite things (vehicles, animals, food, etc.)
Why Picture Walks Work
Picture walks:
support story comprehension
build early literacy
reduce performance pressure
increase engagement and connection
encourage spontaneous communication
create natural opportunities for speech sound practice
And they fit beautifully with a child-led, play-based therapy approach, which is how I structure my sessions.