Tricky Sticks- A Super-Easy DIY Game for Cheap!

Make this easy DIY game your students will love for next to nothing.

Let’s face it, sometimes speech therapy drills can get boring.  Getting all those repetitions is well… repetitive.. Adding a fun game keeps my students motivated (and me too!) I’m always on the lookout for new open-ended games to change things up.

Love quick, fun games for speech therapy? Tricky Sticks is perfect.

Here’s why I love this Tricky Sticks game:

1. It’s open-ended, I can use it for any target
2. It’s perfect for mixed groups
3. I use it with all ages- so easy, and they all love it
4. Quick turns: so you get plenty of repetitions and responses, maximizing your therapy time
5. Play as long as you like; no set finish time means it lasts your whole session
6. Space-saving. You can store your sticks in a cup or a baggie
7. It’s super cheap and easy to make!

I first got this Easy DIY game idea from my wonderful resource teacher. 

Wow- simple and fun. I had to make a set for my speech therapy students. I stopped at the dollar store and got a package of colored craft sticks for less than two dollars. Can’t beat that!

How to make your Tricky Sticks game

1. Open your package of craft sticks.
2. Set aside 2/3 of the sticks- these will be blank
3. Divide the remaining sticks in half
4. With a marker, draw a star at the bottom of the first half
5. Draw a square at the bottom of the second half.
6. Add the sticks with shapes to the 2/3 you set aside

Ok, maybe my squares look like rectangles… not too fancy, but it doesn’t matter a bit.

That’s it! You can make this game in just a few minutes. Easy peasy. Now if only writing IEPs and evaluation reports was this quick and easy. A girl can dream…

Ready to play this easy DIY game? Here’s how.

1. Pop your sticks into a colorful cup, shape ends down.
2. Have your students answer a question or practice their articulation word. 
3. After your students respond, they will pick out a stick ( no peeking in the cup!) and look to see if that stick has a shape at the bottom.
4. If the stick has no shape, it’s a “keeper.” The student keeps the stick in his or her pile and gets one point.
5. If the stick has a square, you give it to the player on your right.
6. If the stick has a star, pass it to the player on your left.
7. Play as long as you like. When the session is finished, the person with the most sticks wins.

A variation for older children who are mature enough not to be upset if they lose… I tell them the star means “Boom” and they put all their sticks back in the cup.

Why Tricky Sticks?

Actually, I’m not really sure why I started calling this game Tricky Sticks, other than it sounded catchy and interesting to my students. We have been playing this favorite for years, and my kiddos love it. I have seen some people call a version of this game Kaboom, which sounds catchy, too. 

What do you think? 

You don’t have to use the colored sticks, but I think it’s more fun that way. I hope you give this little game a try. Have fun! 

More fun games for speech therapy

Check out this post:

15 Extra Fun R Sound Articulation Games for Speech Therapy

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