Ditching the therapy bag: Discovering magic in everyday tools

THERE was a little bit of magic about when Amelia Redman discovered the natural beauty in the everyday.

And her Speech Pathology 'bag of tricks' was nowhere to be seen.

Relatively new to Noah’s Ark, the Speech Pathologist was shadowing a colleague to an in-home session, watching them collaborate with a family to use resources already in that environment.

“This is when it hit me – the magic wasn’t in what I brought into the environment – it was in what was already there,” she says.

“It was empowering for the child and their family.

“If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably walked into a session, feeling fully prepared with your carefully packed ‘bag of tricks’ – all the tools you’re confident will keep the child engaged. It’s comforting, right? You’ve got everything you could possibly need, and you’re ready to dive in.”

But what if you don’t need those tools and toys? What if the best tools are already there, in a home or preschool, already part of their routines and environments?

“I’ll be honest: adapting to new environments without our usual kit can feel a little unsettling,” Amelia says.

But here’s the good news: what families already have often is more than enough to support and enhance a child’s engagement and participation in the session.

“It also focuses on not only a strengths-based approach but also uses a child’s interests – and we know that children learn when they’re interested and motivated.”

Amelia recalls her first day at Noah’s Ark in detail: the nerves and excitement, and a sense of feeling well prepared with that bag of toys.

“I hadn’t realised how reliant I had become on my ‘bag of tricks’,” she explains.

“But during my shadowing visits, I had a front-row seat to watch the magic happen. I observed my peers creatively using everyday items already available in the home – things like recycling cardboard boxes to teach spatial awareness. There was no need for all the bells and whistles – just simple, familiar items already available to the family in their environment.

“I reflected on the beauty of this approach: its naturalness. The child didn’t need to adjust to anything new or unfamiliar, and the family already had access to what was being used in the session. This ‘bagless’ approach, combined with an evidence-based, routines-based framework, empowers the family and supports the transfer of skills into their everyday environment.”

Amelia says that while this was a shift required in letting go of her assumptions about what was necessary, it also meant she did not feel like she needed to control each session with toys.

“Instead, I immersed myself in each family’s world, relying on creativity and clinical skills to craft meaningful interactions. This also means that we are being true to collaborating with families,” she says.

“In this approach, the family becomes the primary teacher for their child, and the therapeutic process shifts from being about what I bring into the home to how we use the child’s everyday environment to promote learning and skill development.”

And as for that therapy 'bag of tricks'?

Amelia says it hasn’t seen the light of day since.

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