The Instax Camera in Speech-Language Therapy

While visiting family at the Jersey Shore this summer, my nephew's wife was taking pictures with the neatest little camera. I was surprised when the film shot out the bottom and developed right before my eyes! It was a blast from the past! Of course many of you will recall Polaroid cameras that provided instant gratification with a pretty badly developed picture. Well, Fuji has developed a new and improved version, the instax mini. It is small and convenient and comes in some kicky little colors. The picture quality is much sharper with vivid colors, than the Polaroids of the past. A number of different types of frames are available including rainbow, stars, solids, comics, and more. I immediately thought how this little gem could be used in speech-language therapy, but at 50 plus dollars, I put it on the back burner.

This Christmas my wonderful nephew and his sweet wife bought my children each an instax of their very own. Nora didn't take hers to school with her when she returned and so I asked if I could borrow it. Of course, she obliged. I have only just begun to explore how I can use this camera in therapy. The film is fairly expensive (I ordered the value pack here), but I think with the right applications it will be a great investment. If today's therapy session is any indication of how effective and motivating therapy with the instax can be, it will be entirely worth it.
Today students posed in a way to help them remember to use "new" speech sounds and adhered the photos to decorated reminder signs with washi tape. Their excitement was barely contained!

These little ones are leaving these pictures as reminders on their desks.
I've been brainstorming other uses for the instax including:

• Students can write on an exit slip what they did or learned in speech-language therapy and take a photo. The picture can encourage discussion with peers, teachers, and parents and will be helpful in transfer of skills.
• I like the idea of having students write their therapy goal as an "I can" statement and snapping a pic. Again these pictures can be the springboard for discussion afterward as well as reminder of why they are coming to speech. I ask students every time they enter the speech speech room what "they are working on." I then write their I can statements on the whiteboard. Using the photo will provide more of a personal connection to what they are participating in.
• For social groups I thought it would be fun to take pictures of students showing different facial expressions or emotions.
• Pairing two items in one picture, students can then do comparisons.
• It might be fun to snap some candid shots and use them as the basis for a narrative.

I'm sure more ideas will come to me as I start using the instax, this is a pretty good start, though. I know you're all super creative SLPs, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, please comment. How would you use the instax in speech-language therapy?