If you own an ABA therapy clinic, one effective way to grow your business quickly and retain clients is by incorporating engaging and enjoyable activities into your programs.

These activities should not only support therapy goals but also create a positive, welcoming environment that encourages participation and builds trust with both children and their families.

By integrating playful, goal-oriented exercises both in the clinic and at home, you can enhance skill development while strengthening client relationships.

In this article, we will explore some of the best fun ABA therapy activities you can implement to create meaningful progress and lasting connection with your clients.

Best ABA Therapy Activities at the Clinic and Home

1. Obstacle Course Adventure

Creating an obstacle course at the clinic or home is a fantastic way to target gross motor skills, following directions, and sequencing.

Use cones, tunnels, stepping stones, and hoops to create a variety of challenges.

The child can be guided to crawl, jump, balance, and run through the course while following step-by-step instructions.

This activity can be tailored to different ability levels and specific therapy goals. You can add timers for excitement or reward tokens after completion.

Not only does it keep children active and engaged, but it also strengthens attention.

2. Matching and Sorting Games

Matching and sorting activities help develop cognitive skills, attention to detail, and categorization abilities.

Use colorful cards, blocks, or real-life objects, and ask the child to group items by color, shape, size, or category.

This activity can be adapted for various developmental stages and therapy goals, from simple color sorting to more complex matching of emotions or animals.

Incorporating timers, songs, or point systems can make it even more engaging. It works well in both clinic and home settings, requiring minimal equipment.

3. Role-Play Scenarios

Role-playing builds communication, social, and problem-solving skills while fostering imagination.

In the clinic or at home, create pretend situations like shopping at a store, visiting a doctor, or hosting a party. Use props, costumes, and real-life items to make it authentic.

The therapist or parent can guide the child through scripted interactions, prompting appropriate responses and reinforcing positive behaviors.

This activity teaches turn-taking, perspective-taking, and conversational skills in a supportive environment.

By practicing real-world scenarios in a playful way, children feel more confident in applying these skills outside therapy.

Role-play is versatile, educational, and encourages creative, expressive communication.

4. Sensory Bins Exploration

Sensory bins are excellent for tactile exploration, fine motor development, and language building.

Fill a container with rice, beans, sand, or water beads, then hide small toys, letters, or numbers inside.

Children can scoop, pour, sift, and search for items while labeling and describing them.

This activity supports following directions, turn-taking, and vocabulary growth.

Adding themed bins like ocean animals, farm toys, or holiday items keeps it fresh and exciting.

Sensory play also helps with self-regulation, making it ideal for calming moments during therapy.

5. Musical Movement Time

Music-based activities help develop rhythm, coordination, listening, and language skills.

Play songs with clear instructions like “freeze dance,” “head, shoulders, knees, and toes,” or “Simon says” with music.

Incorporating instruments such as tambourines, maracas, or drums adds another layer of engagement.

In a therapy setting, music can be used to reinforce specific language goals or social skills like waiting for a turn.

At home, families can join in for extra fun and bonding. The structured yet playful nature of musical movement supports attention, memory, and self-control.

6. Puzzle Challenges

Puzzles are fantastic for enhancing problem-solving, fine motor skills, and visual-spatial awareness.

Choose puzzles that suit the child’s developmental level, starting from simple peg puzzles to more complex jigsaw designs.

Therapists or parents can provide prompts or cues to encourage persistence and celebrate each completed step.

You can turn it into a group activity by taking turns placing pieces, teaching patience and cooperation. Adding timers or small rewards boosts motivation.

Puzzles also promote critical thinking and hand-eye coordination, making them versatile tools for both the clinic and home.

7. Storytelling and Picture Books

Storytelling helps strengthen language, comprehension, and social-emotional skills. Use colorful picture books or create your own stories with visual aids.

Encourage the child to describe characters, predict what happens next, and answer “who, what, where” questions.

Therapists or parents can also role-play parts of the story to make it interactive.

For added engagement, use puppets or felt boards. Storytime can be adapted to teach emotions, sequencing, or new vocabulary.

At home, reading together strengthens family bonds, while in the clinic, it provides a structured yet imaginative setting.

This fun activity fosters creativity, active listening, and communication skills in an enjoyable way.

8. Cooking or Snack-Making Sessions

Cooking simple recipes or assembling snacks develops sequencing, fine motor skills, and practical life skills.

Choose age-appropriate tasks, such as washing fruit, spreading peanut butter, or mixing ingredients.

Therapists or parents can guide children through step-by-step instructions, encouraging them to follow directions, count items, and describe textures or flavors.

At the clinic, use cooking as a group project to encourage cooperation; at home, it becomes a bonding opportunity.

Fun, hands-on, and rewarding, cooking activities allow children to practice essential skills while enjoying a tasty end result.

9. Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are exciting ways to develop observation, categorization, and problem-solving skills.

Create a list or use picture cards showing items the child needs to find, either in the clinic or at home.

You can make it themed colors, shapes, letters, or objects related to therapy goals. Add clues or riddles for older children to boost cognitive challenges.

Therapists can use hunts to encourage movement between stations, while parents can set them up in different rooms. The activity promotes attention, following instructions, and memory recall.

10. Art and Craft Projects

Art activities encourage creativity, fine motor coordination, and self-expression.

Provide materials like crayons, markers, glue, safety scissors, and construction paper. Projects can include making greeting cards, painting, or building collages.

Therapists or parents can use these projects to teach colors, shapes, and step-by-step task completion.

The final artwork serves as a confidence booster, showing tangible results of their effort.

In the clinic, group crafts promote social interaction; at home, they become treasured keepsakes.

11. Board Games with a Twist

Board games are excellent for teaching turn-taking, following rules, and practicing patience.

Choose simple, age-appropriate games like Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, or Connect Four.

Modify the rules to target therapy goals, such as answering a question or labeling an object before taking a turn.

This keeps the game aligned with developmental objectives while maintaining fun.

Board games also improve problem-solving, counting, and decision-making skills.

In a clinic, they can be used for group interaction, while at home, they provide a family bonding opportunity.

12. Building Block Creations

Using building blocks such as LEGO or Mega Bloks encourages creativity, fine motor development, and spatial reasoning.

Children can follow visual instructions to build specific structures or create their own imaginative designs.

Therapists or parents can integrate goals like counting blocks, sorting by color, or describing structures.

Group building promotes teamwork, communication, and cooperative problem-solving.

The activity also fosters perseverance, as children work through challenges to complete their creations.

At home, building projects can become family competitions; in the clinic, they’re great for peer interaction.

13. Movement-Based Imitation Games

Imitation games such as “Follow the Leader” or “Copy My Moves” help develop gross motor coordination, attention, and imitation skills, core targets in ABA therapy.

The leader performs actions like clapping, jumping, or spinning, and the child mirrors them.

Therapists can gradually increase complexity by adding multi-step movements or incorporating props.

This activity also supports turn-taking and listening skills. At home, siblings or parents can take turns leading, making it a fun family exercise.

Movement games keep sessions lively, improve body awareness, and reinforce listening while ensuring children stay physically active and engaged throughout the activity.

14. Emotion Charades

Emotion charades build emotional recognition and social awareness. Write different feelings, happy, sad, surprised, and angry, on cards, and have the child act them out without words.

Others guess the emotion, prompting discussions about situations that cause those feelings.

This helps children learn to read facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. At home, parents can incorporate it into the family game night.

The playful guessing format makes learning emotions less intimidating, improving empathy and communication skills.

15. Gardening Together

Gardening is a calming, hands-on activity that teaches responsibility, patience, and sequencing. Children can plant seeds, water them, and watch them grow over time.

This process reinforces following step-by-step instructions and offers opportunities to learn about nature, colors, and counting.

In a clinic, gardening can be done in pots or small raised beds; at home, it can expand to a backyard or balcony.

The sensory aspects of touching soil, smelling flowers provide additional therapeutic benefits.

Gardening projects also foster communication, as children discuss their plants’ progress.