Language Resources

If you have any questions please contact our Speech and Language Pathologists:


Jabarah Harley Jharley@bostonpublicschools.org

Ilanna Newman Inewman@bostonpublicschools.org
(para ayuda en español)



Suggestions to Promote Speech/Language Development in Your Preschooler


To increase language understanding:

  • TALK to your child about everything in their environment.

Talk about:

  • What you are doing.

  • What he/she is doing.

  • What he/she sees and hears.


To increase verbal expression:

  • LISTEN to your child.

  • Model good verbal language and sentence structure.

  • Help your child expand his/her sentences by asking questions and commenting on the information that he/she shares with you.


READ, READ, READ to your child to

  • Increase his/her ability to pay attention to a structured activity led by an adult.

  • Increase his/her understanding of language, especially more complex language not used in everyday conversation.

  • Expose him/her to new concepts and ideas.





Additional Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development

(K0-K2 students)

· Repeat what your child says indicating that you understand. Build and expand on what was said. "Want juice? I have juice. I have apple juice. Do you want apple juice?"

· Make a scrapbook of favorite or familiar things by cutting out pictures. Group them into categories, such as things to ride on, things to eat, things for dessert, fruits, things to play with. Create silly pictures by mixing and matching pictures. Glue a picture of a dog behind the wheel of a car. Talk about what is wrong with the picture and ways to "fix" it. Count items pictured in the book.

· Help your child understand and ask questions. Play the yes-no game. Ask questions such as "Are you a boy?" "Are you Marty?" "Can a pig fly?" Encourage your child to make up questions and try to fool you.

· Ask questions that require a choice. "Do you want an apple or an orange?" "Do you want to wear your red or blue shirt?"

· Expand vocabulary. Name body parts, and identify what you do with them. "This is my nose. I can smell flowers, brownies, popcorn, and soap."

· Sing simple songs and recite nursery rhymes to show the rhythm and pattern of speech.

· Place familiar objects in a container. Have your child remove the object and tell you what it is called and how to use it. "This is my ball. I bounce it. I play with it."

· Use photographs of familiar people and places, and retell what happened or make up a new story.

**Taken from The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) website***