April Home Programs

Language

Have your child search the pantry or fridge for items that share similar attributes. For example, things that are salty.


Eye Spy, save a couple toilet paper rolls, if you want to put a small piece of colored cellophane on them you can. Use them to play eye spy and have your child describe what they see.


Just for fun!

Use crepe paper to make streamers. Write words in a given category (animals, common objects, things at school etc.) on each streamer. Have them say them as you tie them onto their wrists, let run outside with multi colored streamers blowing in the wind. You could also tie them to a flagpole or stick, but be careful in case it rains and the dye runs out of the streamers or they injure themselves with the stick.  


les in the side of the bag and attach a string handle.


Talk about the following:

What group is an object from? (food, animal, school)

What does it do? (eat it, cut with)

What does it look like? (small, large, rough)

What is it made of? (blue fabric)

What parts does it have? ( a lid, with a sippy spout)

Where do you find it? (in a tree, at the zoo)

Anything else you know about it!

 

These cues follow a program the Speech Team uses in the Elementary setting. You don’t have to do every one each time, but these clues will help them expand their expressive language.





FLUENCY/STUTTERING 


From the University of Minnesota ideas for incorporating the whole family in supporting a child: with family communication rules:

Family Communication Rules. It is helpful if all members of the family develop more effective speaking skills. Developing family communication rules is a way to accomplish this task. The rules can be as simple as:

1. Only one person speaks at a time.

2. Everyone gets an opportunity to speak.

3. No one evaluates the contribution of another speaker.

These rules provide for orderly, fair, and safe family communication. Present them when the family is together along with methods for enforcing the rules. One family developed this strategy for monitoring the family's use of communication rules: Each family member began the week with 25 pennies in a cup. Each time someone violated a rule, they had to remove one penny from their cup. At the end of the week, the family members were able to keep the remaining pennies. Not only do rules such as these facilitate fluency for the at risk child, they teach the rest of the family patterns of interaction that will be helpful in any environment.







Articulation

Have your child search the pantry or fridge for items that have the sounds they are working on, cookies, candy, cups, etc. for k sounds or whatever sound they are working on.


Eye Spy, save a couple toilet paper rolls, if you want to put a small piece of colored cellophane on them you can. Use them to play eye spy and have your child find items with their target sounds.  


Just for fun! 

Use crepe paper to make streamers. Write a target word on each streamer. Have them say them as you tie them onto their wrists, let run outside with multi colored streamers blowing in the wind. You could also tie them to a flagpole or stick, but be careful in case it rains and the dye runs out of the streamers or they injure themselves with the stick.  


The progression of speech sounds is:

Isolation

Consonant followed by a vowel, but not connected

Consonant vowel pair

Word

Phrase

Sentence

Conversation

 

If you find your child can’t say the word correctly, go down the hierarchy until they are successful.



JOINT ATTENTION

Here is an interesting article with a short video to watch on what is joint attention and how to promote it!

http://beforefirstwords.upf.edu/precursors-of-language/joint-attention/





Resources

https://mommyspeechtherapy.com/

This website has lots of free downloads. They have pictures for speech sounds so you can print them off for practice.  They also have worksheets if you need more help. 


Know the signs. Act early website from the CDC! Great resource for the milestones of development!

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html


On you tube, find Peachie Speechie, she does a great demonstration of how sounds are made.  You can find the sound your child is working on and she can explain on to help your child make the sound!


From Superduper.inc is a great resource called Handy Handouts.  here is the link for no prep activities, something you can do on the spur of the moment

https://www.handyhandouts.com/search.aspx?searchstr=No-Prep%20Activities




Tips

From the Hanen Language Program:

Remain calm and positive

Smile, use a calm voice and remain relaxed

Focus on what they do right

Look for opportunities to support interaction

Keep it simple

Be on the same level as your child.  This means you are on the same eye level or face to face

Don't make activities overly complicated. 

Contact us if you are finding things aren't working. 


Ms. Shannon: martinezmyers@cmsd12.org

Ms. Tonya:  tjones@cmsd12.org



Articles of Interest