Embedded Files
Home practice helps your child generalize their skills they've been working hard on in our speech sessions to new environments. There is no need for hours of parent/child practice per day at home, even 15 minutes a week will help! Your child has other homework and expectations and needs, so figure out what works best for you and your child without overwhelming them to the point where they don't want to practice.
These links and materials are for parents of students who are on my caseload and receiving speech therapy services from me. Picture books are my number one recommendation for parents as an all-purpose tool to support your child's speech skills. They can be adapted for any area of need as you will see below, and it also supports the development of their literacy skills.
Articulation
Books to Practice Articulation : You may be able to find some of these to check out for free at your local library
Fluency
Your child may use a variety of techniques to promote fluent speech (easy onset, slow speech, light contacts, giving themselves time to before they speak, etc.)
If they have just begun speech therapy: practice their techniques at the beginning of a word. Use the technique at the beginning of word while naming objects in their environment (perhaps favorite things!) You could try naming things that start with each letter of the alphabet and using the technique. Have them teach you how to do their technique!
If your child has been in speech therapy for a year or more: Have your child read a book aloud (if they are a reader...a book at their level or even perhaps below) and use their fluency techniques at the beginning of each sentence.
Talk to your child about their feelings about their fluency if you and they are comfortable doing so. Some ideas:
- When do they feel they stutter the most?
- Are some situations (e.g. speaking in front of a group, talking to new people) harder than others?
- Is there a time of day they feel they stutter the most?
- Do they stutter more if they feel a certain emotion?
- Do they stutter more if they're rushed?
- Which techniques do they feel work best for them?
- What techniques could they try?
- What do they feel could help them at home (e.g. what could parents/family members do)?
If they have been in speech therapy for a while:
- How could they advocate for themselves? (E.g. talking to their teacher about their stutter,
- Do they know any other kids who stutter?
- Are there any famous celebrities they know who stutter? What have their journeys been like?
Language
Expressive Language
Increasing your child's verbal abilities when they have limited language: Model one or two words beyond what your child says. E.g. child says "Cookie!" You say "Want a cookie?" Provide an item your child requests *if* they use their verbal language; if they haven't, you can model it for them and possibly have them repeat what you have modeled. Keep it simple, but try to keep it grammatically correct and only a few words in length maximum beyond what they are saying now. (E.g. if the child is only saying one word like "Cookie," expecting them to say "May I have a cookie please?" may be a bit much right now...but you can hopefully build up to that over time.)
Opposites Song : Works on antonyms. You could play this sort of game at home. What's the opposite of.....hot? See if they can get it on their own. Have them ask you too!
Synonyms/Antonyms : word lists and worksheets
Categories: name and point out household items and have your child name the category (e.g. plate, spoon, fork. They're all...?). Could also be done with pictures of objects/items you have or print out. You can also challenge your child to name items in a category (E.g. Can you tell me three foods?)
Describing: Challenge each other to describe as many attributes about a specific item as you can! Some attributes:
- Color
- Shape
- Size
- Use/what it does
- Parts/what it's made of
- Category
- Location (place you find it)
Similarities: Similar to describing above, how many similarities can you find between two things? Perhaps present real items from your home (e.g. a pencil and a pen) or pictures of items if your child is younger. How many ways are they the same? Are they the same color, size, shape? Do they have the same function? Do we find them in the same place?
Storytelling/Narrative Development: Remind them that every good story needs to have an introduction (who/what/where/when), a problem, a solution, and a conclusion. Model by telling a story and pointing out the different parts afterward.
Receptive Language
Categories: Have your child point out an item that belongs to a category in your home. (E.g. "Show me a food." "Show me a piece of furniture." Provide help as needed.)
Ms. Dunn's Favorite Language Rich Games
Games are a great way to promote language development. Kids learn best when they are engaged, and games are very engaging to children. Some games are listed below. Some are board games you may have around the house, others are games you can play without a board game (for others that have a board game but can be played without it, I've listed some ways you could play at home).
- 20 Questions (no board game needed)
- Taboo (can do this without the official game, just have an item and describe it and the other person has to guess)
- Last Word (adapt by removing category cards that would be too hard for kids; could do this without the board game by writing categories on strips and seeing who can name the last thing in a category)
- Headbanz
- Apples to Apples
- Guess Who?
- "I Spy" -- but adapted to describe objects (in pictures or real life), then the other person has to figure out what the person described
Social Skills
Play with your child! Play board games, play legos...whatever your child or their child is interested in. Reinforce skills such as:
- Turn taking
- Conversation Skills
- Compromise
- Emotional regulation (e.g. taking deep breaths if we lose, realizing it's not a huge problem)
Reading books (that you have at home or you check out from the library) or watching kids' videos (pause before asking questions) together can also support the following skills:
- Inferencing: read a picture book together, figure out how the character feels based on facial expressions and context
- Problem solving: What do you think the character should do?
- Cause/effect: What happened when...? Why did....? What consequences were there when...? (Point out any clues you as the adult see as needed.)
- Predictions: What do you think will happen next? (Point out any clues you as the adult see as needed.)
Social Stories for School Closures
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