Speech & Language

Speech & Language Begins at Home

Interaction and conversation during everyday activities are the key to speech and language success. There are many fun and practical ways you can help your child improve their speech and language skills.  Working on r?  Say an r word each time you shoot a basketball or throw a pitch. Expanding vocabulary?  See who can name the most animals while on a drive to grandma's.  Learning colors? Name all the colors you see in the produce section of the grocery store.  Trouble with k?  See who can spy the most words in a book that begin with that letter.  Need to remember directions?  Let your child help tell you the order of ingredients and steps while you bake cookies together. Improving story telling?  Ask your child to share all the details of their play date.  The possibilities are endless! Use your imagination and explore the websites.  Remember, keep your practice fun.  Your child will enjoy talking to you!

Also, don't underestimate the power of play in your child's learning.  Play is a powerful tool and motivator.  Team sports involve many rules, sequencing, social, and listening abilities.  Many of today's board games target memory, language, or basic concepts like counting.  Just pretending to play house is an incredible learning experience involving language and thinking.  While most kids are not anxious to complete a worksheet, most will happily play.  Take advantage and use play to help your child's speech and language grow!