Language

What is a language disorder?

Learning to understand and use language is a big task! As they grow, children learn language from observing and interacting with others around them. They learn not just the words that we use, but the grammar rules, sentence structure, conversation skills, and so much more. While most children pick up these things naturally, some have more difficulty. They need to be explicitly taught the skills using specialized methods. These children have a language disorder. Having trouble understanding what others say is a receptive language disorder. Having problems sharing our thoughts, ideas, and feelings is an expressive language disorder. It is possible to have both a receptive and an expressive language problem.

Activities to Support Language Development

Grades K-2

• Read, read read! - Reading books to your child is one of the best ways to support their language development. Rather than just reading the words on the page, talk to your child about the book as well. Ask them questions (e.g. "What do you think the book is going to be about?"), talk about the pictures, and make "I wonder" statements that get them thinking (e.g. "Hmm...I wonder why the character did that." or "I wonder what will happen next.").
• Ask Questions - Ask open-ended questions in conversation that require more than just a yes or no answer. This will give your child opportunities to practice using longer sentences, vocabulary, and conversation skills. When reading books, ask Wh-questions (who, what, when, where, why). Use the pictures as cues to help your child understand the questions.
• Category Games - Play categorization games with your child. For example, name as many animals, sports, colors, etc., as you can. Understanding categories is critical for vocabulary development and helps with word finding.
• Model Correct Grammar - If your child uses incorrect grammar structures (e.g. "I goed on a walk"), model the correct grammar in your reply, emphasizing the correct word: "Oh, you went on a walk!"
• Sequencing Practice - Practice sequencing with your child by using a real life situation such as, "tell me how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." You can draw pictures to help them remember the steps. You don't have to be a great artist - they can be stick figures!
• Simon's Cat - My students love it when I use these fun short videos in our language sessions! If your child watches one of these videos alone, they won't get much benefit from it (they typically have no dialogue). However, there are SO many things you can talk about if you watch them together. Watch one with your child and talk about who the main character is, the setting, and the problem. Have your child retell the story that was shown in the video. Help them to remember what happened first, next, and last.

Grades 3-5

• Read Together - Make predictions about a story or chapter of a book you read to or with your child. Discuss what you think the book is about or what you think will happen next. As you begin reading, discuss whether your predictions were right. After reading a story or chapter of a book to or with your child, talk about the key parts of the story. Who are the main characters? Where and when does the story take place? What problems do the characters have to overcome? What do they plan to do? How do they finally solve the problem?
• Epic or Fail - We use Ellen's "Epic or Fail" videos on YouTube to practice making predictions and compound sentences. The students LOVE this activity! Just watch the videos, pause it whenever Ellen does, and make a prediction about whether each person's trick will be "epic" or if they will "fail." Then after seeing the outcome, use the words and and but to make compound sentences (e.g. "The man wanted to do a backflip, but he failed.").
• Cooking and Crafts - Following recipes or steps to a craft project can improve sequencing and language comprehension skills. Having your child teach a parent or sibling a recipe, rules to a game or steps to a craft project can aid in expressive language skills and sequencing.
• Nonfiction Texts - Your child's teacher may assign nonfiction articles through sites like Newsela or Readworks. Discuss each paragraph of the article as you read it to or with your child. What is the main idea of the paragraph? What are the details? If new vocabulary words come up, take the time to check your child's understanding. If they don't know the word, explain it to them with a real life context that they can relate to.

Apps for Language Skills

When it comes to supporting language development, natural interactions are best. However, sometimes we need a little help keeping kids engaged and finding ways to target specific goals. Here are some apps that you can use to support your child's language skills:

Grades K-2

• Let's Name Things Fun Deck (free) - Practice naming things in categories. Understanding categories is critical for vocabulary development.
• Step-by-Step Sequencing (free; offers in-app purchases) - Children can practice sequencing pictures. Understanding sequencing is an important foundational skill for language and reading.
• Wh- Question Cards (free for "who"; requires in-app purchase for more cards) - Learn to ask and answer WH-questions (who, what, when, where, why).
• Bag Game ($1.99) - Play "What's in the Bag?" together to work on describing or asking questions. I use this one often in my sessions and the kids love it! Note - this one is not an independent activity. You need two people to play.

Grades 3-5

• Mad Libs (free) - Mad Libs stories are a great way to work on learning the parts of speech. Your child will probably need help understanding which words are nouns and verbs, etc., but this is a great opportunity for teaching these concepts.
• 5 Second Guess ($1.99 or the ads are relentless) - This game is great for working on categories, which supports vocabulary development and word finding. Note - this is not an independent activity. It requires at least two players.
• Bag Game ($1.99) - Play "What's in the Bag?" together to work on describing or asking questions. I use this one often in my sessions and the kids love it! Note - this one is not an independent activity. You need two people to play.

More Resources

I have lots more where this came from! I have many resources that I just can't legally share on this public site. To request more materials for your child's specific goals, contact me! I will email them directly to you.