Additional ideas are listed below

PreSchool- Third Grade

• Playing is a great opportunity for your child to learn vocabulary, answer questions and request objects. These pictures give you ideas on how to target language goals with fun activities!

• Make time to do activities with your child everyday. These activities require very little planning and can be easily completed in and around the home!

• YouTube videos are entertaining and pose multiple opportunities to pause the video to ask questions, learn vocabulary and follow directions. A few of our favorites are posted here; but, check out Super Simple Songs or the Learning Station on YouTube for more!

• Create a scavenger hunt to find objects based on their attributes (i.e. find 3 green things, 2 things bigger than an apple, something round, etc...).

• While eating lunch, ask student to explain how the foods are different.

• Read a story and after ask questions (who, what, where) about the characters, the setting. Sequence the events that happened in the story (first, next, last).

• Hide objects around the room and give your student directions using concept words (it is UNDER, NEXT TO, BEHIND, ABOVE, BETWEEN, NEAR something HOT/COLD, ON, etc.) This will target basic concepts and following directions.

• Play a game of memory

• Make arts and crafts

• Play "I Spy"

• Look outside and talk about what you see

• How many things can you think of in different categories? Make a list. (yellow things, hot things, furniture, jewelry, transportation, buildings, boy's names....the possibilities are endless!!)

• Talk about how things around the house are the same. How are they different?

• Do some rhyming! Try to come up with nonsense words and real words!

• Look at the titles of TV shows and books, make predictions about what you think that show or book is about.

• Spend time talking to your child. Model good eye contact. Answer their questions and talk to them about their feelings, likes/dislikes, and anything else their little minds come up with!

fourth grade - sixth grade

• Describe the objects around your house. Try to describe at least 3 characteristics of that object (e.g., it's an animal that's furry and barks-dog; it's a fruit that's red and has seeds in the middle-apple). You can turn this into a guessing game or an I-Spy game!

• Have your child describe the steps for how they did a completed activity (e.g., how did you draw that picture? How did you make that recipe? How do you play that game?) Model and/or encourage them to state the steps in order, and also use of proper grammar (how their teacher would say it!). Also, encourage them to use transition words such as first, next, finally, etc.

• Talk about about groups of words/categories and the things that belong in them (fruits, pets, hot things, red things, etc.) You can make it a game if you'd like-see how many you can name in a minute, etc. (there are even commercial board games on the market such as Scategories or Name 5).

• Read-A LOT!! This will help your child increase his/her familiarity with abstract vocabulary that they may not experience in everyday life.

• Compare/contrast different objects in your home.

• Hit the pause button when you are watching a TV show or movie (or YouTube video). Infer what the people are feeling or thinking based on their facial expressions or the situation.

middle school - high school

• Go for a walk or look around the house and find 2 objects to compare and contrast.

• Use vocabulary terms from classroom assignments/textbooks to define, identify synonyms and antonyms, and use in a sentence.

• Read a book, if there is an unfamiliar word, look up the definition and put it on flashcards to review frequently.

• When learning vocabulary for an academic class, don't forget common tools and strategies for learning the word more quickly! These include using the textbook glossary, looking for a bold print word within your lesson, looking in the margins (sides of the page) for the definition, and any charts/diagrams/maps/models!

• Context clues may also help you figure out what the word means (e.g. what are you reading about or what is being discussed? Is there a synonym, antonym, definition, or example in the sentence/paragraph that contains the unfamiliar word that may help you?)

• To work on pragmatic/social language, discuss what the body language (posture, gestures, tone of voice, facial expression) of the characters in your favorite TV show or movie is communicating (or even your favorite You-Tuber!).

• Also, when watching your favorite shows, discuss if the character(s) are responding to the situation or other people in an expected way (that makes the others have good or okay thoughts about them) or in an unexpected way (that makes the others have weird, annoyed, or angry thoughts about them).

• For students working on functional communication and critical thinking, focus on being as independent as possible when completing household chores. Name/list the items you need to complete the task (e.g., plate, cooking utensils, etc. for cooking something in the microwave), as well as the steps for completing the task (cooking, laundry, cleaning a room, etc.).

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