Using holidays to encourage Conversation Skills

This post is all about helping kids generalize their language skills using something that all kids love...holidays!  Talking about upcoming holidays is a great way to help kids solidify their newfound language skills because:
1. Holidays are super motivating for kids, they are fun!
2. Holidays are very high frequency topics in the weeks proceeding each major holiday.
3. Holiday conversations often are repetitive and predictive...talking about Halloween, well then expect to be asked what you will dress up as, talking about Christmas, expect to be asked what you have asked Santa for, etc.

So I take full advantage of the holidays when they roll around.  Having a private practice helps because then I don't have to worry about crossing some blurry school vs. church topic line.  I ask parents beforehand and go with what they generally talk about.  I LOVE working directly with parents.

These are some of the big goals that I work on in our conversations:
 topic maintenance if we are talking about Halloween let's stay there for a few minutes and not jump around to Star Wars or Cars II.
 conversational turns are we both sharing the talking time, is my client giving answers and asking questions, etc.
 ability to answer wh-questions and ask wh-questions this is a big one, in therapy it is easy to work on  answering wh-questions but harder to find spontaneous opportunities to ask them.  The basically scripted holiday conversation routines everyone uses are great for that.
eye-contact is the student engaging in appropriate eye-contact, especially when requesting information?
and other conversation level grammar and speech sound goals (using correct pronouns, correct helper verbs or conjunctions, verb tenses, /k/ sounds, etc.)

and the best part...these are conversations that have a huge likelihood of being taken outside of the therapy session time so the students can practice and apply the skills we have been working on to help them interact with peers.

Best Language Milestones References

Here are some of my favorite Speech and Language Milestone References.

LinguiSystems Communication Milestones FREE (has a ton of data, might have some terms that are confusing if you are not super familiar with SLP literature)

Zero to Three Developmental Milestones a great resource for kids ages birth to 3 years hits all major areas of development (not just speech and language)

ASHA Birth to age 5 Reference  contains information about language and speech development for ages birth to five, broken down by how old they are

ASHA Kindergarten to 5th Grade Reference contains information about language skill for school age kids broken down by what grade they are in


There are a lot of developmental checklists out there for tracking your child's speech.  You will notice that each checklist has a wide range of when kids are supposed to be picking up new skills.  That is because all kids progress differently and that is ok...but sometimes it is hard to know exactly when to worry.

Will your child figure it out if you just watch and see?  Does your child need specialized help?  It can be confusing and cause anxiety...if you feel worried I suggest that you first talk with your pediatrician and the child's preschool or school teacher.  These professionals know normal development and are very good at sensing if there is a bigger problem.  Then you can reach out to a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) if it is appropriate.  There are some milestones that are very important for kids to master, a SLP will be able to tell you exactly which skills your child is in the process of learning and which will come next and where to start working and how to target each goal and most importantly...why these skills are so important.

*tip - as you are researching I highly recommend checking out the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website:  ASHA's website. It will contain the most recent evidence-based research so you can be sure you are getting facts and not crazy internet information that will just freak you out.

A NEW Red Light Green Light: learning past tense verb endings

A lot of my clients are working on past tense "ed" verb endings.  A lot of my clients have worked on -ing endings.  Verb endings are hard, especially for kids with language delays or disorders.  This game is appropriate for kids who are 3+ years old but older kids (6-7) enjoy it too.

*extra info: past tense means the "ed" ending that you put on words when you talk about what you did yesterday.  Some words are irregular verbs and don't end in past tense yesterday...like run - ran.

This is a game that I created years ago when I was completing my internship in an autism cluster unit.  I use it all of the time and kids LOVE it.  It works especially well at the beginning of the school year because that is when classes are really hitting safety as kids go to school.

1. Get a piece of red paper, green paper, and yellow paper.  Teach (or review) what each color means at a crosswalk...you can read some fabulous books about safety here, Scholastic has some, your local library has some :)

2. Have your kid pick a motion.  At first I like to have some written down that they can choose from, pull out of a hat, etc.  Look for words that do not have irregular past tense verbs.  If you need help here is a list of some you can start with:

walk

clap

stomp 

jump 

hop 

look 

work 

call 

clean 

hum

For my example I will use "walk" but you can use anything that ends in "ed" if you did it yesterday.
Then practice these phrases while holding up your colored papers:

NO PAPER: Vocab Prep We will walk
GREEN: Start walking We are walking
YELLOW: Start walking slower We are walking slowly
RED: Stop walking Now we are finished...we walked.

*tip-make sure you really emphasize the "t" or "d" sound at the end of the word so the child recognizes it is there. If your child is just not getting it you can try touching your nose each time you say the "t" or "d" sound to give them a visual cue that they need to attend to the end of the word.

One book I love that goes with this skill:  From Head to Toe by Eric Carle, you can do each motion then pause and say...Now we are done, we raised our shoulders, or whatever page you are on.

Disclaimer:  remember if you think your child has a speech or language delay it is always best to work with a trained Speech and Language Therapist...they can tell you for sure which activities are best for your individual child.

Bake a Cake Activity

Theme: Bake a Cake

Targets these skills:  following directions, final /k/ sound, early language, verb tenses, plurality, sensory play, turn taking, sequencing, wh-questions

Beginning Vocabulary-

Bowl, Stir, Milk, Sugar, Flour, Egg, Batter, Pan, Oven

Additional Vocabulary-

Pour, Bake, Measure

Take pictures of:

Individual ingredients

Adding each ingredient (breaking the egg)

Stirring the batter

Pouring into the pan

Putting pan in the oven

Finished cake

Eating (breaking) cakes

Rhyming “ake” words

take, make, cake, bake, break, shake, mistake, wake

Activity Ideas: (need pictures of the activity, they are super helpful!)

Sequence the steps to making a cake

Match vocabulary word with picture

Match each step with its picture

Fill in the blank on each step (writing)

Pretend with cooking toys

Teach Dad how to make a cake

Books:

The Little Red Hen

The Gingerbread Man

Videos:

Meet the Baker http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/food.html

1. Put the mix in the bowl 

2.  Put the milk in the bowl

3. Put the egg in the bowl

4. Put the sugar in the bowl

5. Stir the batter

6. Put the batter into the pan

7. Put the pan into the oven

 references: 

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/alpha/b/baker.htm

http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/food.html

http://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/index.htm

Culatta, Barbara, Project SEEL

Reading Books with Toddlers

“Babies and toddlers are enriched by books. Even more important, the relationships between very young children and their parents are enriched by books. Books (can) provide a source of mutual pleasure for parent and child that is likely to last a lifetime. We introduce infants and toddlers to books not simply because of what they will learn from them, but so that they will grow to love them. It is a gift beyond measure.”

-Jeree H. Pawl, Ph.D

When should I start reading books with my child?

Today! It is never too early to start exposing your child to books. Books are a wonderful way to introduce children to new words, increase attention, and help build a child’s understanding of the world.

Your child will have the most success if you can make books part of your everyday routine. You can decide to read books as part of your nap and bedtime routine, in the car, at the grocery store, in the bath, and whenever you will most likely remember to make it an everyday habit.

How can I help my child become interested in books?

Try to have fun! When your child is engaged and enjoying himself he is learning. Remember that kids learn through playing, so books need to be viewed as another way to play.

Follow Your Child’s Lead: let your child decide how long you should be reading (a few minutes at a time is just fine), how much of a book you should read (you don’t have to read to the end of the story), and which parts of the book to read (you don’t have to go in order or in any order). Reading will be a lot more fun if you focus on what your child is interested in instead of what you think your child should be interested in.

Talk about the Pictures: you do not have to read all (or any) of the words to tell a story. Ask your child what he sees, look at what your child is looking at, and talk about the pictures that your child is interested in. Just asking “what’s that?” can get really boring…for you and for your child, try asking “what do you see?” instead.

Bring the Pictures to Life: pictures can be hard for a child to understand, they are a lot more abstract than the real object or action they represent. When you are reading try to bring the pictures to life: pretend to “eat” the berries, “wash” the boy’s dirty hands, “pet” the soft kitty, etc. These types of games will help your child comprehend what the picture means.

Let Children Turn the Pages: babies may not be able to turn the pages of a book but an 18-month-old will want to give it a try, and a three-year-old can certainly do it alone. Remember, it's OK to skip pages or go in any order. *Board books are especially great for encouraging a child to turn pages.

Create Books Together: your child may be a lot more interested in a book if it has pictures of him or his family. You can use basic dollar photo books and add pictures of family members or favorite toys or games to capture his attention. Another fun idea is to make a color book by having fun with crayons, markers, and paints.

Keep It Simple: For young children it is generally best to stick to books that are not too overwhelming or overstimulating. It can be confusing for a child to pick out specific objects on a very busy page of pictures, or to focus on a book and the language of the book if they are too caught up in the extraneous bells and whistles (lights and sounds).

What books are the best for helping my child engage?

It generally depends on the child’s age and experience.

Infant: 0-6 months

• Books with simple, large pictures or designs with bright contrasting colors (black and white and red are great colors for newborns).
• Stiff cardboard, "chunky" books, or fold out books that can be propped up in the crib (they also make great teething toys).
• Cloth and soft vinyl books with simple pictures of people or familiar objects that can go in the bath or get washed.

Baby: 6-12 months

• Board books with photos of other babies (babies love faces!).
• Brightly colored "chunky" board books to touch and taste.
• Books with photos of familiar objects like balls and bottles.
• Books with sturdy pages that can be propped up or spread out in the crib or on a blanket.
• Plastic/vinyl books for bath time.
• Washable cloth books to cuddle and mouth.
• Small plastic photo albums of family and friends.

Young Toddlers: 12-24 months

• Sturdy board books that they can carry.
• Books with photos of children doing familiar things like sleeping or playing.
• Goodnight books for bed time.
• Books about saying good-bye and hello (sturdy flap books are nice).
• Books with only a few words on each page.
• Books with brightly colored, engaging illustrations.
• Books with simple rhymes or predictable, repetitive text.
• Touch-and-feel books (you can talk about fuzzy, rough, bumpy, etc.).
• Animal books of all sizes and shapes (animal sounds are such fun!).

Older Toddlers: 24-36 months

• Books that tell simple familiar stories.
• Simple rhyming books that they can memorize.
• Bed time books.
• Books about counting, the alphabet, shapes or sizes.
• Animal books, vehicle books, books about playtime.
• Pop-up books, pull-the-tab books, touch-and-feel books.
• Books with humorous pictures and words.

References:

Choosing Books for Babies and Toddlers, www.zerotothree.org

Choosing Books for Young Children, Read with Me, www.rif.org

Tips for Sharing Books with Babies and Toddlers, www.zerotothree.org

Types of Picture Books to Improve Your Toddler’s Language, K. Scanlon, www.blog.asha.org

Sensory Play Ideas

Here is a cool handout that I put together to help parents get some ideas for sensory based play. Reminder: this may be hard for your child, make sure he his happy (well rested, fed, clean diaper, etc.) Also, if your child has sensory difficulties that affect eating you probably will want to do these activities in an area he is not expected to eat in, like outside or at a water table so that he doesn't make any negative associations to eating or food. Keep these activities fun and stress-free. It is ok to get messy!

Let’s broaden your child’s sensory input with activities that are S.A.F.E. (Sensory-motor, Appropriate, Fun and Easy). Let’s provide tactile sensations of dough, water, clay, glue, rock, mud, sap, earth, paint, feathers and fur. Children thrive when their eyes, ears, skin, and whole bodies ingest and digest all kinds of sensory stimuli. They may develop to their greatest potential if they have opportunities to feel rain on their faces, leaves in their hair, goo on their fingers, and mud between their toes.

SOME S.A.F.E. TACTILE EXPERIENCES

• Finger-painting on a tray with chocolate pudding. This open-ended, hands-on activity feels as good as it tastes. Next time, offer shaving cream and enjoy the smell and easy clean-up.

• Digging for worms. Handling worms is about as tactile as you can get.

• Going barefoot, lakeside. The differences between firm and squishy, warm and cold, dry and wet are worth investigating.

• Forming rice balls or rolling cookies in sugar.

• Kneading playdough or real dough. Make shapes, people, pretzels, or blobs.

• Ripping paper. Strips of newspaper are useful to line the hamster cage. Strips of construction paper or tissue paper make beautiful collages. Remember the process, not the product, is the goal.

• Discovering treasures in a Feely/Sensory Box. (Cut a hand-sized hole in a shoebox lid. Fill the box with lentils, cotton balls, packing peanuts, or sand. Add buttons, shells, uncooked macaroni, or small toys.) The idea is to thrust a hand through the hole and let the fingers do the seeing. No peeking!

• Collecting seeds, pebbles, or shells in an egg carton. Loading up the receptacles and dumping them out is great fun for a very young child. The ability to sort and classify the items comes later. *watch for choking hazards

• Petting the pet. Drying a wet dog, stroking a kitten, providing a finger perch for a parakeet, or hugging a baby are tactile experiences that make a child feel good, inside and out.

taken from Kranowitz, C. (2004), In Praise of Mud, S.I. Focus

Getting in on Free-Play

I recently read an article on the importance of play in maintaining a healthy relationship with your child. It is not ground-breaking or even super recent (it was published in 2007). But I thought the article was amazing. It offered excellent ideas on how to really increase the quality of the time you spend with your child.

“Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children” (Ginsburg, K. R., 2007). Free-play (unscheduled, independent, nonscreen time) is important! It is a great way for kids to discover and learn; free-play promotes healthy, fit kids.

Get in on your child’s free-play!

Give your kids a lot of time for free-play; be careful not to squeeze too many things into your child’s schedule.

Kids need time to explore and play with a variety of things, show your kids how new things are used, it is also ok to think outside of the box.

Play with the things your child is interested in…wait for your child to show you what/how they want to play.

Encourage your kids to play with toys that use imagination and don’t just “entertain”. (Blocks or dolls are great options imagination toys.)

Promote active play. Limit the use of passive entertainment (TV, movies, computers, electronic gaming devices).

Try getting on the floor and playing with your child down at his level and at his pace (generally much slower than yours).

Schedule a time (or several times) each day to explore books with your kids.

Playgroups are great for kids around 2.5 to 3 years old to learn how to play with other kids.

Ideas taken from Ginsburg, K.R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119, 182-188.