School’s out! For Summah! Little Sweet-Pea might need a bit of support over the break. Here are 5 creative ways to use toys for speech and language enrichment for the youngest kiddos.
1. PLAY! with toys. Turn off the electronics. The battery-powered. The one-way interaction “toys”. Get down on the floor with your little one and PLAY! Kids’ imaginations are boundless. Let them remind you how to PLAY! See it through their eyes. Everything is an adventure and nothing is pre-planned.
2. Role-play is a generational favorite at nearly any age. Have hard-hats and tools with blocks, markers, and boxes handy. Have an apron, 4 simple “cooking” utensils and 3 “cooking” ingredients handy. Before you know it, you might have a fantastic mud-pie or jello treat AND a table or platter to serve it all on. While playing, hold specific items next to your mouth as you say the name or the key sound you wish to highlight. The best way to have a child say something is to MODEL it, rather than REQUEST that he/she say it. So “spoon” while holding the spoon next to your mouth during the act of cooking is more likely to get the child’s response than “say spoon”.
3. When you PLAY!, FOLLOW your child’s lead. NARRATE what is happening and EXPAND on what he/she says. “You are moving the chair next to the box. When she says “table” and points to it, you say “we made a table!” and “sit down”. She might repeat some or all of what you said. Great! When he stirs the pudding mix and reaches for the liquid you say “First we add the mixture, then we add the milk.” He might repeat some or all of that. Fantastic! It’s not helpful to say “no, not like that”. or “let me do it”. We are not expecting little adults here. The point is speech and language enrichment, not perfect pudding and upright furniture.
4. Take TURNS. This teaches a child that communication is a time for both LISTENING and SPEAKING. Many many children struggle with this very basic skill. Do your part in helping them see “it’s your sister’s turn”, or “when you are quiet, then I know it’s my turn”. On the flip side, some kids don’t know that when YOU are quiet it signals their turn to speak. Prompt them or MODEL what they could say. Then PAUSE and see if they do!
5. REPEAT. Kids just soak up the repetition. They love the same games, toys, songs, routines, role-play scenarios OVER and OVER. Be patient. Be open. They are little sponges learning all they can and loving every minute of your quality attention and time. For some kids, repeating the same thing is the ONLY thing they want. Some kids need a little help branching out to enjoy other activities. If you have concerns about this or any other aspect of your child’s speech, language, social or play development be sure to speak with your pediatrician and ask for a Speech Evaluation. If he/she says “oh, let him/her grow out of it”, keep on asking until you get an evaluation. The evaluation is the ONLY way to fully address your concerns and with kids, time IS of the essence.
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