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From: The Desk of Sandra W. Larkin, Ben Hill Pre-k Speech PathologistTo: Parents of Ben Hill Preschool Speech/Language StudentsRE: Parent-Child speech and language ideas/activities The following are suggested ideas and activities that you can use with your child at home:Speech Sound Activities (these are suggestions to help with practice of specific speech sounds):Please choose from the following speech sounds to help your child while at home:/f/, /k/, /g/, /l/, /th/, /sh/, /ch/, /s/, l-blends (i.e., bl, fl, kl, gl, pl, sl), and s-blends (i.e., sp, sk, st). Limit target speech sounds to no more than 2 different sounds per session.Practice target speech sounds twice weekly (preferably Mondays/Wednesdays, or Tuesdays/Thursdays) for 5-10 minutes each time. Help your child watch for the correct positioning of his/her tongue/teeth/lips in a mirror as you practice making your speech sounds together.Begin with the specific speech sound in isolation before moving to syllables, words, or sentences. Listen intently to make sure your child is making his/her sound(s) correctly. (For instance, if you are working on the sound for /k/, begin with /k/, /k/, /k/, before moving to the syllables /ka/, /ke/, /ki/, /ko/, /ku/, then words /kup/, /kap/, /kim/.If your child can make the target speech sound(s) correctly in isolation, in syllables, and in words-then allow them to say the words in sentences. If your child cannot think of a sentence using the target word, then give him/her a sentence using the target word and let them repeat it for you. Example, “I see a cup”. Flash cards with pictures that begin with your child’s target speech sound(s) may be found in abundance online. If you cannot find these pictures, or you do not desire to search for them, simply compile your own list of words that begin with the target speech sound and have your child repeat the words after you. If your child cannot, or does not, make a specific speech sound correctly, discontinue the practice for that sound and only provide a good model of the sound. In other words, allow your child to hear you say the sound correctly but do not allow them to “drill” an incorrect sound. For instance, if your child continually makes the “t” sound for the “k” sound (tup/cup), do not let them do repeated drills of “t” for “k”. Only allow drill and practice for a speech sound that your child demonstrates correctly. If a child continually practices a sound incorrectly, it may be difficult to correct the sound when therapy resumes. We will address any error speech sounds when school reconvenes.Keep practice brief, but fun. Remember, do not over-drill.Remember to always model good speech sound production for your child. This helps your child to say his/her words correctly.Language Activities (these are activities to help stimulate language development).Speak clearly to your child and model good speech as you talk to your child.Get your child’s attention before you talk and pay attention when your child talks to you.Help your child follow 2- and 3-step directions, such as, “go to your room and bring me your shoes”. Or, “go to your room, look under your bed, and bring me your shoes.”Help your child retain the vocabulary he/she has learned. For instance, remind him/her of the common category items that have been introduced at preschool during the year-animals, foods, clothing, transportation, personal items, household items, body parts, and toys. A good activity to help with this skill would be to ask your child to name some of the items that belong to these categories as they appear in his/her environment. In other words, find pictures (or real-life items) and ask your child to name them for you. Also, look for these items in stories that you read or in tv shows that you watch. Point them out and have your child name them for you. This is an appropriate activity for very young children, and for many of the children enrolled in preschool intervention. If your child does not require a visual-picture, you may say to them, “Name some foods for me”, or “Name some clothes for me”, etc. Or, you may name items in a category and ask your child to name the category. For example, you may name “apples, cereal, pizza, hot dogs”, and say to your child, “These are all (foods)”. Your child responds “food(s)”.When working on the category of “animals”, some of our students may only be able to make the sound for the animal shown them. For instance, if you show a picture of a cow, they may say “moo”. Or, if you show a picture of a cat, they may say “meow”. This is progress. This lets you know that your child understands what you are talking about, although he/she may not yet name the animal. If you have pictures of animals, you may also want to show your child a choice of 2 animal pictures, make an animal sound, then have your child choose the picture that corresponds with the animal sound you make. If you can access the “Old MacDonald” video on youtube, this is a good resource to reinforce farm animals, their names, and animal sounds.Have your child guess an item that you describe (if your child is performing at this particular skill level). Remember to give them the function of the item in your description. For example, you might say, “we use it to sweep the floor”, “we sleep in it”, or “we drink out of it.” You might also reverse this activity and have your child give you a clue while you guess the item. You can do this activity with many personal and household items.To help your child retain his/her ability to answer “wh-questions”, read short stories and ask questions about the stories. Remember to let your child look at the pictures in the story and watch as you turn the pages. Ask “who” was in the story, “what” someone did, and “where” the story took place. Also, if there is an opportunity, ask “why” an event in the story happened. IF your child gives an incorrect answer, help them determine the correct response. Also, ask your child to retell the story in his/her own words. Familiar stories, such as, “Goldilocks and The Three Bears”, “The Three Little Pigs”, and “Little Red Riding Hood” work well for this activity. (Sample questions for Goldilocks and The Three Bears might include: Who went in the bears’ house?, What did Goldilocks do in the bears’ house?, Where were the bears when Goldilocks went in their house?, Why did Goldilocks eat the porridge?) If a story is unfamiliar to your child, several “reads” may be necessary before he/she can retell it. Retelling the story helps to improve your child’s memory and organization.To help with the skill of sequencing (putting things in the correct order as they occurred in the story), you might ask, “What did Goldilocks do after she ate the porridge?”, “What did she do after she broke Baby Bear’s chair?”, “What did she do last?”, etc.Sing simple songs and say nursery rhymes. Good examples are: Ba-ba Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Old MacDonald, The Wheels on the BusPlay a game of “What doesn’t belong?”. For instance, place a shirt, a sock, a shoe, and a cup in a row and ask your child to tell you “what doesn’t belong?”. Additionally, have the child to tell you why the item does not belong (the cup does not belong because you do not wear a “cup”, or the cup is not a piece of clothing).Help your child to “articulate” actions. When your child is doing something, ask what he/she is doing? Can he/she tell you he is eating, drinking, playing, jumping, kicking, drawing, writing, taking a bath, brushing his/her hair, watching tv, etc.? If you can find pictures of common actions in books or magazines, have the child name the action(s) for you as you point to them.Have your child draw a picture of their favorite food, animal, transportation, person(s), shapes, or activity. Ask him/her to tell you about the drawing. If your child cannot think of anything to draw, it is okay to give them ideas about something to draw. Some preschoolers might want to use their writing skills to spell a word or to write a sentence about what they drew. Remember (for this particular activity) not to focus on spelling or correct formation of any letters your child might write. This is only an activity to stimulate “talking”. The goal is to encourage a two-way conversation between you and your child about what he/she drew.If your child is not yet talking, encourage him/her (daily) to repeat single-syllable words that you say (ex. cat, hat, mat). Use pictures or toy manipulatives in combination with your words, whenever possible, to see if this will help “spur” an attempt to talk. If you can help your child imitate your speech, this is a prerequisite to help him/her begin to use speech for purposeful communication. Be patient, as this may take some time. Remember to reward your child for any, and all, attempts to “talk”. Some words may not be produced clearly, as speech development may vary among children. If talking is not yet elicited, try to encourage your child to point to pictures, or items, that you name. This exercise can help you check to see if your child understands what you are saying. As you interact with your child during his/her daily activities, talk with him/her about what you are doing. For instance, at bath time, you might say, “I’m washing your back/feet/hands/face”, etc., or “I’m drying your back/feet/hands/face”, etc. While dressing, say, “I’m putting on your shirt”, or “I’m putting on your socks”, etc.Remember, this time that you are spending together is the “perfect” time to “per-FECT” the art of conversation. Talk with your children about their personal experiences. Talk about events that happened while they were at school. Ask them to talk to you about friends who are in their classes, visitors who came to their class to read to them, and activities they took part in while at school (eating green eggs and ham, playing in the gym or on the playground, playing in their favorite center, etc.). Talk with your child about things they want to do, or places they want to go. The most opportune times to talk with your child are during their routine, daily activities of dressing, bath time, and mealtime. Other opportune times are specified “homework” times that you have assigned for them to practice the skills requested by their Pre-k teachers (letter writing, counting, shapes, colors, etc.). There are so many things to talk about. We need only “carve out” the time to do it!!! If you have questions or concerns about your child’s speech/language development, or want to discuss other ways you can help enhance this development, please email me at the address below and I will send you a reply. sandra.larkin@Below are some suggested web resources to help you help your child at home. Highlight the web addresses and paste them in your web browser. You must be a Facebook member to access the Speech and Language Academy website. ................
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