July 2020 -

GROCERY SHOPPING

For some of us, grocery shopping is fun! For others, one of those tasks we dread. Having a baby or young child with us can make it even more challenging! What if sometimes, we turn it into a fun adventure and learning experience for our children? From a young age, babies can begin to learn about the foods and drinks we can get at the grocery store, as well as, the process we go through. These days, we can get so much more than food there! Here’s an example of how grocery shopping can be a teachable moment. “Up we go, in the cart!” “Let’s see what we need.” “We need more bananas.” “Where are they?” “Here’s the bananas!” When they are old enough, see if they can find them, or hold up the bananas and another fruit and ask them to find them(“Get the bananas” or “Where’s the bananas?”). They are building receptive language this way by identifying them. Whether they choose correctly or not, hold the bananas close to your face so they can see you pronounce the word. Then you can ask them, “Can you say it?” or tell them, “You say banana”. Over exaggerate the word in an almost sing song voice, “ba-NA-na” emphasizing the second syllable or both the second and third. They are learning expressive language this way. Many young children will say “nana” first and that’s o.k. when they are little. Talk to your baby as you shop and label what you are buying. Tell them “In the cart” to describe where the items go. If they are old enough to walk on their own, they can help put the items in and you can ask them each time, “Where does it go?” so they begin to answer “In the cart”, or at least an approximation of the phrase. As you take everything out to put it on the conveyer belt, you can tell them “Out!”, “There it goes, wheee!”. Describe to your baby or young child the items go “In the bag”. If they are older, ask them to help put some “In the bag!”. When you’re done, talk about what you bought and how much fun the adventure was. You can also complete the activity saying “All done!”, “Let’s go home!”. In addition to teaching your child language, grocery shopping can be a good way to introduce or teach them to try new foods. Maybe while putting the groceries away, you can talk about something you can make, or they can help make. One example might be a smoothie-something sweet you can also hide veggies in😉. For more suggestions and information on smoothies, please visit the “EAT” tab. Remember, it is important to do these activities when there is enough time to take your time…..learning is more difficult for everyone if it is rushed!

Words/sounds to include: Names of foods, drinks, or household items, in, out, eat, drink, yum/yummy, cart, beep, more, all done, go, stop, look, etc.

SUMMER SMOOTHIES

It’s summer and it’s HOT! What better way to cool down than ice cream…..or a smoothie! With technology at our fingertips at any given moment, you can find many recipes for smoothies. It’s a great way to incorporate fruits and veggies into our children’s(sometimes picky children’s)diet. What you probably didn’t know is that this is a great way for your kiddos mouth to work a little harder and differently to drink. Make it fun by giving them a silly straw to drink it from. This will provide awareness to their lips and tongue, as well as extra work while they are sucking through the straw. It could be an easier way for children to learn to drink from an open cup since the liquid is thicker and won’t go so fast as they learn to tip the cup to gauge the amount of liquid to swallow. You can easily play around with the consistency, whether you want it more like a milkshake or a smoothie. When they are old enough, have them help add the ingredients and teach them the names of what is going into the smoothie, and the actions that go along with it(cut, mix, pour, etc). Then enjoy a cool treat during the dog days of summer! For more information about picky eaters, see the resources tab for a helpful and informative website!

LET’S GET DRESSED!

We go out shopping, find the CUTEST outfit for our little one, and come home excited to put them in it! Dressing can be a great opportunity to teach our children. It’s something we help them with at least twice a day. Even when they get old enough to give us a hard time, which they will at some point, we can still provide a learning opportunity! Dressing routines can teach them names of clothing even before they can imitate sounds and words. As parents, we just have to label what we are putting on them. It not only teaches them but it may even distract them from being upset about what is happening😊 Over the years, I’ve seen some parents/caregivers turn it into a song! “These are your socks, socks, socks!” The tune doesn’t matter(and neither does your singing voice!). As they get older, ask your child to give you the article of clothing to put on(receptive language) or ask them “What’s this?” as you show them, so they can label it(expressive language). If they don’t know or the word is too hard for them at the time, label it for them so they eventually imitate it. Repetition and practice are keys to learning. What better way to do this than in daily routines! Even as they get older and more headstrong, provide choices(when able) for the child to pick out clothing. You can ask, “Do you want to wear the blue shirt or the green shirt?”. You may use a favorite character that’s on the clothing. Any method you choose, you are teaching them to combine words! Also, you can teach them “on” and “off”. “We put shoes on”. “Take your coat off”. There are so many phrases. Furthermore, you can incorporate questions in this routine. “Do you wear shoes on your head?” “No, shoes go on our feet!”(Be silly with this!). “Does our hat go on our head?” “Yes, on our head!” Another example is asking “where” so they can use words to answer one of the first “wh” questions they will begin to understand. “Where do our socks go?” “They go on our feet!”(Encourage them to respond “feet” or “on feet”). Although we may not always have a lot of time to spend in this routine, significant learning can occur!

TIP: Give you child time to respond, at least 3-5 seconds.

Words/sounds to use: names of clothing, colors, body parts, on, off, yes, no

MOTOR MOUTH

Early on, babies begin to explore their mouths. Once they get the hang of bottle or breast feeding, their fingers begin to make their way to their mouths. Some babies may begin to suck on their fingers or thumb to soothe themselves. Although we hope this doesn’t turn into a habit we somehow have to help them break in the future, it is important to have the hand to mouth connection. They will also begin to place objects to their mouths when they begin to teethe. This is a good thing as long as it is an appropriate object! As parents, we should begin to make silly faces and sounds with them as early as possible. This will given them the opportunity to connect, begin to imitate and gain awareness of their mouths, and engage in the beginning of turn taking(social language). It feels silly at first as adults, but it teaches your baby so many early speech and language skills! Show your baby raspberries(blowing with your lips closed or when tongue is slightly protruded), moving your tongue around(clicking it, sticking it out, lalalala sound), popping/smacking your lips together(I like to call this the fishy sound), blowing, opening mouth wide to make “ahhhh” sound, and smiling to make an “eeee” sound. Your baby will probably get a kick out of this and laugh a lot at his silly parent/caregiver! As they get older, you can teach them using a mirror if you notice they are having difficulty imitating these movements or making sounds. This way they can watch you and themselves perform. Blowing bubbles is a great way to teach toddlers how to blow, which is important for awareness of their lips and tongue in order to make both an “o” and “w” sound. If they have difficulty with this movement, use a bubble blower that they can dip one end in the bubbles and blow through the other end. Having to blow through it shapes their lips in a rounded position and their tongue down and out of the way. Any type of instrument they have to blow through to make noise(the reinforcement for the child) will be a fun way to teach them. You can use horns, whistles, flutes/recorders, etc. Remember, they will never know they are actually learning when you make it silly and fun!

Words/sounds to include: ahhhhh, eeeee, lalalala, pop, blow, bubble, mouth, tongue, lips, teeth, etc.

GROW A GARDEN!

Gardening can be a fun way to grow your relationship with your toddler! Whether planting in the ground or in pots, giving your child a way to learn a ton of vocabulary and to follow directions while getting messy can be so much fun. They won’t even know they are learning! Whatever you choose to plant, tell your child what it is you are planting and what you are doing. For example, “ Let’s plant the beans!” “Here are the seeds.” “We need to use a shovel to dig a small hole.” “Dig, dig, dig!” “Put the seeds in the hole.” “Then cover up the seeds with the dirt.” “Now we need to water them.” “Pour!” “The sun will help them grow too!”. Take turns with the tasks and use phrases “My turn” and “Your turn” as you do. Ask them what they need so they can request the materials(Seed please, More dirt, I want shovel, I need water, etc.). As they watch them grow, they will know they helped and maybe(if you plant vegetables or fruit)eat what they planted and nourished!

Word/sounds to include: names of fruits, vegetables, or flowers, dig, hole, scoop, dump, pour, seed, water, sun, dirt, sprout, bloom, pick, dirty, clean, wet

LET’S EAT BABY!

When is it time to begin to feed your baby first foods? Most experts say around 4-6 months your baby will be ready for baby cereals and purees. This is an important step not only for them to reach feeding milestones and continue to grow, but will give baby more awareness and movement of oral structures they use for successful eating and speech. When you first spoon feed your baby, beginning with rice cereal or oatmeal, it is important to place the spoon so that the tongue and roof of the mouth can work together to move the food back in order for baby to swallow. Also, baby’s lips should have the opportunity to clear the bowl of the spoon. The first few bites, or even the first few times your baby eats, you will most likely see them push the food out instead of a complete and/or successful swallow(tongue thrust). This is completely typical, however, if your baby doesn’t begin to successfully swallow more quantity each time they practice, you may want to seek additional advice or help. Having good communication with your pediatrician who can refer you to your local early intervention program is important if you begin to have concerns. In addition, I have included an additional resource in the resources tab for information from an occupational therapist who specializes in feeding. Once your baby is more proficient with a variety of purees and is beginning to teeth(chewing on everything, excessive drooling, more irritability, etc)you can begin trying some teething biscuits so baby will learn a more mature chew, then bite action. You can also begin transitioning them through the next stages of baby foods so they can be efficient and successful with table foods. Whether you are using store bought or homemade baby foods, let your baby explore the foods they eat. Let them get messy and learn how to become confident with self-feeding while progressing through the stages. Remember, all of the exploration and movement they are learning through feeding, also helps baby learn awareness and movement to begin speech. Talk to your baby during feeding times to teach them names of all the foods they are trying and what they need to eat them. Most importantly, be patient and have fun watching your baby learn and grow!

Words/sounds to include: eat, yum/yummy, mmmm-mmmm, names of foods, spoon, bowl, bite, chew, scoop, dip, mouth, tongue, teeth, lips, more, all done, etc.

*Please refer to the resources tab for additional information regarding feeding milestones.

WATER PLAY

Summer is synonymous with water. The pool, the beach, the sprinkler in the yard. Many opportunities for fun and learning while having fun! Not only can babies and toddlers learn a variety of sounds and words during water play, but they will have sensory experiences that will teach them to tolerate how things sound, taste, look, feel, and even smell. Teach your baby about the different temperatures as they splash around in the cold water from a sprinkler or a hose vs water in the pool that is heated or has sat in the sun. Model “Brrrr” for your child to imitate when it’s cold or “Ahhhh nice and warm” when the water is a warmer temperature. Teach them hot vs cold during these hot summer days, as well as concepts wet vs dry. Use water toys to play and splash with while naming them for your child to either find or pick up or to imitate the name of. Sing songs such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, “Five Little Ducks”, or “Splish Splash”. Teach actions such as “scoop” or “dump”. Make bubbles and help them pop them while modeling “Pop!”. When they are old enough, teach them to blow bubbles in the water. Whether you are at home or away, water play is a fun way to teach your child and a fun way for them to learn!

Words/sounds to include: Water, splash, wet, dry, hot, cold, plop, pop, bubble, boat, duck, fish, frog, bucket, shovel, cup, scoop, dump, swim, kick

STORY TIME

As parents, we learn very early on that reading is great for the development of young brains. It’s also a great bonding experience between parents/caregivers and children! Even babies can sit with their parents/caregivers and look at picture books for short(or long) periods of time. It’s a great way to set a routine with babies at night before they go to bed so they can begin to wind down. It’s also a great way throughout their day to help them learn to transition their body and mind from active learning to more passive learning. When they are small, going through very short, simple books with just pictures or short sentences that tell a story gets them ready to both understand and begin to use words. You can point to pictures as you label them and eventually, when they are able to touch/point, label the pictures so they can show you they understand the word is associated with a picture. Once they begin to talk, ask your child “What’s/Who’s this?” as you point so they begin to practice saying the words themselves. This is also a great opportunity for them to ASK to look at a book with you. When your child brings a book to you ask him/her “Do you want to read a book?”. Then, cue them by saying “Tell me” and model “book” for them to imitate. You can also utilize the sign if needed(found in resources tab). For older children, expand when they ask “book” by modeling “Read book” or “Book please” so they imitate word combinations to make requests. Books with repetition or onomatopoeia of a sound/word/phrase are great for children to fill in when you pause. This will demonstrate both their growing memory and anticipation, as well as, build their confidence to use sounds/words.

Words/sounds to include: book, more, all done, read, open, label the pictures or actions on the pages, use any sounds the pictures in the book may make(vroom, beep, moo, quack, etc.)