Spring is almost here and the weather is starting to get nice! Now that we can get these kiddos out to the playground more often, what words do we have the opportunity to practice there? We can name all of the equipment they can explore, commonly “slide”, “swing”, “monkey bars”, and maybe some others at your local playground. Many action words to practice as well! The kiddos run, jump, climb, throw, kick, catch, roll, etc. There are opportunities to give them choices so they can tell you if they want to go on the slide or on the swing. If they climb the stairs on the slide, you can model “up, up, up” and “Ready, Set, Go!” as they go down. Ask questions about it to get them engaged in conversation(once they are able to). They can request “up” or “up please” to get in the swing. If they indicate by pointing to the swing, try waiting a little longer while standing beside it before picking them up. You can pretend you don’t know hat to do and put your hands up asking “What do you need?”. If they do not respond “up”, model it for them to imitate. You can stop the swing after pushing for a bit and ask “Do you want more?” They can respond “more”(using the sign or word) or answer “Yes!”. The playground could also be a great way to teach turn taking if there are other children going down the slide. It can teach them to wait and use “me” or “my turn” when it’s their turn. These are just a few ideas to teach speech and language during a fun activity. Playing outside at a playground also provides children the sensory motor experiences that can often trigger language learning due to their bodies being actively engaged. It’s also very motivating for many children!
Sounds/Words to include: swing, slide, see-saw, monkey bars, ball , climb, run, jump, swing(verb), throw, kick, catch, roll, push, wheeee!, go, stop, up, down, more, all done, my turn, etc.
