Category: Plays

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.

Over the many years I have been doing this, I can 100% tell you the toys that parents wish they didn’t have in their house are musical instruments. As a parent myself, I get it! While they can be hard to tolerate sometimes, they can be great toys to teach speech and language skills! Using a drum, children can learn exclamatory sounds like “boom”, “bam”, “bang”. Also, you can tap out syllables or words in a rhythm that some children will imitate more easily than just hearing us say it(Mama, Dada, Baba). Using a xylophone, you can model “lalala” or “ding-ding-ding” as you play the different keys of the octave(or really any sound you want). This can also make your child aware of the various tones our voices can make! Using an instrument they can blow through(recorder, horn, harmonica, kazoo, etc) can provide them more awareness of their mouth. It also teaches them how to use their breath, lips, tongue, cheeks together to produce sounds(which they need to coordinate for speech too!). When they are blowing through something, their lips are rounded, their tongue is down and slightly back, and their cheeks have to “hold” the air in. Speech sounds can’t occur if systems don’t work together in coordination! The part of our brains that processes music occurs in a different part from where language occurs. Music can trigger neurons to fire in one hemisphere, while language is being triggered by neurons firing in the other. This creates a way for our hemispheres to “communicate” and work together! Musical instruments can be a fun, motivating way for children to practice using sounds, which eventually turn into words!

Sounds/Words to include: drum, piano, xylophone, whistle, horn, flute, bells, guitar, bang, boom, bam, lalala, ding-dong, blow, play, tap, hit, shake, etc.

*Create your own musical instruments from what you already have! Kitchen utensils and bowls/leftover containers can be a drum and drum sticks. Straws can be whistles, empty paper towel rolls can be horns, glasses can be different tones like piano keys(but be careful!), etc. Have fun!

Whether it’s a baby doll or your baby’s favorite stuffed animal, pretending to take care of it can be a great way to teach speech and language skills. As I have stated in previous posts, pretend play is important for many developmental skills. It also can give your child a sense of playing an important role within the family. It’s a great way to prepare your kiddo for becoming a big brother/sister!

Before the age of 2, you will see your child engaging in some independent pretend play. They may begin to imitate some everyday routines they see parents/caregivers doing, such as wiping up the table or try on their highchair or booster seat. Similarly, they may pretend to feed dolls or stuffed animals, wash them, change their diaper, or dress/undress them. Much the same as these consistent routines YOU are helping them with! If you do not see your child engaging in this type of play, you can demonstrate it for them. If they are playing in their play kitchen, show them to pretend to give the doll or stuffed animal a drink. Model sounds/words/word combinations to “talk” for the toy. For example, “Milk please.”, “Thank you.”, make a sipping sound, then “ahhhhh” or “mmmm, yummy!”. Pretend to give the doll or stuffed animal a bath and narrate what you are doing. “Time to get a bath!”, “Wash, wash, wash”, or talk about what you’re washing to work on labeling body parts. For example, “Wash toes!”, etc. Then you can incorporate transitioning the baby from getting a bath to getting dry and dressed. You can model “We need a towel”, “Dry, dry, dry”, then “All done!”, “Pajamas on”, “Feet in”, “Arms in”, etc. In addition, you can expand this further to a bed time routine and they can help you put the baby to bed. Model “Night-night baby” and give your child directions to “Give the baby a blanket” or “Give baby a kiss”, etc(then make the kissing sound).

These activities can help build your child’s vocabulary, ability to make sounds, and turn taking skills with you. It may even help with some of these routines if they give you a hard time getting through it without a meltdown. Pretending to take care of a favorite toy builds their speech and language development, pretend play skills, social skills, and so much more!

Sounds/words to include: baby, eat, sit, drink, wash, water, milk, juice, names of foods, soap, bubbles, pop, body parts, names of clothing, night-night, all clean, all done, on, off, be, blanket, shhhhh, ahhhhhh, mmmmmmm, yum/yummy, etc.

Many children go through a phase that they begin to feed their dolls, stuffed animals, or their family members. This a BIG milestone for play development. It can also be a great way to learn language! Join in with them to help create a picnic inside…or out! Those of us living in cold weather the next few months, we can turn any space inside into a picnic. Your children can bring along their favorite dolls or stuffed animals. Help them pack a “picnic basket” by asking them to find certain foods/drinks you would like(or pretend one the dolls wants). Also, when the kiddos choose what they want, help them name the food or drink before putting it in the basket. While setting everything up, talk about everything else you need for the picnic and describe what you are doing. Ask your children to help! Everyone will need a plate, cup, fork, spoon, etc. Model the language you would like them to use. For example, “May I have some grapes?”, “Thank you!”. You can use their pretend food or what you have in your kitchen. The kids will have fun hearing you pretend to talk in funny voices for their friends(dolls or stuffed animals). They may even begin doing it as well! Modeling words and phrases during pretend play helps them learn and build their language skills, social skills, and maybe even some motor skills too! If your child(ren) prefer a tea party, make it a tea party! For some of our “picky eaters”, this may help them to try new foods! Picnics, real or pretend, are a great way to help children learn new words and how to use them!

Sounds/words to include: names of foods and drinks, names of dolls or stuffed animals, blanket, basket, plates, cups, fork, spoon, napkin, pour, scoop, pass, more, please, all done, yum, yuck, yes, no, thank you, your welcome, etc.

What is sensory play or sensory-motor play?  Play that engages your sensory system(thing the 5 senses) along with two more senses few people know about that involve movement and balance/body awareness(vestibular and proprioceptive).  Stay tuned, and I will explain how you can use these activities to boost speech and language development.  As your baby grows into a very busy, curious toddler, it is important to provide them with a variety of “sensory” type activities.  You may not even realize how many you are already doing, or how they are exploring and learning how to manage all the sensory input their bodies and brains are craving. For more information, visit www.yourkidstable.com.

Why is it important? Children learn best while engaged and motivated.  They are already gaining so many skills so quickly in the first years of their lives.  Engaging all systems during daily routines and activities provides optimum learning experiences for development.  Providing these activities and engaging with them will help develop motor skills for future athletes or writers, language skills for future public speakers(#teachersareessentialworkers), and social skills for future community leaders.  You can find a ton of creative ideas on the internet using everyday household items and daily routines to create these experiences.

Some children need more sensory activities than others.  These are great opportunities to teach new sounds and words! Also, it will be more motivating to use that sound/word to request a continuation of the activity😊 Below are some ideas to help get those sounds and words out for the “quiet players”:

Messy play– finger painting(paint or foods like whip cream), play dough, sandbox, bin of rice/noodles/water. Words/sounds to include: wheee!, zoom, dot-dot-dot, smash, roll, push, pull, bounce, ball,  snake—ssss, cookie, yum, yucky(ooooo), scoop, dig, dump

Bouncing/rolling on a ball- make sure it’s a large enough ball that they need a little help staying on it. Words/sounds to include: bounce, roll, up, down, more, all done, sing songs while they are on it(Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Wheels on the Bus, ABCs)

Swinging– on the playground, in your arms, or in a blanket(safely with two people holding the blanket). Words/sounds to include: swing, wheee!, up, down, more, all done, Ready-Set-Go, 1, 2, 3, Go

Jumping/Hopping– you can pretty much do this anywhere! Words/sounds to include: jump, hop, boom, up, down, more, all done, Ready-Set-Go, 1, 2, 3, Go

There are so many more activities out there that are examples of sensory play! If you have questions or concerns, feel free to message me. Always remember to speak to your pediatrician about your local Early Intervention program.

Why are bubbles such an important toy for early learning?  Besides being fun and motivating for young(and even older) children, it’s a simple way to engage them with you!  When they are actively engaged in watching them form and float, they will then move to try to touch them. You can model action words such as, “Pop!” or “Blow!”, and descriptive words such as “Big!” or “Little”.  Your child will want more to continue this activity, so you can wait for them to ask for “more” or ask them if they want “more”.  This will give them an opening to respond by imitating “more” or respond “yes” or “no”(verbally or non-verbally).  As they get older and more mobile, you can give them directions to “stomp”, “clap”, “kick”, or “poke” the bubble to pop it.  Also, you can teach them to blow bubbles which is important to build awareness of their mouths and what each part(cheeks, lips, tongue, jaw) has to do to successfully blow bubbles.  If they aren’t able to round their lips to blow through a wand, you can find bubble blowers on line or at a local toy store that they dip one end in the bubbles and blow through the other.  They will be so proud of themselves when they blow their own bubbles AND have a blast taking turns with you to see who can blow the biggest bubble!

Sounds/words to include: bubble, blow, pop, kick, stomp, clap, poke, big, little, more, all gone, oooo, wow, me, my turn, etc.

With the holidays coming quickly, the one question I get frequently is what toys will help children learn and increase their speech and language skills. My answer is always “Keep it simple!”.  It doesn’t need to have buttons/switches to make it talk or light up.  The most important thing is that they are engaging with their child(ren) throughout the day in some way.  I’ve already included a few toys that have been around forever that are great ways for children to learn many concepts.  Puzzles are another great example.  When they are small, children can learn fine motor skills with knob/peg puzzles, cognitive skills as they learn to match the picture to the puzzle piece, as well as problem solving skills when they learn to fit the pieces in the right spot.  In addition, they will be building memory while they practice over and over again.  How can they learn speech and language? You can label the pieces for them, model certain sounds the pieces may make(Cow-moo, Car-vroom), ask them where a certain piece is so they are identifying, and eventually ask them to label the piece by asking “What’s this?”.  You can also model what they are doing when they practice putting it together(dump, in, out, turn, push, etc).  Give them choices to pick which piece they want to put in as you hold them up(Do you want car or bus?).  If you are holding the pieces, or they are taking them out of a bag you have put them in(since we all know how easy it is for those pieces to go missing😉), ask “Do you want more?” and help them to imitate “more”(sign or word).  Even if you don’t have any puzzles, there are great resources out there to make your own!  So, during this holiday season, remember KEEP IT SIMPLE! 

Sounds/words to include: puzzle, names of pieces in the puzzle, animal/environmental sounds, in, out, dump, turn, push, pull, more, all done

Since we have moved to a more electronic society, we often forget about a good old-fashioned puppet show!  What is the benefit of pretend play using puppets?  It can engage and encourage your child to use their imagination to “talk” to you!  Whether homemade or store bought, you can teach your child to explore their voice and imitate words while making their puppets talk!  Get creative and you can model words you would like to hear your child use to express themselves during everyday routines.  For example, if your child is struggling to ask for the food or drink they want, you can use a puppet to model “Milk please”.  Then pretend to give the puppet a cup of milk since they “asked”.  Using puppets is also a great way to show them turn taking and making choices.  Use the puppets to create scenarios that may happen in your daily activities to model language and behaviors you want to see your child utilize.  In addition, they may notice that the puppets mouth is moving while they are “using words”(if it is a puppet made that your hands make their mouths move)and be more motivated to use their own mouths!  Let’s bring back the imagination and creativity of puppet shows😊 You might be surprised how many words they will begin to use!

**Provide choices so they can learn names of the puppets, model sounds if you use animal puppets, take turns and show them how to share with the puppets, model words to make the puppets “talk”, use your imagination so they are building their own**

It may seem simple, but playing blocks can be a great way to teach your child many concepts and words while having fun!  Whether they are Legos, classic wooden blocks, or anything in between, the most obvious concept they are learning is “up” and “down”.  As they learn to stack, you can model “up-up-up”.  For most children, it is often even more fun to knock them “down”.  You can count “1, 2, 3, down!” for you child to knock them over.  Then you can model “boom!” when they fall.  Remember, children LOVE to imitate silly sounds!  For older children, you can teach them colors.  For example, they can begin to sort them while you model “Let’s find all the red blocks.”, “Can you help me?”.  Some blocks have pictures on them.  While they stack the blocks, you can name what the picture on them are so they can imitate and build vocabulary.  Some have letters and numbers.  When they are old enough, you can begin to point them out so they become aware of print.  Even more helpful in the preschool years, as you teach letters of the alphabet, give them a word to correspond to the letter(B is for ball).  Also, if you get creative, you can begin to label what you or your child build.  For example, “I made a house.”, “What did you make?” or “Do you want to make a house or a garage for your cars?”.  You can incorporate turn taking as you build, modeling “My turn”, “Now your turn”.  Although blocks are a simple, classic toy, there are so many things to learn with them!

Sounds/words to include: blocks, up, down, on top, big, little, tower, house, castle, boom, colors, name of pictures on blocks, etc.