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Help Children Retain their Learning Skills Over the Summer
from Independent Speech, LLC (Web-based speech-pathology)
Summer is now in full swing. While kids do need a mental break from things there are many fun, easy ways to incorporate your child's speech skills into everyday routines This helps to prevent them from losing the skills they learned throughout the school year.The activities listed below are simple things you can incorporate into your daily life. These are just a few suggestions, think creatively about other ways to incorporate your child's specific goals into your daily routine.
1) While you are at the grocery store, work on colors by finding things that have a certain color on them such as in aisle one find things that are blue, in aisle two find things that are red, etc.2) While at the store, search for things that start with the a sound your child is working on. For example, if they are learning to correctly say the /s/ sound then find things in each aisle start with the /s/ sound.
3) When you go to the bank, have your child help you count such as the number of checks, the number of bills or coins.
4) Play Simon Says to work on action words such as "jump", "spin", etc. To work on past tense you can ask, "What did you just do?" They can then reply with the past tense such as "I jumped".
5) While running errands, label and/or describe things around you. When you describe things you can work on size words, color words, shape words, function words, etc.
6) Bake a cake or cookies together. They can help you measure things and you can work on follow directions. Then at then end you get a fun treat!
7) Read books together. You can do this at home or the bookstore or library changing the place may help make this more exciting. Read the words but also talk about the pictures.
8) Do fun crafts. Make edible play-dough, make a collage, paint a picture, etc. Talk about what you are doing while you are completing the activity, explain what you are doing and ask what they are doing to engage them in conversation and help them learn and use various skills which actively engaged in an activity.
9) Talk! Engage in social conversation while you are doing any number of things from making dinner to feeding the dog. Have them help you whenever possible so that you can share these experiences and learn about various daily things and talk about what you are doing and why to help them learn a variety of things.
10) Ask your child's current speech therapist to see what goals they recommend working on over the summer. They should be able to provide you with some suggestions about what to work on and ways to work on these skills over the summer months.
It is easy to incorporate speech skills into everyday activities that your children will enjoy. Keeping these skills fresh will help make the upcoming school year easier for your child. Enjoy your summer!
Summer Speech Therapy
If you are concerned about your child losing skills they learned in speech therapy during the school year or want to give them extra help over the summer to ensure they are ready to tackle the upcoming school year. Think about enrolling them in summer speech therapy with us! Call us at 877-480 or visit our website at www.independentspeech.com to learn more!Don't forget to protect your ears!
Many will be enjoying various summer activities that include loud sounds such as loud music, mowing the lawn, fireworks, etc. While many will remember to use sun block but most do not think about protecting their ears when enjoying summer activities. When around loud noises such as lawnmowers, concerts or fireworks. If you are going to be participating in these activities bring ear plugs with you. There are many fashionable ear plugs on the market that range in color and patterns so that you are able to choose and let your children choose the ones they like best.Another thing to keep in mind is the use of ear-buds. These are the headphones that fit inside your ears. Remember to turn these down. Also, remember that if you are wearing them when engaging in a noisy activity such as mowing the lawn, working out, etc. Beware that turning up the volume to drown-out the background noise you may be hurting your ears. These ear phones deliver sound right to your ears so keep the volume low!
So when you protect you skin this summer also think about protecting your hearing!
Independent Speech, LLC is a web-based speech--language therapy private practice Contact them at:stephanie@independentspeech.com or at 602-793-2958 for more information.