Encouraging Speech and Language Development can happen at home! Often utilizing the daily activities, we take for granted, and enhancing your days with these SLP tips, can help your child grow.

Read these tips (submitted by SAGE SLPs) and find the ones that work for your child and your family:

Tip #1:

Discuss with the child out loud/verbally what's coming next--"First we do this, then this, then this, then done/lunch/play/etc"

Tip #2:

Bundle-up and go outside! (walk, pick up sticks/litter/debris/interesting pebbles/acorns- you can talk about; throw a ball; just be together and breathe fresh air) If you can't go outside, at least try to engage them with gross motor movement so they can focus better during stretches of boring, sitting and staring at screens and listening activities inside.

Tip #3:

Be present with your child and get on the floor with them on their level. Don’t be afraid to take away TV and iPad time. Instead get on their level, let them choose a book of their choice or an online book to read aloud together. Take turns, talk about the events in a story and how it may relate to their life. With children not being in school or having alternative formats of learning we don’t want to forget the importance of literacy and reading. It allows us to bond with our children, have discussions, elicit participation. So much language comes from books which facilitates learning which they can generalize these skills into every day situations including school and academics!

Tip #4

“Pay attention when your child is trying to communicate with you. Give your child your full attention and don’t rush them when they are speaking. If your child is not yet speaking, pay attention to their gestures, behavior, etc. Do they need to go outside and move? Do they need to take some deep breaths? Children communicate with us in so many ways, so it’s important we listen to them!”

Tip #5

Take a nature walk and take your practice sounds with you. Point out things that begin with your sound. Practice each target word 5 times. Let your child hop from spot to spot while they practice their target words.

Saren Schapiro CCC- SLP

Founder of SAGE Speech & Learning Associates

Speech- Language Pathologist

Now go, have fun, and learn!