Ten Simple Speech and Language Enhancing Activities

Hello!

I am writing this post in the midst of some crazy times...the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopefully someday we will look back on all of this and remember things like the quality time with family and the things we learned. I know the logistics of daily life right now is uncertain and stressful. I am doing my best to work from home, entertain/teach/feed/keep alive and happy/bathe/love my almost-four-year-old and eight-month-old, and support my husband who is also working from home. I know we are ALL (as an entire human race!) dealing with a lot right now...some FAR more than I am personally dealing with.

One of the positives I have already seen come out of this situation is the plethora of shared educational information. On the Speech-Language Pathology and education facebook groups I am a part of, for example, there is an almost endless supply of people sharing wonderful blog posts, videos, and Google docs full of ideas. I won't pretend that my paltry little page (and fledgling YouTube channel...I feel silly even putting it out there right now!) will ever compete with some of the big pages out there, but I am committed to disseminating bits of useful information as I find it for the families I work with.

With that, I leave you with ten SIMPLE (read: MINIMAL materials/prep/"special knowledge" needed!!) you (yes, you!) can do at home with your children to enhance speech and language skills. YOU are your child's best teacher...truly! Please do NOT stress about perfection. I've had some parents reach out to me in the midst of the current crisis worried about being a perfect teacher and therapist for their child. No one is expecting perfection from you! No one among us is perfect. We will all continue to do the best we can...and we must commit to taking care of one another!

Without further ado, here are the promised SIMPLE activities...

10. Write a Letter! Write a letter to a friend or family member. If your child is not yet writing independently, have him/her dictate what they would like to communicate and write it for them. If your child is writing (even just minimally!), have him/her write the letter and provide some "translation" if needed. You could target retelling a narrative by having the child describe something he/she did that day in the letter. You could use physical pen/pencil (or markers!) and paper, email, or an app like Postagram (my personal favorite!) that allows you to send postcards with a picture to a loved one!

9. Play Doh! If you don't have any Play Doh (or if yours is all dried up because SOMEONE left the lids off...not that this ever happens!!), there are many easy-to-Google recipes available! Talk about actions (great verb practice!) while you SQUISH and ROLL and CUT and PUSH. Talk about colors and talk about shapes (as you cut out shapes!)! If you have access to a printer, there are also fun Play Doh mats you can simply Google and print out...press Play Doh balls down onto different targets as you talk about the pictures!

8. Family Picture Albums! Get out some family photo albums (either electronic or actual physical books!) and talk about the people and actions depicted in each. This is a great way to target WH questions as well as social/emotional concepts..."WHO is that?" "WHERE are they?" "WHAT are they doing?" "WHEN did we go there?" "WHY are they happy?" "HOW does that person feel in the picture?"

7. Game Time! Choose someone in the family (take turns!) to pick a favorite game. Choose a speech or language target to work on while you play the game. If you are working on the /b/ sound, for example, have a list of /b/ words or pictures and ask each person to make the sound/say the word prior to each turn. Playing a game is also a great time to work on turn taking and the language associated with turn taking ("WHO goes next?" "WHO goes AFTER Mom?" "MY turn!" "YOUR turn!").

6. Be the Teacher...Choose a target sound that your child has worked on and have him/her "teach" another family member. Have a number of pictures or items that start with the target sound and have the person who is being "taught" name the items and make mistakes articulating the target sound. Have the child "catch" the errors and correct them using strategies like "try again!" "make your mouth look like mine" "put your tongue _____" "put your teeth _____" "put your lips _____" etc.

5. Mystery Box...use any box or container and have one person hide an item inside. The rest of the family gets to ask questions about what could be hidden inside. "Is it alive?" (haha) "Is it red?" "Is it something we read?" etc.! To add specific articulation focus, you could challenge individuals to put mystery items in the box that start with a target sound.

4. Family Obstacle Course...targeting memory, following multi-step directions, and you could even add in an articulation piece by having your child produce a specific sound (or sounds) at different steps of the obstacle course. Example: fold up a blanket to make a long straight line "balance beam"to walk on, have three pillows spread out on the ground to hop on, run up/down the stairs, do 5 jumping jacks, bear crawl, even add burpees if you're into that! If you have a baby in the house (like we do!), strap baby on to Mom or Dad in a carrier and bring them along for the literal ride!

3. "Simon Says"...targeting memory following multi-step directions! One person is "Simon" and gets to give three (or however many you feel is appropriate for your child) instructions to the rest of the family, "Simon says STAND UP, STOMP THREE TIMES, SIT DOWN!" "Simon says RUN UP THE STAIRS, CLOSE YOUR EYES, TOUCH YOUR TUMMY!"

2. "I Spy"...choose a sound (...perhaps a specific sound you know your child is working on in speech, but really ANY sound will do! Working on the skills related to sound-letter association are so important!). Take turns finding something in the room (or out the window) and having the rest of the family guess what you found. "I spy something that starts with a SSSSS sound!" "Is it the SINK?" "No!" "Is it a SALAD?" "No!" "Is it the SILLY PUTTY?" "YES!!"

1. Read...simply read with your child. Choose a book together and read it aloud to your child. Have an older child read to a younger sibling. You could even video chat with a friend or relative and have them read a book to your child (or have your child read a book to them!). Read for enjoyment...and don't dwell on mis-articulated sounds or mis-read words every time you read. Just read and enjoy the time together!

Please reach out with questions, concerns, anything at all.

Much love to you all!

Mrs. Wells

The L sound!

Sometimes the L sound is a tricky one for kiddos! If your child has been working on the L sound in speech therapy or if you've noticed at home that your child has difficulty saying words with the L sound in them, here are a few quick tips/activities you could try.
*The most common substitution for /l/ (the LLLL sound) is /w/ ("Wuh") which results in producing "weaf" instead of "leaf." This is a phonological process/error pattern called "gliding."*

-Show your child how to make their tongue go "UP UP UP" in his/her mouth by pointing to your own tongue as you raise it UP to the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth.

-say "la la la" like you are "singing" (sometimes we refer to /l/ as the "singing sound")

-gently touch the roof of your child's mouth behind the top teeth (we call this the "alveolar ridge") to show them WHERE exactly to put their tongue (we call this a "tactile prompt" or a touch cue)

Below are some picture cards from a blog I found (Testy Yet Trying) that could help shape your home practice.

You could:
-practice all of the words one at a time by simply looking at them on your computer or phone screen,
-print out the pictures and practice them like flash cards,
-print out two copies of the pictures, cut them apart and play a memory/matching game with them
-print out two copies of the pictures, cut them apart and hide them around the house to play a hide and seek type game...then have your child say, "I found ____!" when they find each target picture.
-play a game with your child and have him/her say one of the target words prior to each turn
-produce one of the target words incorrectly (example - say "WAKE" instead of "LAKE" while pointing to the "lake" picture card) and have your child correct your error and show you/tell you how to say the word correctly

(click on the picture to make it larger)

For other sounds, check out THIS PAGE on Testy Yet Trying's blog! (click link!)

Remember - keep things fun and light-hearted while you practice with your littles. 

Happy talking!

~Mrs. Wells

Articulation Troubles... {The /S/ Sound!}

This school year, I have a good number of students who come to work with me on improving articulation skills. Many of these students are working specifically on the /s/ sound. A common error pattern for a child who has difficulty producing S correctly is making the sound with his/her tongue protruding through his teeth. This results in the sound coming out more like a "th" sound as opposed to a good, clear SSSSS. Try it! Say "snake"...and now say "snake" while sticking your tongue out while you say the "s." Sounds kind of messy, does it?!

Verbal reminders to "keep your tongue inside your teeth" can be helpful, as can using a mirror so the child can WATCH for his/her tongue to "sneak" out in an errant fashion.

Here's some blog posts I've found with more tips for working on clear production of the /s/ sound:

http://communicationstationspeechtx.blogspot.com/2013/01/articulation-tip-simple-cues-for-s-sound.html

http://2galsspeechproducts.blogspot.com/2011/03/eliciting-sounds-s.html

http://www.chicagospeechandmore.com/2013/01/04/speechtherapy-tips-for-producing-the-s-sound/

As always, feel free to post questions or e-mail me at rlwells1 AT ilstu DOT edu with questions regarding this post, articulation skills...or anything speech/language-related!

Happy speaking!

~Mrs. Wells

HOORAY FOR SUMMER!!

Here comes summer, ready or not! Ok...I'm definitely ready {someone has a wedding to prep for that is just over 2 months away!}, but I also have a lot to wrap up here at school over these next few days. I know my educator friends and colleagues can relate :).

I'm currently working on putting together some packets of home practice materials for the students I worked with this school year and was thinking I should also post a blog update {Blogging is something I wish I could make myself take more time for!} with some summer suggestions. However, a quick Google search gave me a super-awesome find: a blog post "Practical Speech Therapy Activities for Home Practice" (click the link!!). Basically, this great blogger wrote a bajillion ideas...so there is no need for me to re-invent the wheel in an inferior fasion!  Check out her ideas!

As I wrote in the letters I am sending home with my speech kiddos...The biggest tip I can give you regarding summer speech practice is to keep things light-hearted and fun! Practicing clear speech, smooth talking, and all of the other things we worked on this school year is important, but try not to make it feel like intense drilling or work. One suggestion I like to give is to play a favorite game together while taking turns asking or answering questions before each turn while using clear, smooth talking. Or, you can choose one of your child's speech sounds (SH for example!) and take turns prior to each game turn saying a word with that sound in it in a clear manner.

Happy Summer! I am looking forward to hearing about the adventures each of our students has over the next few months when we return in the fall.

Oh....if you haven't heard....I am trading my name in for a new one in August! When we start our new school year, I will be Mrs. Wells! A MUCH easier-to-articulate, shorter name (albeit further down in the alphabet ;)) is more fitting for an SLP, wouldn't you agree?!

Take care,
~Ms. Matyasse-almost-Wells :)

Top 75 Speech Pathology Websites for 2015 as published by Kidmunicate!

Hello and Happy December!

I came across an amazing resource today and I'm so excited about it!  Kidmunicate, a pediatric SLP clinic in Pennsylvania with an outstanding follow-worthy blog, has an article on their site listing out their top 75 SLP websites as well as short descriptions of each.  I just wish there were more hours in the day to read each of these at length!

Naturally things like the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Autism Speaks are listed.  However, there are also lesser-known gems such as personal blogs with information for therapists (think: great ideas and resources to have in your tool box!) and parents (think: advice from other parents, information about developmental milestones and suggestions of things you can do at home to increase your child's communication skills).  Anyone with a vested interest in speech-language therapy should check out this informative article/list.

Without further ado, I bring you:

Top 75 Speech Pathology Websites for 2015! (click link!)

Enjoy!

~Ms. Matyasse

Speech and Language Blogs I Love

I had a great meeting this morning with the mother of a sweet kindergarten student I work with and she asked if I had any favorite speech and language blogs...while there are many blogs that I enjoy perusing for ideas I hadn't ever written a comprehensive list to share when asked.  Being asked for such a list was just the motivation I needed to get in gear and quickly write this up!

The internet can be a fabulous resource...I use it daily to look up treatment suggestions for students I work with.  However, at times I find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the beautiful Pinterest boards and blog posts with great, creative ideas for speech/language therapy activities.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that it is just fine to not have what I feel like are the cutest or most creative games and that sticking with the basics with things like playing a simple game with a tried-and-true deck of articulation cards can be sufficient with proper interaction and instruction!

While I sincerely love to write and have high hopes to one day make more time for blogging...that time is not now and I am instead content to use this space for a few speech/language suggestions here and there as well as to share links to what I believe are helpful resources.

That said...here are some links to a few great speech and language blogs:

1.  Mommy Speech Therapy:  This is one of my favorite blogs!  It is well-written with great advice and suggestions both for practicing SLPs and parents.  The author says,  'The reason I named this blog “Mommy Speech Therapy” is because as parents we have the greatest impact on our children’s language development. No one can make a bigger difference than you!  My goal is to share some tips and techniques I have learned over the years in working with my clients and my own kids, and hopefully give you the information you need to be successful in helping your little ones become the very best communicators they can be."  Beautiful!!

2.   Speech Room News:  This blog has some outstanding posts, including app reviews and some free downloadable activities!

3.  Auditory Verbal Center of Wheaton:  This is an awesome blog written by a professional who works with individuals who are deaf/hard of hearing using an auditory verbal (spoken language) approach.  While the blog is written for parents and professionals working with this population, many of the speech and language activities are great for targeting these skills in students who are not deaf/hard of hearing as well.

 4.  Speaking of Speech:  This author shares a plethora of wisdom, from activity suggestions to how to organize materials.  Recent posts include information about stuttering in preschoolers.

5.  Playing with Words 365:  I just LOVE this blog!  The author provides practical suggestions for working speech and language targets into everyday routines.

A simple quick Google search for "speech and language blogs" will show you that my little list is barely scratching the surface of what's available out there on our lovely World Wide Web.  Hopefully, though, my weeding-through process and providing you with these five blogs as a starting place will provide you with some useful resources as you build your own arsenal of materials and suggestions...whether you are a fellow SLP or a parent of littles!

Have a wonderful day :),

~Ms. Matyasse

Free Apps!

My personal favorite therapy tool is the iPad.  I've had mine now for a few years and feel it is invaluable.  While an iPad is NOT a replacement for teaching meaningful communication between people....it is a great teaching tool!  I use apps as visual supports (schedules, timers) and as supports when teaching a variety of concepts, including receptive and expressive language as well as articulation/phonology/speech clarity.  Apps can be great tools for clinicians and parents alike when working with children.

I follow a number of blogs and websites that advertise and write reviews of educational apps...one of my favorites is www.smartappsforkids.com.

I signed up for e-mail updates from this site and on Fridays, I LOVE to peruse their "Free App Friday" selections.  Today's list is great (in my opinion :)).  Check it out HERE. 

I actually downloaded one of the apps on this list earlier this week after a friend told me it was free:  Toca Doctor.  I've used the app in a few lessons already this week...great for targeting direction following, WH questions (both asking and answering), sequencing, retelling, listening skills and also simply used as a reinforcer/reward for hard work at the end of a lesson.

If you are unfamiliar with the Toca Boca apps...do yourself and your students (or children!) a favor and check them out.  They're cute, fun, engaging and educational!

Have fun!

Articulation Practice/Home Project Idea

Good morning!  I hope everyone is staying warm!  These cold Midwest days are starting to wear on all of us, I think.  I know spending so much time inside can make us feel stir-crazy at times...and some of our kiddos (ok, teachers too! ;)) may have a little extra energy to expend.  Why not channel some of that energy into practicing speech sounds?! 

I took the following activity idea and adapted it from a handout that can be downloaded from the Super Duper Publications website....

Fun with a homemade MYSTERY BOX! 

*Make a “mystery box” using common household objects and your child’s toys/items you can find around your home.*

1)  Cut a slot in the top of a good-sized box (maybe a shoe or boot box?). Make sure that your child’s hand plus an object fits through the slot.   

2)  Help your child decorate the box the way he/she wants it to look. This makes the child feel like he/she is participating and provides a great language-building activity.  Get creative and brainstorm things you could use to decorate the box?  Stickers?  Markers?  Paint?  Here is a great recipe I found on Pinterest for homemade puffy paint using items you probably already have in your home.  

3)  Choose a sound that your child has been working on in speech therapy sessions and go on a hunt around your house for items that have that sound in them.  For younger children, it will be easiest to find things that start with that sound.  For older children, you can have them find things that have that target sound anywhere in the word.  You could even make this a "contest" between siblings...for example, who can find the most things that have the S sound in their name in five minutes??

4)  Have your child(ren) tell you about the items he/she found.  You could expand this by having he/she tell you WHERE he/she found it or tell you HOW the item is used.  Place all of the items in the mystery box!   

5)  Let your child choose an object out of the box and say/name it, use it in a phrase, sentence, or ask the child more questions about the item to elicit conversation.  Variation:  Everyone playing the game could close his/her eyes while one person chooses an item.  The person choosing could then describe the item and have the other people guess which item is being described.

6)  Continue until your child sees all objects and completes each task.

7)  For a special treat, secretly put a “surprise” in the box your child can keep or eat!

Let these ideas get you started, but feel free to adapt and shape these ideas into your own fun activities at home with your family!  Practicing articulation can be lots of fun and can be something that is easily incorporated into your daily life at home!  HAVE FUN and enjoy time talking to and playing with your child!

Some ideas for five commonly misarticulated sounds are:

S Initial (at the beginning of words) 
sucker 

cereal 
celery
cent 
seed 
seashell 
salt 
soap 
soup 
softball 
sock 
 

S Medial (in the middle of words) 
bicycle 
dinosaur 
motorcycle 
pencil
receipt 
baseball 
glasses 
icing 
bracelet 
whistle


S Final (at the end of words) 
bus  
dress
shoelace 
horse
dental floss 
lace
purse
ice (in a baggie) 
necklace


SH Initial  (at the beginning of words) 
shoe
shapes
ship 
shirt
shells 
shampoo 
shoelace 
sugar 
shovel 
shark 

SH Medial (in the middle of words) 
horseshoe 
toothbrushes 
tissue 
marshmallows 
nutshells 
washcloth 
dishes 
invitation 
lotion 
flashlight 

SH Final (at the end of words) 
hairbrush 

toothbrush
fish (toy/picture) 
mouthwash
nail polish
dish
leash
paintbrush 
starfish
licorice

R Initial (at the beginning of words) 
rope

rose
ring
rabbit 
robe
rattle 
ribbon 
radio 
rocket 
raisins 
  
R Medial (in the middle of words) 
airplane 
carrots 
earrings 
horse
purse
fork
marbles 
markers
shirt
fire engine

R Final (at the end of words) 
(teddy) bear 
car (toy) 
pear
jar
flower
feather
dollar 
dinosaur
paper
letter

K  Initial (at the beginning of words) 
can  

key

car

comb 

candy 

kite 

carrot

cow

cat

corn

K Medial (in the middle of words) 
chicken (toy or picture)
bacon (toy or picture)
pumpkin 
rocket 
helicopter 
bicycle (toy or picture)
sneaker
napkin 
chocolate 
monkey 

K Final (at the end of words) 
sock
stick
truck 

block
snake 
book
cake
rake 
milk
black (crayon/paper/paint/marker) 

L  Initial (at the beginning of words) 
lamp (toy/picture)
lamb
leaf
ladder
lemon 
letter 
lipstick 
lotion 
lizard

L Medial (in the middle of words) 
balloon
collar
dollar
jelly
necklace
pillow
ruler
elephant 
marshmallows 
helicopter

L Final (at the end of words) 
bell 

doll 
ball 
bowl 
nail 
football 
pencil 
towel 
seashell 
mail

Articulation Activity Resource

I see many students here at Metcalf who are working on increasing articulation skills!  Articulation disorders are quite common among students as they grow and develop their communication skills.

ASHA (the American Speech-Language-Hearing-Association) defines an articulation disorder as:  

"the atypical production of speech sounds
characterized by substitutions, omissions, additions or distortions that may
interfere with intelligibility"

If your child has an articulation disorder, or has difficulty correctly producing some speech sounds, practicing the sounds at home (and not JUST during speech therapy sessions!) can help your child make faster progress.  Faster progress means less time in the speech room and less time being pulled out of class!

Here's a website that has some suggestions for practicing target sounds:

Speaking of Speech (look for activities for the specific sounds your child is working on or having difficulty with).

As always, let me know if you have specific questions regarding your child or ways you could work toward his/her goals at home.

Have a great day!

~Ms. Matyasse

Early Music Education = Better Language Skills

This year at Metcalf, we have increased music education programming for students in our younger grades.  I have been assisting Ms. Mattoon (our outstanding general education Pre-Kindergarten teacher here at Metcalf) with weekly music classes in our Pre-Kindergarten classrooms.  We are using John Feierabend's music and movement curriculum, First Steps in Music for Preschool and Beyond in our classes.  Metcalf was honored to host a conference with Dr. Feierabend in September where many professionals (both from Metcalf and other schools/organizations) were able to learn from the author and practice his techniques.

I am no stranger to music education and firmly believe in the value of music education for all children. I actually began my undergraduate work as a Music Education major before switching to Communication Sciences and Disorders and graduated with a Minor in Music.  In the evenings, I am currently teaching a few private piano students (and have done so since high school).  During my work as an Early Intervention therapist, I often incorporate music and movement into my speech, language and listening therapy sessions.  Formal research aside, I have anecdotally seen that music education helps increase children's attention, problem solving skills, social language skills, and language skills/concept knowledge.  Plus...music is just good, plain FUN!  Music enjoyment, skill and knowledge are gifts that serve individuals from infancy through adulthood.

Today I read an article posted on Facebook by the Auditory Verbal Center of Wheaton:  Theory: Music Underlies Language Acquisition.  There is a lot of research out there that supports the value of music in brain development...and this is just one short illustration of that.

So today...give it a try!  Sing, dance and be joyful with your children and students!