Caregiver Tips
Supporting your child's language and development can be costly. It is important to provide access to resources to all families regardless of income or demographic background. Here are free or low-cost resources for effective strategies to practice with your child in the comfort of your own home.
TEN TIPS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR CHILD'S SPEECH & LANGUAGE SKILLS:
01
Speak to your child as often as possible
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Modeling speech for your child to listen to and imitate is critical for your child to learn and elicit language skills.
02
Slow down and speak clearly
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Slowing down your rate of speech and speaking clearly will help your child better understand what you are saying and can imitate sounds accurately.
03
"Plus one" rule
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When your child starts to produce words such as "more", you can begin to build phrase length by adding "want more" or "more please" to slowly increase language, vocabulary, sentence structure, and eventually the complexity of sentences.
04
Use gestures or sign language while speaking
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Oftentimes, children understand more than what they are able to say to us. Modeling the use of gestures, sign language, or communication boards while speaking with your child can help him or her learn how to communicate their wants and needs even before tackling the complexity of saying intelligible words to you or the people around them.
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Examples: pointing to items, waving hi/bye, signing basic core words such as "more", "all done", "help", "eat", "yes", and "no" (ASL handout provided below)
05
Use realistic pictures or real-life examples to provide visuals
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When showing pictures in books, building vocabulary, or communicating through picture cards, it is important to provide realistic visuals such as photos or actual items of snacks or drinks they typically eat, toys or games they play with, their room, family, etc.
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Clipart and cartoon images are very cute and kid-friendly; however, children may have a harder time relating those pictures back to what they are familiar with.
06
Build vocabulary by labeling objects AND verbs or actions
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Understanding the meaning of nouns and objects is important, but understanding verbs or actions is more functional when communicating with others. Start by labeling actions your child is doing during playtime or routines to increase your child's repertoire of verbs.
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Examples: opening a door -> "open", closing a box -> "close", transitioning to a different location or cleaning up -> "take out", "put in", "walk up the stairs", "ready, set, go"
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Common verbs: want, have, see, hear, help, go, stop, found, need, push, pull, turn, open, close
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Basic prepositions: in, on, under, up, down
07
Start sentences rather than asking several questions
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We often go straight to asking our child, "What is that?" Sometimes, children may feel intimidated by several questions or feel pressured to respond or provide a correct response. Instead, you can start the sentence by saying "I found a _____" and your child can simply say, "pig!" This not only puts less pressure on answering questions, but this provides modeling of sentence production for your child.
08
Ask open-ended questions
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There are appropriate times to ask questions, and when we do so, it is important to ask open-ended questions. Asking yes/no questions will limit your child's opportunity to respond. Instead, you can provide questions involving 2-3 choices to choose from or ask questions that require more than just "yes/no" or "good/bad".
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Examples: "Do you want to play on the playground or do you want to swim in the pool?", "What activity did you like most from today?"
09
Give your child time to respond
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Providing a moment to pause after asking a question or speaking to your child will give them time to understand what you are saying and think of a response. Be open to repeating or rephrasing yourself for your child to better understand you and avoid feelings of frustration or shutting down.
10
Integrate speech into your child's daily routine
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Talking to your child throughout his or her daily routine is not only relatable to real-life skills, but it will increase repetition and practice opportunities.
BONUS
Most Importantly: Have fun!
Speech can always be integrated into games or activities to keep your child engaged and motivated.
Helpful Links:
Several of these resources can be downloaded or printed for free or at a low cost!
Click on the hyperlink to direct you to the website!
Gestalt Language Processing
Children learn language and communication in such complex ways. Many learn analytically (building sounds, then 1-word, 2-word, 3-word, phrases, etc.). Some children learn language through gestalts (phrases, songs, movies, shows, repetitive routines, and melodic intonation). If your child often repeats phrases or songs they often hear, they may be trying to communicate with you in their own way of processing language. Some children learn language in both processing models (just like how we reference quotes, sing songs we often hear, and associate certain words with specific daily routines).
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Learn more about GLP and how to communicate with your child in a meaningful way:
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- Parent Speech Strategies Quick Guide
Download free/low-cost resources such as quick guides to parent speech strategies
Available in Spanish versions as well!
Pick 1-2 words or strategies at a time! Don't feel pressured to do all of these in one go as you may overwhelm yourself or your child. Language takes time and practice but can be easily managed at home!
Several activities and worksheets available to download for free! You can easily filter by your child's age/grade level, topics, or search for "freebies".
Examples of speech sound words (i.e., b, p, m, n, blend words) phonological and articulation milestones provided to download for free.
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Resources for feeding and visual tips/schedules that can be used at home:
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My Munch Bug - Free downloads for schedules, guidelines, and visuals for around the house
Your Kids Table - Picky eating, sensory issues, feeding, etc.
Veggies and Virtue - Preparing meals, organizing the kitchen, and different feeding stages