Summer is the perfect time to enjoy language-learning activities with children. Language skills (listening skills, talking skills, social skills) form a foundation for all learning. As a speech-language pathologist, I am often asked where I buy the toys I use during therapy. I encourage parents to change their focus from WHAT they are playing with to HOW they are playing and interacting. It’s not the toys evoking interest and language, it’s the interaction. To play is to learn. As adults, learning how to play with our children can be fun! I encourage you to engage your children with language-based play this summer. Below is a list of family-fun activities that can be rich in language and make good memories. So, ditch the tablet for some hands-on fun!
Trip to a learning center: Be it the zoo, children’s museum, or aquarium, educational places can be a blast. Remember to TALK to your child about what they see and learn. You can challenge a toddler or preschooler by asking simple “what” and “where” questions about your observations. For example, “Where is the monkey hiding?” and “What do you think the bear will eat for dinner?” Ask open-ended questions of older children. For example, “What would you do with a long neck like the giraffe has?” Challenge your child to independently learn about a certain item of interest by reading a sign about it. Quiz the child about the information in a conversation, and be sure to keep it fun!! Encourage an older child to ask an employee or tour guide a question of interest. Talk to them about good eye contact and thanking the guide for the information.
Arts and Crafts: Pinterest is full of DIY projects. Think back to conversations you have recently had with your child and identify a topic of interest for your child. Find an age-appropriate activity that corresponds to the topic and complete it with your child. Be sure to ask questions, make comments, and most importantly LAUGH AND SMILE. For example, if your child is interested in rockets, then build one together. Read online about the science behind forces that can make a rocket fly. For a younger child, a simple cutting and pasting activity to “make” a rocket can lead to many discussions about colors, counting, how glue feels, why we should not run with scissors, etc. The idea here is just to DO things together and FIND what interests your child about different activities. The best language-based activities are those that engage people in conversations…this is also how the best memories are made.
Find a new game: Learning to play a new game is a language-based activity. If your child is a reader, then ask him to read the directions then explain them to you. If your child is not reading yet, work on counting concepts with dice, taking turns, and simply learning how to play “by the rules”.
Go to the Park: The park is a great place to learn about cause and effect, concepts, and social skills. For toddlers, it provides opportunity to learn basic concepts: up/down, fast/slow, more/less. For preschoolers, a chance to learn to take turns with peers and speak with other children. For older children, learning to use a stopwatch to see who can run up the stairs, over the bridge, and down the slide the fastest. Physical play activities are great for language building because children tend to be more likely to imitate and retain information when they are interested, excited, and moving. Things to do at the park: hide and seek, nature walk, feed the ducks, Ring Around the Rosie, racing, bubbles, kite flying, hula-hoops, and more!!
Visit the library: The library has books for children of all ages. Find a topic of interest and let your child pick out some books. Encourage older children to find friends who can read the same books and discuss. Have them put on a skit about the story line. Even babies show interest in books. The more you read to them, the more interested they become. Find bright, colorful picture books for smaller children. The earlier a child is exposed to reading books, the more confident they will feel with more challenging reading tasks…and the more likely they will think reading is fun!
