Here are some tips for keeping up skills
while you're away!
· Talk to your child’s speech therapist about recent goals and progress, and ask for tips about what specifically to work on. The more you know about goals and expectations, the more helpful you can be!
· Assuming it’s developmentally appropriate, pick a goal or two, and tell your child you’ll be focusing on it throughout the summer. You may even promise a treat at the end of the summer, if you see progress or hard work.
· Keep it simple, keep it brief, and keep it FUN! The more positive your child’s experience, the more likely s/he will be to continue to work throughout the summer.
· And remember, it’s okay to have a break! Kids sometimes need a break from therapy – and so do parents! It’s important to keep practicing skills, but it’s also important to have fun as a family and relax. Keep it in perspective!
Some ideas for fun summer speech & language activities…
· Discuss similarities and differences that you see all around you – summer versus winter, home versus where you’re on vacation, different items while you’re shopping, etc. Making just a few observations FREQUENTLY can go a long way!
· If you’re going on a trip, let your child help plan it. This is great for organization, planning, back-and-forth communication, and many other speech skills!
· Cook together! Cooking is sequential, social, productive, and most importantly – FUN!
· Read together! Have a summer “Book Club,” or just make time to read a book together at bedtime. Talk about characters, plot, and what your child thinks will happen next. Your child can practice reading aloud, or you can read aloud and s/he can practice listening skills!
· Play games together! Games are social, rule-based, and often involve both receptive and expressive language skills. And, most important of all – games are FUN!
· Talk to each other! Ask about your child’s day – and tell him/her about yours! Tell stories, ask and answer questions, and just enjoy sharing information.
