Four ways to use Potato Head to encourage
speech and language skills
1. Pronouns
Does your child have difficulty with “he” and “she.” Try putting the girl shoes on one potato head and the boy shoes on the other so they stand. Talk about who is the boy and who is the girl. Then, take turns requesting various items for the boy and girl potato heads by saying “He wants the (blue hat, etc.)” or “She wants the (yellow hat, etc.).” To work on possessive pronouns, simply ask, “Whose (hat, etc.) is that?” and have your child respond with “his” or “hers."
2. Body Parts
Potato heads are great ways to work on basic body parts. You can ask what we do with each body part ("What do we do with our eyes?"). You ask, “Does he have any eyebrows?” or “Does she have shoulders?” Point out the body parts on each other or work on more advanced body parts as well.
3. Articulation
Give your potato heads names with a speech sound that is difficult to pronounce. Find items or pictures that begin or end with the sound and give them to the potato heads. For example, if my child is working on /p/, I might give him some play foods that begin with /p/ such as a pear, peach, pancake, and pasta. At the word level you could start the sentence, “Mr. Potato Head is eating a…” and have your child fill in the blank. At the phrase level, maybe they could tell Mr. Potato Head to “eat pear.” And at the sentence level, then of course have them form a sentence such as “He is eating a pear.”
3. Following Directions
Take turns giving and following directions with your kids as you build your potato heads. Include as little or as many steps as needed. For example, if your child needs help following 2-step directions, You might say, “Put the eyes on the girl before you put the hat on the boy.”
For more ideas check-out the source:
http://sweetpeasandpigtails.com/7-ways-to-use-potato-heads-in-speech/
