Talking With Toddlers, Early Language Development, Speech Therapy for Toddlers - Blog

Halloween Speech & Language Activities for Your Little Ghosts and Goblins

10/28/2015

Another Halloween is quickly approaching! If your toddlers are like mine, they are very excited and can't wait to trick or treat. To get them prepared for Halloween try some of these Halloween inspired activities that also build speech and language skills.

Let your toddler play dress up in Halloween costumes. Talk about putting the costumes on and taking them off. Encourage your child to say “on” and “off.” This activity will also develop pretend play skills and overall language skills.

Complete a jack-o-lantern activity with your toddler. Label the body parts and have him or her repeat the names of each body part after you. Ask your child to point to the body parts you ask after he or she has finished the activity. You can find a fun jack-o-lantern activity here: http://bit.ly/1XduTP5

Sing the song, 5 Little Pumpkins Jumping on the Bed (similar to 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed). The repetition in the song will help your toddler begin to vocalize familiar words he/she hears over and over throughout the song such as head and bed. You can find the song and a fun video for your toddler to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvC-vqNnwqY

These activities are all part of my new toddler speech and language activity calendars which will be released soon. Please check back for more details on my blog or Facebook page!

Want more speech and language tips to help your toddler talk and communicate faster? Check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Toddlers - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.

Technology Use and Your Toddler's Communication Development

5/29/2015

One of my favorite tools to use during speech therapy sessions is the iPad. There are many apps that can emphasize the activities we do during a particular session. However, the majority of the session is spent interacting with the child through good old fashioned play. We play with toys, sing songs, talk, blow bubbles. The list goes on and on.

One thing I find fascinating is how a 2 year old can work a tablet or smartphone. Sometimes I think the toddler can make it work better than I can! It’s also a little disturbing because some children use technology devices more than interacting with parents, other children, friends, etc. Keep in mind that the more time a child interacts with another person the more he or she builds his or her communication skills.

A new survey of U.S. parents commissioned by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) published their results and found significant percentages reporting technology use by children ages 0-8. More than half of the parents surveyed were also concerned with the negative impacts of technology use and its impact on communication as well. You can read more about the survey results here: New ASHA Survey of U.S. Parents: Significant Percentages Report That Very Young Children Are Using Technology.
While technology does have its time and place, try to limit technology use to a few minutes per day. Turn off access to tablets, computers, phones, and televisions, and interact with your little ones. Read to your child, play with your child, talk to your child, go outside and talk a walk with your child. Make it fun and interactive. This is how your young child learns to talk and communicate. Plus you get to spend that important one on one time with your child. They’re only little for a very short time, so enjoy it while you can!

To learn how you can help your toddler talk and communicate faster, be sure to check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Todders - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.

Thanksgiving Themed Toddler Speech & Language Activities

11/20/2014

Can you believe it will be Thanksgiving next week? This is my favorite holiday and most favorite time of the year. It's a time to give thanks for our many blessings and truly enjoy being with our close family and friends.

There are so many fun activities you can do with your toddler during Thanksgiving that build speech and language skills. Today I'm going to share three activities. Please let us know how it goes by leaving a comment below. Enjoy!

Activity #1
Trace your toddler’s hand & make a turkey. The fingers serve as feathers, and you can let your toddler color and decorate it. To target speech and language skills you can have your toddler draw on eyes, nose, and a mouth. Label the body parts with your toddler, and try to get him or her to point to them and name them.

Activity #2
Talk about Thanksgiving with your toddler. Talk about the pilgrims, Indians, turkeys, fruits, vegetables, etc. Find pictures of items related to Thanksgiving and show them to your child. Have your toddler point to the pictures as you name them. Try to get him or her to say the names of the pictures after you. Check out these Thanksgiving color sheets for more fun with this activity!

Activity #3
Let your toddler help you rake or gather a big pile of leaves outside. Allow him or her to jump in the leaves. Target the words "jump" and "in" as your toddler jumps in the leaves and "out" as your child gets out of the leaves. Remember to get your toddler to imitate the words after you. This activity will provide hours of fun for your child!

Looking for more activities? Check out the Toddler Speech Activity Calendar Club. Keep your toddler busy with 12 months of fun activities that also build speech and language skills. Get your 1st month FREE - you can cancel at anytime!!

Exciting Announcement-A New Toddler Speech-Language Resource

11/8/2014

In last week’s Talking With Toddler’s Newsletter I mentioned that I would be making an exciting announcement about a new resource to help build toddler speech and language skills. We have been working really, really hard to get our new resource up and running!

Over the past years working as a pediatric speech-language pathologist I’ve received the same concerns from parents:

How can I help my toddler improve his speech and language skills at home?

How can I supplement my toddler’s speech therapy between sessions?

Therapy is too expensive. What can I do to help my toddler?

So, instead of spending hours browsing the internet or printing off one more Pinterest craft trying to find activities that target toddler speech and language skills, you can have them already created for you each month for an entire year!

Introducing the Toddler Speech Activity Calendar Club!

Simple and fun monthly speech and language activities that you can immediately start using to boost your toddler's speech and language skills

Some of the best techniques I use personally with my speech therapy clients

Speech development tips

Speech and language tools and resources

Here is a week's worth of sample activities!

sample_activities.pdf
File Size:	183 kb
File Type:	pdf

Check your email inbox and our Talking With Toddlers Facebook Fanpage later this week for more details! There are some exciting bonuses and maybe even a free trial offer!!!!!

Halloween Songs for Toddler Speech & Language Skills

10/31/2014

Happy Halloween! I can't believe it's that time of year again. I know your little ones are so excited about trick or treating. My twins Sadie and Shea can't wait. They are finally understanding what Halloween is all about.

Since it's Halloween, I have some fun Halloween songs you can sing with your toddler. Toddlers love songs, and they especially love songs that have rhyming words and words that repeat over and over again. Believe it or not, but that's what builds speech and language skills in young children. Children's songs also help to develop early speech sounds. Try to make it a goal to sing with your toddler each day and incorporate singing into your daily routines. You can sing with your toddler during snack time, in the car, and before bed. Leave out words in some of the songs to see if your toddler will try to fill in the blank. Before long, you'll notice your toddler is trying to sing with you!

Here are some great Halloween songs for children:

7 Fun Halloween Songs for Kids
5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on the Gate
Easy Halloween Songs for Kids

Next week be sure to check your email and our Facebook page. I have a very exciting announcement about a new resource to help build toddler speech and language skills!

Want more speech and language tips to help your toddler talk and communicate faster? Check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Toddlers - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.

A Guide to Toddler Speech-Language Evaluations & Therapy

10/10/2014

It is very important to get your toddler evaluated for speech therapy as soon as possible. Early identification is key. However, many parents are anxious about the evaluation and first therapy session. I'm often asked what parents should expect. The entire evaluation and therapy process can be overwhelming and scary for some families. Because of this, I wrote two blog posts last year that address the questions and concerns I hear from parents. You can read those blog posts below.

What To Expect During An Early Intervention Speech-Language Evaluation

What To Expect Durian Early Intervention Speech Therapy Sessions

I was recently interviewed for an article in Advance for Speech and Hearing magazine regarding early intervention speech-language evaluations and the initial therapy session. You can read even more details about the assessment and therapy process here: More Than Just Talk - SLP approaches to a first session and evaluation with a new patient. Not only do you get information about toddler/early intervention procedures, you'll also learn how the evaluation and therapy process works for older children.

Advance for Speech and Hearing also has a great resource for parents and speech-language pathologists called Patient Handouts. I was interviewed at the same time for one of their patient handouts. You can read that handout here: What to Expect During Your Child's First Speech Therapy Session.

Remember that if you suspect your toddler may have a speech-language delay to get him or her evaluated quickly. Speech therapy is fun for children, and most of them look forward to their weekly therapy sessions. Speech therapy can make a big difference in your toddler’s life as well as your life as a parent!

To learn how you can help your toddler talk and communicate faster, be sure to check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Todders - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.

Read Books to Boost Your Toddler's Speech and Language Skills

9/19/2014

Books are one of the best tools to build your toddler's speech and language skills. Did you know that reading to children helps increase their vocabulary, encourages imagination, and helps with articulation and pronunciation skills? Plus, the experience of reading can be a great bonding time for a mother and her toddler.

Make sure you choose age-appropriate books and books with lots of lines that repeat throughout the story. Toddlers really like repetition and may eventually try to repeat the words in the book. Toddlers also love looking at pictures in books, so don’t feel like you have to read the book. Simply talk about the pictures as you point to them and describe what you see to your child. This is also a good time to try to have your toddler repeat words if he or she is able.

For a list of great books to read with your toddler, check out this article from The American Speech-Language Hearing Association blog, ASHAsphere: Collaboration Corner: Must-Have Books for Building Language and Literacy

Want more speech and language tips to help your toddler talk and communicate faster? Check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Toddlers - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.

Toddler Speech and Language Activities for Easter

4/18/2014

Can you believe it's time for Easter already? Where has this year gone?

Try to take time this weekend and do an Easter craft with your toddler. Not only is it fun, but it will boost his or her speech and language skills too! You can talk about and describe eggs, rabbits/bunnies, candy, chickens, spring, etc. The list goes on and on! Take your crafts one step further by adding an activity. You can teach your toddler concepts such as in, out, on, and under while hunting eggs. Also, try reading a book about Easter or related topics.

Here are some ideas for you and your toddler:

16 Cute Easter Crafts for Toddlers & Kids

Over 40 Easter Crafts and Activities for Toddlers

Easter Preschool Activities and Crafts

Also, be sure to check out the Talking With Toddlers blog post from last year, Easter Egg Fun-A Toddler Speech & Language Activity for even more ideas!

As always, remember to make it fun while teaching language and speech to your toddler! Happy Easter!

If you would like more speech and language tips and activities, be sure to check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Toddlers - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.

It's Coming....Fun and Easy Articulation Activities to Do At Home with Your Toddler or Preschooler

4/11/2014

I know I have been missing in action the last few months, and I apologize! It's been very busy seeing my current speech therapy clients and raising 2 year old twin toddlers. I've also been working on another book that I'm putting on Amazon's kindle this weekend. It's called Fun and Easy Articulation Activities to Do At Home with Your Toddler or Preschooler. Here's a peek at the book cover!

Believe it or not, but there are some things you, as a parent, can do to help promote proper pronunciation. This book is full of fun ways to target your young child’s articulation while also building the necessary language skills needed for his or her overall development. If you suspect your toddler or preschooler has an articulation or language delay, please seek the help of a professional speech-language pathologist. The speech-language pathologist will evaluate your toddler’s speech and language skills to determine if there is a need for speech therapy. As a parent, you will be able to observe the weekly therapy sessions to learn how to implement the strategies at home.

Back in November, I wrote a blog post called Toddler Articulation Norms. By checking out that post you can download a free articulation norms chart that can be help you learn when a child says what sound. Remember, if you have any concerns at all about your toddler's speech and language development, please seek the help of a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. Since articulation therapy is so structured, I think it’s best targeted in a therapeutic environment. You can also find some simple tips and more information by reading 3 Tips to Target Your Toddler's Articulation.

The new book, Fun and Easy Articulation Activities to Do At Home with Your Toddler or Preschooler will be published on Amazon's Kindle soon. I will make the announcement on the Talking With Toddler's Facebook page, so be sure to like us to find out when it's ready. You nor your toddler will be disappointed with the activities in the book!

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas That Build Toddler Speech & Language Skills

12/20/2013

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is quickly coming to a close! If you’re like me, you’re probably looking for a few last minute gifts for your toddler or young child. Don’t fret because this post will help you and make your toddler happy at the same time!

Before I post some of my favorite gift ideas, which are toys,, I would like to give you a few suggestions. When it comes to building speech and language skills, less is more. Skip the toys that include lots of bells and whistles such as toys that talk, light up, name shapes, colors, numbers, alphabet, etc. The key in early speech and language development is meaningful communication. It’s important for your toddler to learn how to communicate his or her basic wants and needs first and build receptive (what your toddler understands) and expressive (what your toddler says) vocabulary before naming shapes, colors, numbers, alphabet, etc. Yes, these skills do have a purpose, but not until your toddler has a strong vocabulary.

Here are some of my favorite toys that will build early speech and language skills.

Fisher Price Little People
I loved these sets as a child and know toddlers today love them too! You can choose between farm sets, automobiles, and Disney characters to name a few. With these toys you can target basic concepts such as in, out, on, off, open, close. Your toddler can also engage in pretend play.

Books
Books are one of the best gifts you can get your toddler this Christmas. Reading to children helps increase their vocabulary, encourages imagination, and helps with articulation and pronunciation skills. Make sure you choose age-appropriate books and books with lots of lines that repeat throughout the story.

Stuffed Animals and Dolls
These teach basic vocabulary and encourage pretend play. For example, have your toddler pretend to feed the baby doll with a bottle and a spoon. Have him/her give the baby doll a drink with a cup.

Puzzles
Not only do puzzles work on eye-hand coordination, but they are also great at increasing vocabulary, basic concept development, and requesting skills.

Bubbles
These are great stocking stuffers for toddlers, and all toddlers LOVE them! You can target words such as pop, open, more, big, little, and all done. The possibilities with bubbles are endless!

This holiday season why not get your toddler toys that are fun AND educational? Happy Holidays!

Want more speech and language tips to help your toddler talk and communicate faster? Check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Talking With Toddlers - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills.