Blog Archives

/b/ Sound Toddler Speech and Language Activities

7/25/2013

A few weeks ago, I promised the fans of my Talking With Toddlers Facebook Page that I would give away something free if we reached 200 fans. Well, we reached that and then some! We are now up to 253 likes. If you haven't yet liked our Facebook page please go like it now. In addition to toddler speech and language tips, we offer parenting articles, toddler recipes, children's activities, and lots of great information for your kids!

I've decided to offer the freebie via my blog. Although I'm a little late getting it together (my family and I are in the process of buying a house now that we're settled in Mississippi after moving here in December of last year), I thought late was better than never, right?

The freebie focuses on the early developing speech sound /b/. Toddlers should be able to say this sound by the age of 2 to 3. Not only does this lesson focus on the /b/ sound, it also targets vocabulary and toddler language skills. The activities for the /b/ sound were taken from my book, Talking With Toddlers - 52 Tips to Boost Speech and Language Skills. Be sure to check out my book if you're looking for more ways to stimulate your toddler's speech and language skills!

Here's your freebie:

early_speech_sound_b.pdf
File Size:	258 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

With the file below, you can have your toddler point to the pictures as you name them, he/she can name them as you point to them, you can talk about them with your toddler while targeting the /b/ sound, hide them around a room and let your toddler find them while naming the pictures, etc.

initial_b_words.pdf
File Size:	77 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

0 Comments

Toddler Speech Therapy Basics

7/18/2013

0 Comments

There are so many terms used in speech-language development. You may hear words such as articulation, fluency, expressive language, speech disorder, etc. It can be very confusing and difficult to understand that it makes your head spin trying to process it all! I'm about to teach you the basics, so hopefully this post will help it make more sense to you!

What is language?
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) says:

Language is made up of socially shared rules that include the following:
- What words mean (e.g., "star" can refer to a bright object in the night sky or a celebrity)
- How to make new words (e.g., friend, friendly, unfriendly)
- How to put words together (e.g., "Peg walked to the new store" rather than "Peg walk store new")
- What word combinations are best in what situations ("Would you mind moving your foot?" could quickly change to "Get off my foot, please!" if the first request did not produce results)

Receptive language is what your toddler or child understands. It is sometimes referred to as language comprehension. A toddler or child with a receptive language disorder has a difficult time processing and understanding what you say to him or her.

Here are some activities you can do with your toddler to improve receptive language skills.

Play “Simon Says” to help your toddler follow simple directions.

Teach your toddler basic body parts such as eyes, nose, and mouth.

Have your toddler point to pictures as you name them.

Expressive language is what your toddler or child says or expresses. A toddler or child with an expressive language delay has a difficult time speaking and telling you his/her wants and needs.

Here are some activities you can do with your toddler to improve expressive language skills.

Have your toddler repeat simple sounds such as animal sounds and vehicle sounds during play ·

Help your toddler point or gesture to an item he/she wants instead of crying for it.

Try to have your toddler say the word or part of the word for a wanted item.

What is speech?
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association says:

Speech is the verbal means of communicating.

Speech consists of articulation, voice and fluency. A toddler or child can have a speech disorder, a language disorder, or a combination of both. If a child has an articulation disorder, he/she has a difficult time producing certain sounds. For example, a he/she may say "pish" instead of "fish" or "dun" instead of "sun." A child with a voice disorder may sound hoarse and raspy as a result of voice abuse or misuse such as yelling on the playground at recess. When a child has a fluency disorder you may notice that he or she stutters when speaking.

Here are some activities you can do with your toddler to improve articulation, voice, and fluency:

Use short, simple phrases when talking with your toddler
Allow enough time for him/her to get the message across to you
Practice good vocal habits that your toddler can observe and learn

So, that's the basics of toddler speech therapy. I hope it helped you understand the topic a little better. If you are concerned that your child may have a speech or language disorder, please don't hesitate to contact a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. He/she can conduct a comprehensive speech-language evaluation to determine if speech therapy is needed.

To learn more speech and language tips to 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.

0 Comments

My Toddler is Stuttering-Should I Be Concerned?

7/11/2013

1 Comment

Over the past few weeks I've had several moms of toddlers ask me about stuttering. Some questions have come from moms I know personally, and some questions have come through email and social media. The main question I have been asked is, "My toddler has started stuttering. Should I be concerned, and how should I fix it?" So, here is my professional opinion on toddler stuttering.

What is stuttering? The American Speech-Language Hearing Association defines it as:

Stuttering affects the fluency of speech. It begins during childhood and, in some cases, lasts throughout life. The disorder is characterized by disruptions in the production of speech sounds, also called "disfluencies."

It is very common to hear your toddler stutter from time to time. He/she is beginning to put sounds and words together to form thoughts and sentences. Most toddlers love to talk and are eager to tell you everything they know - the good, the bad, and the ugly! Because their brains are working at top speed, their little mouths may have a tough time catching up. As a result, you may hear your toddler repeat a word or sound over and over again. You will probably hear your toddler stutter when he or she is tired, excited, or frustrated. The good news is that most children outgrow this!

However, it can may become a problem when:

your toddler tenses up his/her body or mouth like he/she is trying to push out his/her words.
your toddler avoids speaking all together
your toddler's pitch rises when he/she stutters
your toddler stutters on the majority of his/her speech throughout the day (experts say on more than 10% of his/her speech)

You can help your toddler by:

speaking at a slower rate of speech
allowing enough time for him/her to get the message across to you
avoiding saying things like "slow down", "stop", and "relax" as this may add more pressure to your toddler to speak
limiting the number of questions you ask; instead comment on what he/she says
being supportive

Helpful resources about stuttering:

American Speech-Language Hearing Association

If you do suspect that your toddler may have a more severe disfluency please don't hesitate to talk to a pediatric speech-language pathologist. You know your toddler better than anyone else! You can learn how to find a local SLP by reading one of my other blog posts, Help! My Toddler Is Not Talking.

To learn more speech and language tips to 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.

1 Comment

4th of July Fun for Toddlers

7/3/2013

0 Comments

It's almost the 4th of July, so what better time to teach your toddler about Independence Day in the United States? Here is a roundup of some fun things you can do and make with your toddlers. Some are educational and some are just for fun. You can adapt these ideas and target toddler speech and language skills. Enjoy!

Activities

Fourth of July Concepts and Vocabulary

Red, White, & Blue Fingerpaint

Books:

4th of July Books for Toddlers

Toddler Recipes:

Fourth of July Food Activities

Easy 4th of July Crafts for Toddlers

No Bake 4th of July Cheescake

Broken Glass Jello Stars

Fourth of July Pretzels

To learn more speech and language tips to 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.

0 Comments

/b/ Sound Toddler Speech and Language Activities

Toddler Speech Therapy Basics

My Toddler is Stuttering-Should I Be Concerned?

4th of July Fun for Toddlers

Author

Archives

Categories

This blog is featured on: