Author: Elizabeth Novak-Czech MA CCC SLP

With the warmer weather and melting snow, it is starting to feel and look like spring. Here are some ideas to help your child in building their speech and communication skills during a spring time activity. Introduce new vocabulary and describing words while planting a seed and taking care of a growing plant. New vocabulary may include: fertilizer, trowel, soil, etc. Be sure to utilize any new vocabulary words in sentences multiple times throughout the activity. Encourage your child to describe the texture of the soil and seeds, explain what they are doing, and discuss what they hope will happen as the plant grows. Describe the flow of the water as you water the seeds (e.g., slow, fast, dripping, etc.).

With siblings and busy schedules, it may feel difficult to find time to sit down with your child one-on-one to work on speech and language targets or homework. It is important to know that even if you are not spending as much one-on-one time with your child as you would like, they are still gaining crucial input and exposure during each conversation you have with them. Implementing therapy techniques and practice does not need to only be limited to individual practice. While one-on-one time is beneficial, it is also important for your child to learn how to use language in everyday routines and when interacting with family and friends. Speech and language development techniques can easily be implemented into daily

Happy New Year! The New Year is an excellent time of the year to set goals and resolutions for the coming year. What goals do you have for your child’s speech and language for 2021 Here are some ideas for New Years resolutions related to speech and language to help kick of 2021. Practice speech sounds for five minutes at least five days a week. Life can get busy for everyone, but research shows daily practice even for just five minutes can make a huge difference in a child’s progress. Ask your child’s therapist for speech targets.Go to the library and read each day. Going to the library is a fun activity which leads to bringing home new, exciting, and