AEA 13-Speech/Language - Activities To Develop Communication

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Activities to Develop Communication


18-24 Month	3 to 4 Years	Language Skills
Listening and Remembering skills	Kindergarten Readiness	Participation in Show and Tell

Activities to Stimulate Speech and Language Development for an
18-24 Month Old Child.


1. Play records and repeat nursery rhymes to improve your child's listening skills.
2. Teach the meaning of action words by playing, "Follow the Leader" and "Simon Says."
3. Pretend to have a conversation with your child's doll with your child.
4. Have your child find body parts on a doll or in large pictures.
5. Use household objects for pretend activities.
6. Take your child to different places and talk about new things.
7. Name everything your child comes in contact with (soap, stove, etc.).
8. Occasionally have your child repeat two-word combinations such as "more milk", "big cookie."
9. Use pronouns (my, your, his, her). Example: "Here's mommy's shirt, my shirt."
10. Reward your child's efforts to use words meaningfully by praising him/her for talking.

Top of Page Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development for a
3 to 4 Year Old Child.


1. Encourage your child's listening skills. Play "Simon Says" or "Follow the Leader."
2. Describe objects for your child to find. (Example, "Get the thing we eat soup with.")
3. Read to your child daily.
4. Sing simple songs and practice rhymes and fingerplays together.
5. Give your child practice in answering questions. Ask questions about past events or things not immediately present.
6. While doing a routine activity together, have your child quess what will happen next.
7. Have your child tell you a short story from a familiar book. Begin the sentence and have your child fill in the missing parts.
8. Encourage back and forth conversation about familiar topics. Give your child time to talk. Let him/her know that you are listening.
9. Teach concepts during routine activities using household objects. Examples" Sort spoons, buttons, laundry by size and color. Point out opposites such as the HOT stove and the COLD refrigerator. Count things you see together: chairs, steps, dishes, people. Talk about how foods taste and smell. Give directions that stress location words such as in, on, under. Search your child's room together for things that are soft, square, hard, etc.

Top of Page Activities to Improve Language Skills


Language includes a child's ability to understand the speach of others and to express his/her thoughts and ideas. Home, as well as school experience, contribute, to your child's language development. You can help your child develop better language skills through a variety of home activities. It's important to remember to:
1. Talk with your child. Answer his/her questions and ask questions of him/her.
2. Listen to your child. Give your child your full attention whenever possible. Be sure he/she knows that what he/she does or says is important to you.
3. Praise your child. Take every opportunity to enjoy your child as he/she is.


Language Building Activities
1. Shopping and putting away groceries can teach your child:
a. to follow simple directions: "Put the milk in the refrigerator." "Put the cereal on the shelf."
b. new vocabulary words: cupboard, shelf, counter, aisle, cash register, onion, frozen, package, etc.
c. to group similar items: fruit, vegetables, meats, drinks items which are: round, square, soft, crunchy, heavy, etc.
d. to compare items: big, bigger, biggest, long, longer, longest
2. Doing the laundry can teach your child:
a. to follow simple directions: "Put the socks in the laundry basket." "Put the dirty towels in the washing machine."
b. new vocabulary words: blouse, separate, clean, dirty, pair, detergent, red, green, stain, rough, etc.
c. possessives: Daddy's shirt, our towels, his pants, your sister's pajamas, my socks
d. to explain in a logical order: first we sort the laundry; second...; third....; etc.
3. Reading a story to your child can teach him/her:
a. new vocabulary words
b. to ask and answer questions: who, what, when, where, why, how
c. to listen carefully
d. to explain in a logical order: first..., second..., before, after, etc.
4. Playing with other children can teach your child to use social language skills:
a. to request "Can I have that?"
b. to protest: "I don't want to do that."
c. to talk in a group: turn taking, asking questions
d. to express his/her feelings and opinions: "I'm make." "I like to play baseball."

Top of Page Activities to Develop Listening and Remembering Skills


1. Read to your child and ask "thinking" questions about the story. "Why was the boy sad?" "What could happen next?"
2. Play listening games. Simon Says. "I'm going to the store to buy ..." Describe a familiar item and ask your child to guess what it is.
3. Ask your child to tell you about a TV program, play, or movie recently seen.
4. Let your child deliver messages. "Tell your father Uncle Jim called and he wants to go fishing Wednesday at 10:00."
5. Give directions on how to do an unfamiliar activity. Let your child follow your step by step instructions. Examples: making a cake, operating the washing machine, sorting clothes.
6. Let your child watch you do an interesting activity. Explain what you are doing. Describe the activity with your child afterwards. Examples: fixing a sink, cleaning a fish, making a craft item.

Top of Page Activities to Develop Kindergarten Readiness


TALK Use sentences instead of gestures whenever you can. Don't just point to show what you mean. Conversation is very important between you and your child. Whether you are at home, riding in the car, or shopping for groceries, words are important. This doesn't mean nagging words, but a give and take conversation. You need to really listen to what your child is saying. It certainly isn't very interesting to talk if no one listens.
READ Read to your child often and with enthusiasm. Reading is very important. Set aside a regular time to read each day, perhaps bedtime or after a nap. Read signs, letters, labels, and other common items. This expands your childs vocabulary.
LABEL Teach your child new words. When enjoying different experiences such as trips, walks, shopping and family outings, comment on what you did or how you think your child felt. This will often stimulate more speech than a direct questions. If you don't, your child may stop asking.
UNDERSTAND RELATIONSHIPS Discuss cause and effect ideas in stories, personnel happenings, TV programs, or movies. Relate past, present, and future by asking questions like "why does" and "what would happen if..." Helping your child to reason through problems or ideas is a good training. To teach concepts, devise simple games such as "put the ball under the chair" or "put it beside the chair." Here are some examples of concept words: up, down, into, between, outside, around, above, beneath, over, some, all, opposite, beginning, middle, warmer, colder, more, most, last, farther, next, because, when, away from, through, behind, before, after, both, and least.
GROUP AND CLASSIFY Teach your child to: Sort by color, shape, or size. (Use simple items such as socks, blocks, or buttons.) Identify by color, shape, size, or category. ("Find all the blue things." or "Name farm animals.") Reverse roles and let your child give you the instructions.
SEQUENCE Put things in one-two-three-four order. Arrange pebbles from the smallest to the largest. Name household objects from lightest to heaviest. Color with a crayon - lightest to darkest. Arranges glasses of water from empty to full. Name people from shortest to tallest, youngest, to oldest. Re-tell a very short story.
COUNT It is more important to know the meaning of a few numbers than to be able to count to 100. Place five pennies on the table. Take away two. Ask how many are left. Vary the items amounts.
FOLLOW DIRECTIONS Make a game of two and three step commands, such as "touch the floor with your hands, tap your shoulder, and sit on the chair." Have your child repeat your statement before acting. Play Simon Says. Take turns being Simon.
PRINT When your child becomes interested in trying to print, teach the names of the letters. Only the first letter should be capitalized. The remainder should be the same letters (Tammy rather than TAMMY). Attention should be directed from left to right on the page.
CONSIDER You are constantly setting an example. Your child is more likely to do as you do, rather than as you say! Teach your child to cope with anger, frustration and conflict. It's important for a child to have a good self-image and to experience more sucesses than failures. Help your child feel like a winner.

Top of Page Ideas to Help Your Child Participate in Show and Tell


1. Help your child choose and object or topic that has lots of interest for your child. Objects are easier for beginners because they provide clues.
2. The topic must be familiar to your child.
3. Help your child remember a few interesting facts.
4. Provide extra information for the teacher if necessary.
5. Practice the sharing at home.
6. Practice using loud, clear speech and practice facing the audience.
SUGGESTED TOPICS MIGHT INCLUDE: Collections (bugs, feathers, shells, rocks) Nature treasures (bird nest, a special rock, etc.) Family pictures Vacation stories Family field trips Favorite books Family news (new brother or sister, Grandma's visit, etc.) Weekend activities After school activities (dance, Boy Scouts, etc.)

Top of Page Information Developed by Iowa School Speech-Language Pathologists

Last Updated 1/30/06