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Some of the most important and valuable opportunities to improve communication skills come from the real world. If your child is working on speech and communication issues and you’re searching for enrichment activities to support those efforts, look first to your local community. There are easy, free, fun, and meaningful options just waiting for your kids to be able to practice their speaking skills. Continue reading
Creating traditions with your kids is one of the most rewarding parts of parenting, and family meals are the perfect place to start. Even though modern family lives seem to be crowded and kids overscheduled, there are 5 fun twists you can try with your family meals that will create new traditions and build stronger families. Family meals can even help your kids thrive during the school day – studies show that when kids eat with their families more than 3 nights each week, only 9% of them get Cs or lower on their report cards, while 20% of those kids who get family meals less than that get Cs or lower for grades. So whether you’re trying to help your academically challenged child or just ease the family’s chaotic schedule, try these 5 ideas. Continue reading
Sometimes the last thing parents and teachers consider for children with speech disorders is putting them on stage, but it’s time to consider theatre as an amazing opportunity for enrichment that can actually improve communication skills. Whether your child is ready to take on Shakespeare or more content to watch a children’s play at the local cinema, try to bring a little theatre into your child’s life.
What do Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, and Samuel Jackson have in common with approximately 8-9% of Kindergarten students in the United States? Both groups of people have battled speech impairments. You might not be surprised about the fact that almost 10% of young kids struggle with communication skills, but it is sometimes hard to reconcile that people who rely on their voices (and can earn Oscars in part because of it) were once children who battled speech disorders. In fact, Samuel Jackson turned to acting because of his speech disorder. As with so many things in life, practice and the repeated opportunities to build skills are sometimes he most effective remedy, and participating in the theatre can have positive impacts on those who need to improve communication skills. Continue reading
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Are you dizzy from all of the driving, chaperoning, and snack providing you’ve been doing for your child’s activities? Do you ask yourself as you drag yourself into bed each night: Are my kids overscheduled? You’re not alone in your concerns. Diane Ehrensaft, Ph.D., from The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA, reports that:
Middle-class children in America are so overscheduled that they have almost no ‘nothing time’…Creativity is making something out of nothing and it takes time for that to happen. In our efforts to produce Renaissance children who are competitive in all areas, we squelch creativity.
It’s time to take back a bit of parental sanity and give kids nothing – nothing time, that is. Try these methods for getting the balance back into your family and building strong, capable, creative, and less-stressed kids. Continue reading
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School may be back in session but that doesn’t have to stop you from helping your child develop communication skills outside of school. Whether your child already attends music therapy sessions, is a tactile learner who struggles with verbal communication, or works with an SLP during school for a speech disorder, there are enrichment options you can use with your child. The best part of all is that these are not only effective for developing communication skills, but they can benefit your child’s overall learning development – and be fun on the side.
