Little Ways To Make Learning Fun!

by Courtenay M. At Home Ideas Games and Activities Language Development Parents' Corner School Speech Therapy Techniques

 

Card Games, Field Trips and Playing with Your Kids are Excellent Ways to Make Learning Fun! Image Courtesy of Shutterstock.

Card Games, Field Trips and Playing with Your Kids are Excellent Ways to Make Learning Fun! Image Courtesy of Shutterstock.

School is just about back in session after the long holiday break and your kids are chomping at the bit to get back to the books!  Is this the case at your house? Perhaps NOT!  For many kids, the thought of school, homework and learning are dreary tasks and not something typically viewed as fun. For many, learning and study correlate with serious and tedious. Believe or not, there are ways to make learning fun and effective and something your children will look forward to. Of course, there is always the moaning and groaning about getting back to a busy homework schedule, tests and turning in assignments but with a few tips and tricks, you can turn the negative into a positive and make the learning experience more fun for the kids.

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6 Free Online Speech Therapy Resources For Kids

6 Free Online Speech Therapy Resources For Kids

by Courtenay M. Games and Activities Online Games

As parents, you know there are many ways to enrich your child’s speech and language skills, including games, books, and language modeling activities. Online speech therapy resources offer your child a way to refine and practice their speech and language skills at home. Sometimes your child needs a little extra speech therapy, whether it is to refine certain skills they are learning on at school, reinforce what they are working on with their SLP, or just an extra resource to help build speech sounds. When looking to enhance your child’s speech therapy using online resources, we have located a few favorites that won’t take a bite out of your wallet.

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Four Easy and Inexpensive Ways To Keep Your Kids Entertained During Christmas Break

by Courtenay M. Arts and Crafts At Home Ideas Games and Activities Parents' Corner School
How Do You Keep Your Kids Entertained During the Holiday Break?

How Do You Keep Your Kids Entertained During the Holiday Break? Don’t Worry! We’ve Got You Covered!

 

Here we go! For some families, two and three weeks off for Christmas and New Years begin now! And yes, the thought of sleeping in a bit, not packing lunches and staying in pajamas until noon sounds appealing, after about three days, the excitement wears off and cabin fever starts to set in! Do you wish you had time to leisurely browse Pinterest for creative ideas to keep your kids busy? What are busy moms and dads supposed to do to entertain their kiddos with shopping, wrapping, cleaning and cooking left to get done, without resorting to the television?

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5 Best Apps for Building Language and Speech

by Courtenay M. Apps Games and Activities Language Building Skills Language Development Parents' Corner Speech Therapy Techniques
Our Five Favorite Apps to Help Build Language and Speech Skills

Apps for Building Language Skills Are An Excellent Addition to Your Tablet or Smart Phone.

How do you find apps for your kids that are not only fun, but provide the necessary tools to build language and speech skills? The first years of a child’s life are the most important part of developing speech, language and cognitive skills. It’s important for parents to create activities to help develop these language skills by providing stimulation and creating opportunities to foster these developing language skills. Downloadable apps are an excellent way to build language skills and engage your child. And, apps make a great Christmas gift!

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Easy At Home Speech Therapy Ideas

by Courtenay M. At Home Ideas Games and Activities Language Development Parents' Corner Speech Disorders Speech Therapy Techniques

 

Parents can conduct at-home speech therapy techniques with their children with easy, everyday activities.

Parents can conduct at-home speech therapy techniques with their children with easy, everyday activities.

For a child with any type of speech delay or language problem, professional speech therapy is an invaluable tool.  Therapy does not have to be limited to visit to a speech therapists office however. There are many options for parents who are looking for a little help in dealing with their child’s speech disorder. Often, professional speech therapists are expensive, not covered by insurance and sometimes just not a feasible option for families living in rural areas. Additionally, if your child is visiting a speech therapist regularly, there are times (such as Summer vacation) where at home therapy can help keep your child progressing. What are some “at home” options for your child?  Do they really work? Many of you are thinking, “I am not a certified speech therapist”, where would I even begin to start?

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Toys and Games Designed to Help Increase Vocabulary and Build Language Skills

by Courtenay M. Games and Activities Language Building Skills Language Development Parents' Corner Speech Therapy Techniques
Toys Can Be Excellent Building Blocks to Increase Vocabulary

Toys Can Be Excellent Building Blocks to Increase Vocabulary

It’s that time of year again! Everywhere you look is another advertisement for yet another toy that your child MUST have!  Barbie, Play Dough, Nintendo Wii, Lego sets…these are always great gifts that most children will love. But, what about toys that are fun for kids and can help build language skills and increase vocabulary at the same time?  Is that even possible? The answer is yes. But will the kids enjoy these toys? Again, the answer is YES, and you may be surprised that some very famous toys are actually excellent language building blocks.

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Tips for Building Early Language Skills with Your Child

by Courtenay M. Games and Activities Language Building Skills Language Development Parents' Corner School Speech Disorders Speech Therapist Speech Therapy Techniques
child reading with mom

Reading with your child is one of the best ways to help build language skills. Source: news.appstate.com

Mama!  Dada!! Like many parents, you have likely been waiting months for your child to finally say a real word!  Sure, the grunts, pointing and babbling sounds are cute, but that moment your child utters her first word is priceless!   Once the first word is spoken however, there is no turning back. What was once a semi-peaceful trip to the grocery store is now filled with endless, “Ball”, “Mama”, “Apple”, “Want Dat”.  Car rides are no longer excuses to escape with Adam Levine.  Instead the sounds of “Stop,” “Go”, “Car”, “Fire Truck” are yelled triumphantly and continuously from the back seat. Are there ways in which parents can start building speech and language skills early?  How early is too early?
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Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Games That Build Gratitude During the Holidays

by Chris O Games and Activities Parents' Corner

 

Build Gratitude

Gratitude is good for you! Help your kids experience more of it with these 6 activities. Image source: prettyprovidence.com

Thanksgiving is here – and so is the Christmas season, meaning that kids everywhere will be making lists and making sure they check those lists twice. While the holidays are a wonderful time to share gifts with people who are special in our lives, it can mean that families sometimes feel an imbalance between the getting and the giving. If you’re trying to build gratitude in your kids, try some of these games and activities that remind everyone of the real joys of giving. Continue reading →

Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Travel Games for Little Ones

by Chris O Games and Activities Parents' Corner Reading

So you’re almost set for the drive to Grandma’s house for the holidays, except there is just one problem – the drive to Grandma’s house with bored and fidgety little ones in the backseat. I always find myself remarking to my kids that I never had movies in the backseat or iPods to play while traveling across the country in the back of the station wagon and somehow we managed to survive. While my own kids might have access to those luxuries, it still seems that the best boredom busters while traveling are good (dare I say old-fashioned) travel games.

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How Do I Teach My Child to Read?

by Chris O Games and Activities Language Development Reading School
How do I teach my child to read?

Children learn to read through consistent exposure to various kinds of literature, as well as by engaging in different types of reading strategies like those outlined above. Image source: infographicsmania.com

Reading is a critical component of communication, and age 7 seems to be the magical turning point by which most children learn to read. Children who struggle up until this point – and those who still aren’t reading beyond 7 years of age, don’t necessarily have disabilities that are preventing them from acquiring literacy skills. However, it is valuable for parents to acknowledge the typical milestones for literacy and recognize the warning signs that something more serious than just a delay is preventing their children from reaching reading milestones. If you find yourself asking: How do I teach my child to read?, these following strategies are might give your child the support and extra attention to literacy that is needed. Continue reading →