It’s that time of year again: “Jingle Bell Rock” is more ubiquitous than dust, and my kids’ screams as they watch TV ads get more shrill with the expectation that this time might be different — they just might get the bauble they are nagging about. Despite that, I do really enjoy this time of year. It’s kind of like a mini-summer vacation: lots of time for travel, family, and special activities. And the kids get much-needed time to just veg out. But just because this is a jam-packed winter vacation, don’t slip off track with your speech and language goals. These wintertime speech therapy holiday activities will keep your speech student on track, and generate some fun in the meantime.
Great Speech Therapy Resources from Teachers Pay Teachers
Games and Activities Speech Therapy IdeasWhenever I come across a website that I think could have a meaningful positive impact on the work we, as speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and educators do, I feel I immediately have to share such a resource on the Speech Buddies blog. Today, that site is Teachers Pay Teachers, an ingenious market, for educational resources developed by teachers, that anyone—teachers, SLPs, homeschoolers, grandparents—may access a la carte for a nominal fee.
4 Ways to Jumpstart Speech Therapy at Home
Parents' Corner Pronunciation & LispsWith the body awash in insulin to metabolize all that holiday sugar and (if you’re like me) a mildly shocking reading from the scale, the New Year is a time to set new goals—resolutions, we like to say—to make us especially steadfast. While most New Year’s resolutions tend to involve personal disciplines like not eating so much barbecue or to get more exercise, as parents it is important to consider how our resolutions could positively influence our child’s education. Here are four easy-to-implement resolutions to either get your child’s therapy back on track or to further bolster their progress with a little speech therapy at home.
Is Your Child Bored with Speech Therapy?
Speech Therapy TechniquesWe’ve all been there before: your toddler gets hungry or bored in the supermarket and throws an embarrassing temper tantrum in aisle 3. Or your teenage son starts getting fidgety during a dinner party and tries to stick his spoon to his nose. Kids will be kids, but what do you do when your child is bored with his speech therapy activities? If your child’s speech-language pathologist (SLP) has informed you that little Matthew seems to be slacking off in his efforts during speech therapy, he might be getting bored with the activities. Most kids crave entertainment and stimulation. Instead of trying to cajole your child to put in more effort, change the method of instruction. Talk with the SLP about the current activities she is using during speech therapy sessions and review what you’re doing at home. To keep your child engaged in learning, a change is definitely in order.