Kimberly Scanlon's Blog, page 3

How to Get My Toddler to Combine Words: Strategically Target Functional Words

How to Get My Toddler to Combine Words: Strategically Target Functional & Appropriate Words

My most recent posts have focused on going beyond single words by growing and varying vocabulary. 

Have you have had any success growing your toddler’s vocabulary by focusing on tangible action words, observable describing words, and salient location words?

*Amazon Affiliate links included for your convenience.

If so, how is it going? Please leave a comment below…I would love for the comment section to act as a community for readers to exchange thoughts and ideas.

I’m assuming your toddler’s vocabulary has been growing (at least receptively – i.e. understanding more and more words), so I’m excited to share even more tips and tricks.

Are you ready?

Some research suggests that toddlers’ initial word combinations are not entirely random.

Toddlers like to talk about many of the following things:

Actions  (especially funny and unexpected ones)


What people are doing (e.g. “Daddy eat’”)
What things receive an action (e.g. “Anna fell”)


Locations of things and people and where an action takes place


Where people and things are located (e.g. “Mommy here”)
Where an action took place (e.g. “in crib”)


Differences of opinions or preferences


When they don’t want to do something (e.g. “No!”)
When they disagree (e.g. “No!”)
When they want to deny or reject anything you say (e.g. “No!”)


Personal possessions


When something belongs to them, NOT you (e.g. “My” or “mine”)


Amusing words and sounds


May include words like: “Stinky”, “poop”, “boo”, “tickle, tickle”, “messy”, or “roar”.  For more funny sounds, read Using Fun Sounds to Encourage Toddler Communication.


Simple social words


Many toddlers are encouraged to say “Hi” and “Bye” because parents train them at young age to be friendly and nice.

Please continue to stress tangible action words, observable describing words, and salient location words, but now do it strategically.

Strategically bombard your child with specific words to help him or her communicate essential needs, wants, and desires.

Tack on words from the above numbered list to the single words that he or she is already consistently and regularly saying.

If your child says, “doggie” every time you go for a walk, expand on it by saying, “Hi , doggie” or “Bye, doggie” every time you see a dog.

Or, every time you help dress your child use the same phrases like, “Shirt on”, “Pants on”, or “Shoes on”.

Eventually, you saying a particular phrase, like “Hi, doggie”, “Bye, doggie”, “Shirt on”, “Pants on”, will become part of the routine and your child will internalize it and eventually attempt to say it too.

ALERT – expect them to imitate your word combinations after hearing them several times. Then, one day soon you will be pleasantly surprised to hear them say the word combinations when you least expect it!

As always, I hope this has been helpful.

In need of some additional free and helpful resources? Please subscribe to my newsletter. I share information and handouts exclusively with my newsletter subscribers.

If you have enjoyed readingMy Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development or Learning to Read is a Ball, please help spread the word. Tell your friends, write an honest review on Amazon, click the social media buttons or personally give me your feedback. I love hearing from my readers and value your input.

Thanks for reading!

The post How to Get My Toddler to Combine Words: Strategically Target Functional Words appeared first on My Toddler Talks.

How to Get My Toddler to Combine Words: Part 2

How to Get My Toddler to Combine Words: Part 2

Your child has finally started to utter some first words and is verbally communicating more and more. This is an exciting time…

…although time has passed and you’ve noticed that he or she is stuck at the single word level.

This post will help you take your child to the next level.

Photo Credit: Clover_1

The first step to word combinations?

Grow your child’s vocabulary.

This is because as vocabulary grows so does sentence length.

Work on growing your child’s vocabulary BUT don’t just focus on adding nouns to your child’s vocabulary (aka person, place or things). Stress tangible action words, observable describing words and salient location words like the following:

Actions– run, walk, sit, sleep, eat, smell, hug, kiss, help, go, stop, etc.

Descriptions – big, small, hot, cold, stinky, fast, slow, etc.

Locations – up, down, on, off, etc.

If you focus on adding a variety of words to your child’s repertoire, it will be much easier for him or her to form combinations.

Here are some ways to grow your toddler’s vocabulary:

Go on field trips. Expose your child to new situations and new experiences. With each novel experience your child has the opportunity to learn new vocabulary. Field trips may be a trip to a lake, the beach, the zoo or even the library, park, pet or grocery store.
Take pictures while on these field trips. After you take the picture, show them to your child and talk about them. Go beyond naming names (e.g. This is a bear – maybe you saw a bear?!). Explain what someone or something is doing (e.g. The bear is eating). Describe what something or someone looks, feels, or smells (e.g. The bear is big. The bear is furry).
Read to them. Studies show children learn new words when books are read aloud to them. Vocabulary is learned incidentally and because adults are more likely to explain words and concepts during a shared reading activity. My latest book, Learning to Read is a Ball is an interactive picture book that includes an extensive parent guide to assist in building your child’s oral language via shared reading. If you read it, please leave a review and let me know what you think.
Display riveting artwork. I can’t take credit for this idea. I’m taking it from Nancy Newman the author of, Raising Passionate Readers. In her book, she explains how young children spend countless hours at home and how it’s “…important to pay attention to the interior decoration of your child’s brain, heart, and soul by talking with him.” She suggests adding some “snap and sizzle” to verbal exchanges by “hanging interesting pictures, postcards, maps, or photographs on walls and on the refrigerator and chatting about them.” This is such an easy way to stimulate your child’s occipital lobe and visual processing system. Hang these conversational art pieces in places that your toddler will notice, perhaps by the changing table, on a coffee table, bathroom mirror, nightstand, or refrigerator. Take it a step further by having your toddler help you sort through all the mail too. We receive cards, brochures, magazines and other colorful junk mail that my little one loves to (rip) open and “read”. Keep a few of these colorful pieces and display until it’s time to replace them. If you’re looking for some ideas and appreciate realistic art with touches of whimsy and wonder, I highly recommend viewing Nancy Tillman’s poster collections.

These authentic, in the moment vocabulary building experiences will assist in developing “wide, flexible and useful general vocabulary.” (Blachowicz, C.L.Z. n.d.).

This is the type of vocabulary a child needs to communicate effectively and efficiently.

Remember – don’t just target nouns focus on adjectives, verbs, and locations too.

Once you have tried these strategies, please let me know how it’s going. Have you had any success growing your toddler’s vocabulary? Leave a comment below. I would love for the comment section to act as a community for readers to exchange thoughts and ideas.

Stay tuned for much more to come in this series.

Thank you!

References:

Blachowicz, C.L.Z. (n.d.). Best Practices in Vocabulary Instruction. Retrieved April 28, 2015 from https://perspective.pearsonaccess.com

Newman, N. (2014). Raising Passionate Readers: 5 Easy Steps to Success in School and Life. New York: Tribeca View Press.

 

The post How to Get My Toddler to Combine Words: Part 2 appeared first on My Toddler Talks.

How to Get My Toddler to Combine Words: Grow but Vary Vocabulary

How to Get My Toddler to Combine Words: Grow but Vary Vocabulary

Your child has finally started to utter some first words and is verbally communicating more and more. This is an exciting time…

…although time has passed and you notice that he or she is stuck at the single word level.

This post will help you take your child to the next level.

Photo Credit: Clover_1

The first step to word combinations?

Grow your child’s vocabulary.

This is because as vocabulary grows so does sentence length.

Work on growing your child’s vocabulary BUT don’t just focus on adding nouns to your child’s vocabulary (aka person, place or things). Stress tangible action words, observable describing words and salient location words like the following:

Actions– run, walk, sit, sleep, eat, smell, hug, kiss, help, go, stop, etc.

Descriptions – big, small, hot, cold, stinky, fast, slow, etc.

Locations – up, down, on, off

If you focus on adding a variety of words to your child’s repertoire, it will be much easier for him or her to form combinations.

Here are some ways to grow your toddler’s vocabulary:

Go on field trips. Expose your child to new situations and new experiences. With each novel experience your child has the opportunity to learn new vocabulary. Field trips may be a trip to a lake, the beach, the zoo or even something as seemingly mundane as the library, the park, the pet store, or the grocery store.
Take pictures while on these field trips. Then show the pictures to your child and talk about them. Go beyond naming names (e.g. This is a bear). Explain what someone or something is doing (e.g. The bear is eating). Describe what something or someone looks, feels, or smells (e.g. The bear is big. The bear is furry).
Read to them. Studies show children learn new words when books are read aloud to them. Vocabulary is learned incidentally and because adults are more likely to explain words and concepts during a shared reading activity. My latest book, Learning to Read is a Ball is an interactive picture book that includes an extensive parent guide to assist in building your child’s oral language via shared reading. If you read it, please leave a review and let me know what you think.
Display riveting artwork. I can’t take credit for this idea. I’m taking it from Nancy Newman the author of, Raising Passionate Readers. In her book, she explains how young children spend countless hours at home and how it’s “…important to pay attention to the interior decoration of your child’s brain, heart, and soul by talking with him.” She suggests adding some “snap and sizzle” to verbal exchanges by “hanging interesting pictures, postcards, maps, or photographs on walls and on the refrigerator and chatting about them.” This is such an easy way to stimulate your child’s occipital lobe and visual processing system. Hang these conversational art pieces in places that your toddler will notice, perhaps by the changing table, on a coffee table, bathroom mirror, nightstand, or refrigerator. Take it a step further by having your toddler help you sort through all the mail too. We receive cards, brochures, magazines and other colorful junk mail that my little one loves to (rip) open and “read”. Keep a few of these colorful pieces and display until it’s time to replace them. If you’re looking for some ideas and appreciate realistic art with touches of whimsy and wonder, I highly recommend viewing Nancy Tillman’s poster collections.

These authentic, in the moment vocabulary building experiences will assist in developing “wide, flexible and useful general vocabulary.” (Blachowicz, C.L.Z. n.d.).

This is the type of vocabulary a child needs to communicate effectively and efficiently.

Remember – don’t just target nouns focus on adjectives, verbs, and locations too.

Stay tuned for much more to come in this series.

Thank you!

References:

Blachowicz, C.L.Z. (n.d.). Best Practices in Vocabulary Instruction. Retrieved April 28, 2015 from https://perspective.pearsonaccess.com

Newman, N. (2014). Raising Passionate Readers: 5 Easy Steps to Success in School and Life. New York: Tribeca View Press.

 

The post How to Get My Toddler to Combine Words: Grow but Vary Vocabulary appeared first on My Toddler Talks.

How to Get Your Toddler to Combine Words: Part 1 Going Beyond Single Words

How to Get Your Toddler to Combine Words: Part 1 Going Beyond Single Words

Several of my upcoming posts will focus on how to target word combinations.

Photo Credit: d o l f i

I have written many posts on how to encourage your toddler’s first few sounds and words –

Before First Words – Using Fun Sounds to Encourage Your Toddler’s Communication

8 Ways to Get Your Toddler to Communicate

7 Ways to Promote Communication Without Frustrating Your Toddler

My Toddler Pinches and Bites When I Try to Get Her to Talk

Why Does My Toddler Pull and Point but Not Talk?

Getting Your Toddler to Talk – How to Use Self Talk and Parallel Talk

On page 5 of My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development, I write about the magical “word spurt”. This vocabulary explosion supposedly appears around 18 months when a child has approximately 50 words in his or her repertoire. By two years old, the word count grows to between 250 to 350 words and by three years old it nearly doubles to 600 words.  Language growth is similar to rolling a snowball downhill. According to some theories, it’s easier to learn new and more challenging words once you have acquired and mastered the simple ones. And, it’s easier to combine words when you have enough in your repertoire.

Children who appear to have these spontaneous word spurts have the ability to learn new words quickly without explanation or targeted intervention…it happens naturally. They realize that objects have names and use the process of elimination to figure out the names for objects they don’t know.

For instance, if mom says, “Don’t touch the chainsaw” (Folks, this is a wild example to keep your attention), the child will rule out her nearby ball and innocent baby doll because she knows the names of these familiar objects. However, this dangerous chainsaw is something she has not seen before and doesn’t know its name. Thus, the child will assume its name is chainsaw. This learning process is known as fast mapping.

It’s easier to eliminate names when you have a sizeable vocabulary to help you. Remember taking multiple-choice tests in high school or college (ah, those blue books)? Ever have to use the process of elimination to select an answer? It was much easier if you could eliminate many of the choices right off the bat.

Children who have a harder time fast mapping look to have a delayed word spurt.

However, over the past several years, there has been more and more debate as to whether word spurts occur during language acquisition. If they do, there is no real consensus on the causes.

Regardless of whether or not word spurts occur, what we, speech language pathologists, parents, and educators want  – are for our clients, children, and students to communicate. We want them to communicate effectively, efficiently, and appropriately. This entails combining words to communicate in sentences.

Even though the researchers disagree on the existence and causes of word spurts, we do know that as vocabulary grows, so does the appearance of word combinations and simple sentences.

Thus, my next post will be on vocabulary development: How to Get Your Toddler to Combine Words: Part 2.

Please stay tuned!

In the meantime, please checkout these helpful posts.

Expansions and Extensions to Improve Language

Incidental Learning and Speech Therapy

Vocabulary Development: Why is it Good to Re-Read the Same Book?

7 Ways to Improve Your Preschooler’s Vocabulary Through Conversation

Lastly, I always enjoy hearing from you, the reader. I value your feedback and would like to know – what should I write about?? Please let me know.

References:

Hadley, P.A. (2014). Approaching early grammatical intervention from a sentence-focused framework. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 45 (April 2014), 110-116.

Mayor, J. & Plunkett, K. Vocabulary Spurt: Are infants full of zipf? Retrieved from http://mindmodeling.org/cogsci2010/pa...

McGregor, K.K., Sheng, L., & Ball, T. (2007). Complexities of expressive word learning over time. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools,38 (October 2007), 353-364.

Moore, R.K. & Bosch, L. Modeling vocabulary growth from birth to young adulthood. Retrieved from http://lands.let.ru.nl/acorns/documen...

Poll, G.H., (2011). Increasing the odds: Applying emergentist theory in language intervention. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 43 (October 2011), 580-591.

University of Iowa. (2007, August 3). Why Do Children Experience A Vocabulary Explosion At 18 Months Of Age?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 7, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08... 

The post How to Get Your Toddler to Combine Words: Part 1 Going Beyond Single Words appeared first on My Toddler Talks.

Going Beyond Single Words

Going Beyond Single Words

or how to get your toddler to combine words.

Several of my upcoming posts will focus on how to target word combinations.

Photo Credit: d o l f i

I have written many posts on how to encourage your toddler’s first few sounds and words -

Before First Words – Using Fun Sounds to Encourage Your Toddler’s Communication

8 Ways to Get Your Toddler to Communicate

7 Ways to Promote Communication Without Frustrating Your Toddler

My Toddler Pinches and Bites When I Try to Get Her to Talk

Why Does My Toddler Pull and Point but Not Talk?

Getting Your Toddler to Talk – How to Use Self Talk and Parallel Talk

On page 5 of My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development, I write about the magical “word spurt”. This vocabulary explosion supposedly appears around 18 months when a child has approximately 50 words in his or her repertoire. By two years old, the word count grows to between 250 to 350 words and by three years old it nearly doubles to 600 words. Therefore, language growth may be similar to rolling a snowball downhill. According to some theories, it’s easier to learn new, more challenging words, once you have acquired and mastered the simple ones. And, it’s easier to combine words when you have enough in your repertoire.

Children who appear to have these spontaneous word spurts have the ability to learn new words quickly without explanation or targeted intervention…it happens naturally. They realize that objects have names and use the process of elimination to figure out the names for objects they don’t know.

For instance, if mom says, “Don’t touch the chainsaw” (Folks, this is a wild example to keep your attention), the child will rule out her nearby ball and innocent baby doll because she knows the names of these familiar objects. However, this dangerous chainsaw is something she has not seen before and doesn’t know its name. Thus, the child will assume its name is chainsaw. This learning process is known as fast mapping.

It’s easier to eliminate names when you have a sizeable vocabulary to help you. Remember taking multiple-choice tests in high school or college (ah, those blue books)? Ever have to use the process of elimination to select an answer? It was much easier if you could eliminate many of the choices right off the bat.

Children who have a harder time fast mapping look to have a delayed word spurt.

However, over the past several years, there has been more and more debate as to whether word spurts even occur during language acquisition and if they do, there is no real consensus on the causes.

Regardless of whether or not word spurts occur, what we, speech language pathologists, parents, and educators, want are for our children, clients, and students to communicate. We want them to communicate effectively, efficiently and appropriately. This entails combining words to communicate in sentences.

Even though the researchers disagree on the existence and causes of word spurts, we do know that as vocabulary grows, so does the appearance of word combinations and simple sentences.

Thus, my next post will be dedicated to vocabulary development.

Please stay tuned!

In the meantime, please checkout these helpful posts.

Expansions and Extensions to Improve Language

Incidental Learning and Speech Therapy

Vocabulary Development: Why is it Good to Re-Read the Same Book?

7 Ways to Improve Your Preschooler’s Vocabulary Through Conversation

Lastly, I always enjoy hearing from you, the reader. I value your feedback and would like to know – what should I write about?? Please let me know.

References:

Hadley, P.A. (2014). Approaching early grammatical intervention from a sentence-focused framework. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 45 (April 2014), 110-116.

Mayor, J. & Plunkett, K. Vocabulary Spurt: Are infants full of zipf? Retrieved from http://mindmodeling.org/cogsci2010/pa...

McGregor, K.K., Sheng, L., & Ball, T. (2007). Complexities of expressive word learning over time. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools,38 (October 2007), 353-364.

Moore, R.K. & Bosch, L. Modeling vocabulary growth from birth to young adulthood. Retrieved from http://lands.let.ru.nl/acorns/documen...

Poll, G.H., (2011). Increasing the odds: Applying emergentist theory in language intervention. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 43 (October 2011), 580-591.

University of Iowa. (2007, August 3). Why Do Children Experience A Vocabulary Explosion At 18 Months Of Age?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 7, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08... 

The post Going Beyond Single Words appeared first on My Toddler Talks.

Before First Words: Using Fun Sounds to Encourage Toddler Communication

Before First Words: Using Fun Sounds to Encourage Toddler Communication

Let’s make some noise. Funny sounds, animal sounds, or even complete nonsense like, “Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.”

For toddlers who aren’t yet talking or using words consistently, I usually start with getting them to make some sounds. Then, I get them to make these sounds consistently. I want them to use these sounds intentionally, volitionally, in multiple settings, and with multiple communication partners.

 

Photo Credit: sheldon frazier

*Amazon Affiliate links are provided for your convenience.

I touched upon this in my post – 8 Ways to Get Your Toddler to Communicate.

Now, I’m going to elaborate on how to use sounds to encourage your toddler’s communication.

What do I mean by sounds?

Why don’t you try to figure it out with my, “Sound Challenge”

Take 60 seconds and come up with a list of any sounds (particularly funny ones) that your toddler may hear on a daily basis.

…..60 Seconds later….

Here are some sounds that may have made your list:

Ooh


Ahhh


Ohhhh


Weee


Uh-oh!


Oops!


Huh?


Hmmm?


Mmmmm


Brrrr (it’s cold)


Mwah (kissing sound)


Cock a doodle doo!


Woof Woof


Meow


Chugga-Chugga


Choo Choo


Ouch!


Boom!


Achoo!


Ahhha (an audible yawn)


Hahaha


Hehehe

So, how do I use these sounds?

First, I pick 1, 2, or 3 sounds (all depends on the child) then bombard the child with ‘em. I strategically incorporate them into a play routine, a daily routine, or when reading books together, provided it’s appropriate, of course.

Next, I build up a play routine so the child knows he has to say or attempt to say the sound at a certain point during the routine.

Photo Credit: eldelinux

For instance, if we’re doing the Trains play routine, pages 67 & 68, of My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development,we’ll get into the flow of the trains going around the track, first slowly and then faster (the train’s picking up steam, folks!) while saying “Chugga chugga chugga choo choo” (or, just “Chugga Chugga” or “Choo Choo”) Then, once the train is moving quickly, it may accidentally fall off the track, eliciting an “Oops” or “Uh-oh”.

What if you try to do these things and they’re still not working?

Start with a sound that your child is already doing and get him to do it more and more. If your child only says “uh” for “up”, then, incorporate it into a play routine where he has to say “Uh” or “Up” on command. There are many ways to encourage the final “p” (a speech language pathologist can help you). One way I like to encourage it is to put another word that starts with “p” in the initial position following the final “p” word. So, if Tiffany is only saying “uh” for “up” then I model “Up, please” or if we’re playing with the trains I may encourage “Up, Percy”.

BTW – This is Percy: 


Also, make sure you’re giving your child enough time and providing enough repetitions of the modeled response. Children need a lot of repetition and practice.
You can also start with targeting early vowel sounds like:

“Uh”, “ah”, “ee”, “oo” ,  and “oh” (notice I have these on my sound list)
 Fellow speech language pathologist and app creator, Heidi Hanks from Mommy Speech Therapy wrote a very helpful post on how to Teach Vowel Sounds. Click here to read it.


Pair the sound with a gesture or gross motor movement (large body movement). In the case of “No!” encourage the child to adamantly shake his head.
Lastly, when in doubt make sure you and your child are still having fun. Language learning should be fun.

For more Trouble Shooting Tips see pages 15 & 16 of My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development.

As always, I hope this has been helpful.

In need of some additional free and helpful resources? Please subscribe to my newsletter. I share information and handouts exclusively with my newsletter subscribers.

If you have enjoyed reading My Toddler Talks, please help spread the word. Tell your friends, write an honest review on Amazon, click the social media buttons or personally give me your feedback. I love hearing from my readers and value your input.

Thanks for reading!

The post Before First Words: Using Fun Sounds to Encourage Toddler Communication appeared first on My Toddler Talks.

Speech Therapy for Toddlers: The Power of Repetition

Speech Therapy with Toddlers: The Power of Repetition

First session of the day and I’m pumped. My little guy sees me and a huge smile spreads across his face.

He immediately runs into the living room and retrieves the beach ball. He happily shouts, “baw, baw, baw” and throws it to me.

Photo Credit: ECho-Photo

Now I smile.

Mom sees the beach ball, rolls her eyes with a grin and says to Hank, “Why don’t we do a different activity? We’ve been doing this one for the past 2 sessions.“

My mentality is totally different though.

If he likes it, isn’t bored and is learning, let’s keep to it and further build on it.

Here are 2 reasons why I like to REPEAT play routines with my toddlers:

They like it. Toddlers like repetition. Seeing the same thing happen each time is reassuring and quite fascinating. “Will X happen if I do Y?” Repetition helps them to realize they have some control in producing an expected result.  As most of us know, toddlers like control.


Practice, practice, practice. Repetition gives toddlers a chance to practice a new skill. Good, focused practice leads to acquisition and mastery. Think about the last time you learned a new skill. Maybe yoga? When learning anything new you have to carefully pay attention and focus. Your movements are not yet fluid. You have to consciously think about where you’re placing your hands, your feet, and your legs because the motor plan is not yet established. The more you practice though, the better you get. You don’t have to think so much about the mechanics of the movements. Rather, you work on improving your movements. It’s the same thing with toddlers! Their language improves when they have a chance to repeatedly practice.

 

When Hank and I first started with the beach ball play routine, Hank struggled to do anything really interactive with it. He could kick, throw, somewhat catch, and bounce it but his play was short-lived AND he didn’t say anything while he played. There was little to no language.

You may be thinking –

Please this is only a beach ball?

 How sophisticated is play with a beach ball?

There’s A LOT you can do with a beach ball. Please scroll to the end of this post for some ideas!

 

Photo Credit: phresh rice

How did I start the play routine?

 I started by simply showing him the beach ball.

 Next, I gave the ball to him and let him do anything he wanted with it (throw, bounce, roll, catch, etc).

 Then, I quickly retrieved the ball and copied him but did so in a playful manner while simultaneously emphasizing a word.

For instance, if Hank rolled the ball, I quickly retrieved it, and rolled it back to him while saying “roll” or “roll the ball”.

This seems simple, right?

That’s because it is.

This simple play routine continues until a variation or change up is needed.I vary it just BEFORE I sense the child is about to get bored.

So, if I rolled it to him, I may try to roll it under the table, roll it into a hole, roll it to mommy or daddy, or roll it between my legs.

The play routine really gets going, once the toddler realizes that each person takes a turn and has a chance to decide what to do with the ball!

For example, mom may roll the ball to the couch, I may roll the ball into the kitchen and Hank may roll the ball into his stuffed animals and say “Ooops!”

Don’t forget – the person who’s next has to quickly retrieve the ball. This makes it fun (you may burn some calories in the process too).

Lastly, remember to model, say, and REPEAT not only the play routine but the words you want your toddler to say!

Use all the language elicitation techniques outlined in My Toddler Talks for assistance or subscribe to my newsletter to receive my CHEAT SHEET.

What else can you do with a beach ball?

Click on the photo above for some more ideas.

Happy playing!

In need of some additional free and helpful resources? Please subscribe to my newsletter. I share information and handouts exclusively with my newsletter subscribers.

If you have enjoyed reading My Toddler Talks, please help spread the word. Tell your friends, write an honest review on Amazon, click the social media buttons or personally give me your feedback. I love hearing from my readers and value your input.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

The post Speech Therapy for Toddlers: The Power of Repetition appeared first on My Toddler Talks.

My Toddler Talks Best of 2014

My Toddler Talks Best of 2014

Greetings my friends!

This year I’ve decided to do a year-in-review post.

I’ll begin by sharing highlights from my own year, then provide a list of my top posts from 2014 and conclude with some announcements for the upcoming year.

First off, I want to thank each and every person who has supported my blog, my practice, or my writing efforts. Each time someone clicks the like button, shares a post, writes a comment, subscribes to my blog, recommends my book, or takes time to write an honest review of My Toddler Talks, I smile inside.

Writing is very much a solitary experience and my community is small.

I also realize that time is precious.

From the bottom of my heart – thank you.

I very much appreciate you all taking the time to consume my content. When I hear from my readers, whether positive or critical, it motivates me to keep creating useful posts and products.

My Personal Year-in-Review

All in all, 2014 has been a pretty good year with many ups and downs.

Our dear Kerrigan FINALLY outgrew her reflux and multiple food sensitivities, which made for happier mealtimes and more restful nights.
We had our first family trip to Disney World. It was truly magical and we look forward to visiting again.
I finished illustrating and writing my second book, Learning to Read is a Ball. This interactive picture book includes an extensive, step-by-step parent guide to help parents, early educators, and fellow speech language pathologists, develop some of the pre-requisite skills (oral language, phonological awareness, and print awareness) needed for literacy success. This project has been a two-year endeavor and I anticipate it’s release in early 2015 – please stay tuned!
Lastly, and most importantly, I have started to incorporate rest, relaxation, and mindfulness into my daily life and practice. Unfortunately this past spring, I suffered a second consecutive late missed miscarriage. It was physically and emotionally devastating as I was already into or very close to the 2nd trimester both times. Fortunately, I found comfort and support from my family and friends – my village. Yet, they could only do some much for me. I needed to find peace from within. Learning to cultivate a sense of calm and mindfulness is not easy; it takes practice and dedication. I hope to continue to make progress in this area. I also recommend it for any reader who needs to find inner strength.

Well, let’s get to it…

Here are my top 7 posts of 2014 based on popularity:

My Toddler Pinches and Bites When We Try to Get Her to Talk

5 Spring Books for Toddlers

Waiting Expectantly: What it is. What it looks like. Why we do it.

8 Ways to Get Your Toddler to Communicate

Its Takes a Village: Getting Everyone on Board to Support Your Toddler’s Language Development

7 Ways to Promote Communication Without Frustration

Speech Therapy Toys for Toddlers

A peek at what’s to come in 2015:

 Videos!!
 More FREE worksheets and handouts for my newsletter subscribers.
Learning to Read is a Ball – an interactive picture book accompanied with an extensive step-by-step parent guide to promote oral language, phonological awareness, and print awareness – Due out in early 2015!

Thanks again for all your support. Wishing everyone a healthy and happy 2015!

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Thanks for reading!

 

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Toddler Speech Therapy: Toys for Your Holiday Shopping

Toddler Speech Therapy: Toys for Your Holiday Shopping

Every year I compile a list of my favorite toys and games.  These are materials I use during my speech therapy sessions as well as with my daughter and family and friends.

Here are my past posts, if you’re interested in taking a peek:

2014 Speech Therapy Toys for Toddlers

2014 Close-Ended Games, Activities, and Toys to Build Attention in Preschoolers

2013 Preschooler Toys to Improve Cognition, Play, and Language

2012 Speech Therapy Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers

2011 Speech Therapy Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers

This year I was a little hesitant about creating another list because I wanted to focus more on building traditions around the holidays. Then I was surprisingly blitzed with emails (which I like receiving!) from readers and family and friends asking, “What toys should I buy for my child.”

So, here I go once again

Before I share my list there’s one thing I want to express:

Money is tight for many individuals around the holidays and in my humble opinion, we worry too much about buying the perfect gift and spend more money than necessary. If you’re in this situation or you’re looking to embrace a more simple lifestyle then purchase used items, trade with friends and families, or rotate through your child’s current collection.

Less is more.

If you’re still looking to purchase an item or two, I hope this list helps.

If the items on my list aren’t doing it for you, this FREE DOWNLOAD 6 Tips for Selecting Toys to Improve Toddler’s Language, Cognition, and Play will help you select an appropriate toy for your child. Feel free to copy and redistribute but please don’t manipulate it and call it your own.

*Amazon affiliate links included.

Dress Up Fun

Recently, my Kerrigan has taken a big interest in selecting her clothes and attempting to dress herself. This is what she usually ends up looking like:

And, yes, we let her out of the house like that.

Allowing your toddler to choose his or her own outfits helps promote independence, confidence, and decision making.

Kerrigan has also been keen into playing “dress up”. By dress up I mean she insists on wearing a princess dress, a tutu, mommy’s boots, or a Buffalo Bills Jersey (my husband is a HUGE Bills fan) and then goes prancing around the house. She’s not yet really role playing, which is expected a bit later, but this dressing up and prancing around helps her to eventually get there.

Here’s a picture of some of the items she likes to wear:

Many toddlers that I have treated or currently treat also like to dress up.

When you go shopping, thing of purchasing a fun ticket item. Perhaps a pair of sparkling shoes, cowboy boots, or a cute winter animal hat. You’ll get A LOT of language opportunities from highly desired clothing items because your child is interested in them and wants to wear them!

Games

Barnyard Bingo Game

Classic speech therapy game. For a long time this game was only available on ebay because Fisher Price stopped making it. I was pretty surprised when I found a new version on Amazon. I have never played the original game so I can’t compare the two. I only know that this is fun game to play and has wonderful opportunities to build communication and social turn taking skills.

Learning Resources Where Is Howie’s Owie?

Perfect for the toddler (or preschooler) who likes to help or play doctor. Can target simple sounds and words like “Ouch”, “Boo Boo”, “Owie” as well as body parts. FYI the play bandages are small so do not buy this item if your child is still mouthing objects.

Cars and Ramps

Hot Wheels 9-Car Gift Pack (Styles May Vary)

Hot Wheels Car and 15′ of Track Pack

With a few hot wheels and a track your child will have endless hours of fun! Here’s a look how we set them up this past Thanksgiving:

Wind Up Toys

Flipping Frogs

Spinning Squirrel Scamper  Windup Toy

 

 

Wind up toys have always been a big hit with my younger clients. The above two wind-up toys from Amazon are good quality and provide lots of language opportunities. Wind-up toys are also perfect stocking stuffers. OR, you can place   each one in a clear empty container, wrap and then place under the tree. Your child will think he or she hit the lottery. Like gelato? If so, you’ll probably like Talenti. Place a windup toy in its empty container then wrap. This way you are giving two toys at once. Believe me your toddler will like these empty containers – they’re just like blocks!

Music

 

Hot Potatoes!: The Best of The Wiggles

The Wiggles: Taking Off

We’re a Wiggles family.  We allow Kerrigan to watch a little television. Everything in moderation is my motto. I particularly like the Wiggles because they dance and incorporate simple yet playful gestures and movements into their songs. These gross motor movements help facilitate language development. One of my favorites is Dancing on the High Seas, my husband’s favorite is Fruit Salad and Kerrigan seems to like them all especially, Little Bunny Foo Foo, Dorothy’s Dance Party and Simon Says.

Confession time – I haven’t yet started my Christmas shopping! Yikes.

But here are a few items I’m buying for her:

Snapfish photo album.

I haven’t decided between the custom cover book or the custom lay flat book (if you have an opinion, please feel free to comment). I’ll include pictures of events from the past year as well as photos of our family and friends. Great way for her to remember, recall, and talk about past experiences.

Arts and Crafts Stuff

Kerrigan is a budding artist and likes to draw:

I recently found this awesome list Not Your Average Coloring Books by Playful Learning.

I wanted to buy every item but showed restraint and only purchased:

   

Preschoolers and school age children would probably get the most use from these book. However, I like to stretch my clients’ and daughter’s imaginations by allowing them the chance to experience a new art technique.

It’s less about the end result and more about the process.

Car Ramp

This item is a wee bit big and we have a teeny-tiny house, but I think  it will be lots of fun and a great way to talk about different cars, speed (fast vs slow) and actions (go, turn, stuck, stop).

What’s on your holiday shopping list? Feel free to share!

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If you have enjoyed reading My Toddler talks, please help spread the word. Tell your friends, write an honest review on Amazon, click the social media buttons or personally give me your feedback. I love hearing from my readers and value your input.

Thanks for reading!

The post Toddler Speech Therapy: Toys for Your Holiday Shopping appeared first on My Toddler Talks.

Waiting Expectantly: What it is. What it looks like. Why we do it.

Waiting Expectantly: What it is. What it looks like. Why we do it.

What do you do to increase your toddler’s ability to initiate communication?

 

Take a moment and think about it….

…are some of you thinking  – Ask questions?

Am I catching some of you in a flashback to the time when you asked:

“Hey sweetie, what do you want to eat?”

Instead of a receiving a verbal response (“Turkey!”) you were ignored or were met with a look or an “uh uh” and a point to the cupboards? If this is the case, especially if your toddler is pointing, don’t be discouraged.

You’re certainly allowed to ask your toddler questions.

Yes, yes, yes, I know, we early interventionists frown upon asking too many questions for all these reasons (click this post to read more). However, asking questions like, “How was your day” or “Are you excited to see grandma and grandpa” are good for social development because such questions model appropriate conversational skills. Although if your little one has a language delay I wouldn’t necessarily expect a proper verbal response. I promise to write another post on social communication development. In the meantime I’m focusing on how to encourage verbal INITIATION from toddlers via this ONE strategy – waiting expectantly.

Many posts back, I wrote about How Pausing Improves Communication.

Waiting expectantly and pausing are two skills that go hand-in-hand; together they’re a powerful combo.

In My Toddler Talks, I encourage parents to wait expectantly. I briefly explain what it is on page 13:

“Show that you are waiting expectantly by raising your eyebrows, smiling, and opening your mouth.”

Why should we pause and wait expectantly?

Doing so helps your child to realize that he needs to communicate, verbally or non-verbally, to get what he wants. If we, adults, are always anticipating a child’s needs and wants or prompting constantly by saying: “Say more”, “say truck” or “say ball” the child may become reliant or dependent on the prompt. This is especially the case for children with autism.
Pausing and waiting expectantly gives your child the POWER to decide how or when he or she wants to communicate. This may be with a look, a pull, a point, a reach, a sound, a word or a phrase. Waiting expectantly gives your child the chance to process the information or a situation and allows him or her the opportunity to become an active – not passive communicator.

Now that you know WHY you should wait expectantly, let me tell and SHOW you how it looks.

The waiting expectantly look looks a little silly…here’s an overly exaggerated example:

I bet you could walk into most speech therapy early intervention sessions and catch 9 out of 10 SLPs with such a look. In this picture, I’m waiting expectantly and trying to elicit the word “on”.

This is Maria Del Duca, fellow speech language pathologist and creator of Communication Station, waiting expectantly:

This is Becca Jarzynski, another fantastic pediatric speech language pathologist and creator of Child Talk, waiting expectantly:

As you can see from these pictures, the looks are slightly exaggerated but warm and inviting.

When we wait expectantly we should be doing some of the following:

Facing the child
Looking at the child
Leaning in towards the child
Raising our eyebrows
Smiling
Opening our mouth a bit
OR even perhaps positioning our lips a certain way to further show them the initial sound of the target word.
HOWEVER, WE’RE NOT SAYING ANYTHING. We’re expectantly and EAGERLY waiting for the child to say the target sound or word.

If you’re thinking, “Come on Kim, that’s common sense.”

Well….what I’ve learned through the years of doing speech therapy is that  just because something makes sense doesn’t mean we always do it. Take dieting and exercising. I KNOW I should work out, eat healthy and give away my few remaining Halloween candies, if I want to lose weight. But sometimes that candy looks a bit too…let me get back to the point.

What does waiting expectantly NOT look like:

It doesn’t look too serious or stern…this isn’t an interrogation.
It’s not a condescending look…
It’s not a blank or bored look…put that phone away!

Don’t do this:

or this:

Although these looks were goofy, neither were too warm and inviting and they certainly didn’t convey – “Hey, I’m really interested in hearing what you have to say.”

But, sometimes they happen.

Catch yourself in the moment.

Have your spouse, partner, friend, neighbor or whomever record you for a few minutes playing with your child. See what your waiting expectantly look looks like.

 

In need of some additional free and helpful resources? Please subscribe to my newsletter. I share information and handouts exclusively with my newsletter subscribers.

If you have enjoyed reading My Toddler talks, please help spread the word. Tell your friends, write an honest review on Amazon, click the social media buttons or personally give me your feedback. I love hearing from my readers and value your input.

Thanks for reading!

 

The post Waiting Expectantly: What it is. What it looks like. Why we do it. appeared first on My Toddler Talks.