Monthly Archives: April 2017

Story Time with Your Toddler: How to target those early language skills!

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There’s no denying the benefit of books and story time, particularly during those early toddler years. As a speech-language pathologist, parents often ask for tips on how to make the most out of books and story time with their littles. Here are my three favorite tips for ensuring that your toddler gets the most out of story time:

  1. Forget about the story!

I know, I know… This sounds a little counterintuitive. But, trust me here! Instead of relying on the text in the story you are reading, place an emphasis on the pictures. Use the pictures to make up your own story. Encourage your toddler to help you identify pictures on each page. By forgetting about the actual storyline, it allows you to change the story every time you read it. This keeps the same book novel and can help to keep your toddler engaged.

  1. Keep it interactive.

Encourage your toddler to participate during every story time! Whether it be by asking your child to identify pictures, label pictures, or tell you what noise a certain animal or object makes, keep your child participating. Try to avoid asking your toddler to identify letters, this is a pre-academic skill that they will target in preschool. Instead, books with a lot repetition are fabulous because they encourage participation and interaction. Fill-in-the-blank activities are a great language strategy when reading books with a lot of repetition (i.e. “Brown bear, brown bear, what do you _____?” – encourage your child to fill-in-the-blank!).

  1. Question a little, not a lot.

On the same token, acknowledge that too many questions during story time could keep your toddler from enjoying the experience. Keep your little one engaged by asking questions, but don’t push too much. Story time should always be an enjoyable activity for both you and your toddler!

Happy reading!

Julie Euyoque MA CCC-SLP

Spring Break Speech and Language Opportunities

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As spring break approaches, parents frequently ask what they can do on their various trips so their children don’t fall behind and they can help maintain progress in speech. Without their house full of toys, they are often at a loss on how to play and incorporate speech and language practice. The short answer is, pretty much everything involves language and ordinary activities can easily be turned into a targeted speech and language opportunity! With a new environment, it can present lots of new opportunities for increasing vocabulary and new ways to use language they already have.  No matter where you find yourself, from airplanes to hotel rooms, beaches to mountains, there are lots of opportunities to talk with your kiddo. Here are some specific examples:   

  • Identifying/Labeling: There are bound to be a lot of familiar as well as new and exciting things to see wherever you go. Depending on your kiddo’s goals, give them specific things to look for and identify or have them label things they see for you to look for. Make an “I Spy” game out of it for some back and forth fun that can be played in the airplane/car or exploring the new scenery.
  • Imitating actions: This can be a great opportunity for teaching new verbs. Have your kiddo imitate your actions and then see if they can identify/use them when they come up again. Whether it be swimming or building sand castles, hiking/climbing mountains, riding new rides, or even licking an ice cream cone, there are countless activities they will engage in that will present opportunities for practicing language.
  • Follow directions: Whether you’re doing it intentionally for language practice or simply trying to keep everyone together at a theme park, there will likely be novel directions given (and hopefully followed!) wherever you go. Take this opportunity to practice directions at whatever level your kiddo is practicing/performing (i.e. simple commands, one-step directions, two-step related or unrelated directions, etc.) Remember to use language at their level and one level above to ensure they understand and can be successful. Make a game out of it to make it fun while they’re still practicing goals!
  • Use your imagination! Whatever the trip entails, there are always ways to encourage language. Don’t forget to label what else you see throughout your trip to give them a language model of these new and exciting things in their environment!

Therese Schmidt, MS, CCC-SLP

Is My Child Ready for Potty Training?

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All parents are looking forward to the day that diapers are no more! You may be ready for your child to be using the toilet, but is he? Here are a few things to keep in mind when asking yourself “Is my child ready to lose the diapers and start using the potty?”

  1. Your child indicates that their diaper is dirty. Whether it is touching/pulling at their diaper or saying “poop!” after a bowel movement, your child needs to be able to show you that they are aware of the uncomfortable feeling “down there”.
  2. Their diaper is dry for longer periods of time (at least two hours) and their bowel movements are predictable. This shows that they are starting to have bladder and bowel control. If your child is dry after a nap, they are demonstrating bladder control during this time (overnight may take a little longer!).
  3. Your child shows an interest in your toileting. Children love imitating adult behavior! Just like playing dress up in your clothes and going to “work” or pretending to talk on the phone, they may show an interest in what you do in the bathroom. Use this to your advantage! Answer questions and allow them to join you in the bathroom.
  4. Your child can follow multistep directions. There are a few steps that go into using the toilet (go to bathroom, pull down pants, sit on potty…). Once your child demonstrates that they can follow a few directions (“pick up your toy, put it in the toy box, close the lid, and come back!”), they may be receptively ready to start potty training.
  5. Your child can pull their pants down and up (it’s ok if they need a little help!) This one is a little more obvious – if they cannot pull their pants down, they will have an accident! While you’ll be there to help at first, the goal is for your child to meet their own needs. But beware – once they figure this out, you may have a little nudist on your hands!

Remember, every child is different! It is a normal process in child development and we all move at our own pace. If you push it and your child is not yet ready, it may backfire and they may fight you on it! Look for their signs that they are ready…not your idea of when they “should” be potty trained!

Kimberly Shlaes, MAT, DT
Director of Developmental Therapy Services