Sunny Day Speech Therapy

Hi all! I hope you are having a great summer! I was hanging out with my two-year-old nephew this weekend, and his language is just exploding! He is a little parrot, and he says everything he hears. Being with him got me thinking about how we can support language growth in little ones with tiny tweaks to our own language. Not every child is a parrot, and some have a harder time with imitation. Offering choices is a very powerful communication tool for helping little ones try ...out some new words, and for older children it is also a great strategy for moving through challenging behaviour moments! It's a very simple strategy: Offer a choice such as, "Do you want a banana or an apple?" rather than just saying, "Do you want a banana?" Say the words clearly, make the choice visible if you can, by holding the objects that you are talking about. Hold the items close to your face so your child can see how your mouth moves for the word. Your kiddo might try out a new word, rather than just saying "yes" or "no". As adults, we expect to be offered choices all the time. What if you were looking forward to getting your favourite latte at the coffee shop, but when you got to the counter and ordered, they just said, "No. We don't have that today. You can't have it." You might be offended, possibly annoyed, and definitely disappointed. It would take the sting out a little if they quickly offered alternatives - "We have a great chai latte, and the brewed coffee today is a nice dark roast..." I don't think it's different for our kids. They ask for things that they can't have ALL THE TIME, and then often show their disappointment very clearly (I know most of us could use a tantrum support group). If your little one is asking for something they can't have at the moment, rather than just saying, "No", make a habit of offering a choice. For example, when they say, "I want to watch Paw Patrol!" and you are done with shows for the day, say, "You can read a book or play with Lego!" rather than simply saying, "No". They may still be disappointed but when we offer choices, we help them move through the moment a little more quickly. If we do it consistently, our kids will learn that we are setting the agenda, but that they have a little bit of freedom within it to make their own choice. I hope this helps you a bit today as you enjoy summer with your littles! Let me know if this strategy has worked for you, or if you have any questions about how to use it! Have a sunny day!

It's a beautiful sunny day out there! Summer speech services are in full swing and it is great to meet new clients! This is my first mini-blog, and I wanted to give you some tips for encouraging language development over the summer. If you have a little one heading into Kindergarten or grade one this year, here are a few tips for summer to get their brains thinking about language and literacy (no materials needed!): - Play some word games as you head to to the beach or work ...in the yard - "I spy" and "20 questions" are great ones for using describing words such as colour, size, and shape. - Play a guessing game where you say a word SLOOOOWLY and your kiddo tries to "guess" what you are saying. For example, tell them you are going to say an animal, then say the word one sound at a time - "d-ahhh-g". Dog! You might be surprised how tricky this is for them at first - give some clues to help them along if needed. :) - Have a word race - name a category and see how fast you and your kids can name 5 things in that category. Here are some examples of categories: fruit, zoo animals, things that can fly, things you see at the beach/camping/park, desserts, sea creatures, things that are red, plants... use your imagination to think of more! Have fun! Activities like these will keep your kids thinking about words and sounds, even when there are no books in sight!

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Hello friends! Huge news!! This summer I am launching Sunny Day Speech Therapy, my new private practice in Moose Jaw and area. If you know me, you might know this has been a dream of mine for a long time! I will continue to serve Holy Trinity Schools as an SLP on a part-time basis, and I will be venturing into my own business separate from those school services. I am very excited to get started, and I will be booking into the summer months right away, so please contact me for a free consultation if you are thinking about private speech services!