Speech Tips

Whether or not your child has been diagnosed with any speech challenges, there are many tips and tricks for speech therapy at home that you can do to help build your child’s communication skills, especially as a toddler. Working with your children along with using a speech therapist will help build their confidence and yours.

Things to Consider for Speech Therapy at Home

When considering speech therapy at home, it’s important for parents to create activities that provide stimulation and create opportunities to foster developing language skills. Children actually begin to learn and comprehend words and phrases long before they can speak their first word. Parents and caregivers are crucial components to the success of early speech and language building skills and often, the earlier, the better. But, how do you do it? Here are some easy tips and tricks to include in your daily routine to provide speech therapy and encourage language building skills in your child!

Have Regular Storytelling Sessions

Have regular storytelling sessions with your child. Instead of asking him or her a Yes or No question, think about asking open-ended, thought-provoking. By asking questions that elicit a detailed response, you are encouraging your child to express his or her ideas without the fear of being right or wrong. When your children are talking to you, offer thoughtful as well as their ideas and feelings. They want to feel like they are being heard and that you are interested in what they are saying. Reading is one of the most important things you can do with your child. While reading with your child make sure to ask questions about the pictures, ask your child to point to items on each page and for older children, you may ask your child to think of experiences he or she may have had that are similar. All these help your child make connections with what he or she is hearing. You may find that your child wants to read the same book time and time again. Hearing the same story over and over helps foster familiarity and security, while building language skills at the same time. Toddlers learn best when the experience is fun and interactive. Your child will not respond as well if he or she feels like the activities are “homework.” Instead, make each session of your speech therapy something your child will look forward to and will want to actively participate.

Solace has many skilled speech therapists who can help with your child’s development. Giving activities to the child’s caregiver to get them actively involved when the therapist is not there is something Solace therapist will happily provide. Please reach out to Solace and schedule your evaluation today!