Teacher Geline has been seeing Gellibean for speech therapy since she was able to sit up. They have developed a lovely relationship and because I have confidence in the care and therapy that she provides for Gelli, I have asked her to write something to share with my readers. She decided to write some quick tips and pointers for parents to encourage language development and speech skills.
Working with Gelli has been a blessing and joy because I am not only helping facilitate language development for her, I am learning how to interact and deal with toddlers her age because of our time together.
I hope to share simple ways on how I facilitate speech and language skills for Gelli, and how you can also use these activities to encourage language development with your child.
1. Encourage pretend play
If adults learn through reading books and listening to lessons, children learn about the world around them through pretend play. Blocks, puzzles, letters and numbers are all great–but don’t neglect the importance of including pretend toys in your child’s play such as the cooking set, grooming set, dollhouses, carpenter tools, etc. Teach your child how to use the objects correctly and how to include other people or pretend characters in their play. You will see how their understanding of the world blossom when pretend play is encouraged.
2. Talk about what your child is doing
When you’re with your child, talk, talk and talk! Talk about the toys he is playing with. Talk about her daily activities. Keep a balance between giving comments on their activities and asking questions. Always use simple phrases or sentences and highlight the important concepts that you want your child to learn. For example, if your child is washing her hands you can say “Look! You are washing your hands. Use soap and water. Wash, wash, wash hands!” See how the verb “wash” is highlighted? Constant bombardment and exposure to words in the proper context help them learn and use these words on their own.
3. Tempt your child to talk
Use every opportunity and try to tempt your child to talk. Instead of giving what he wants right away, why not make him ask for it? An example of that would be putting a cookie jar on a high place or holding up her favorite toy and making her imitate a palm-up gesture and saying “give me”. This will help your child understand the power of speaking to help them achieve what they want and need.
These are just a few but vital examples to aid in your child’s speech development. I encourage you to use these as often as you can and you will see a difference on how your child communicates.
If you would like to get in touch with Teacher Geline:
Angeline B. Sayoc, CSP-PASP
Speech-Language Pathologist
0925-555-3103 / (02) 8252771
