The thought of sitting at a table doing a worksheet is a daunting task after coming home from school and work so why not incorporate speech and language skills into your daily routines so the kids aren’t even aware they are practicing? Here are some ideas on how to help support your child’s development without them even knowing:
a. When you are at the park and your child is going up the stairs and down the slide you are going to be saying “up, up, up the stairs. Down, down, down the slide.” By doing this every time in an excited voice, you are teaching them the spatial concepts up/down, as well as the nouns stairs/slide.
b. At the grocery store: talk about the different sections (vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy), talk about all the different colors of apples, which ones you like best and why. Talk about where the cereal boxes are (ex. high up on the top shelf or down low on the bottom shelf).
c. When you’re cooking you can talk about what you are doing. If you are making pasta you can say “stir, stir, stir the pasta. Pour, pour, pour out the water.”
a. Reading with infants and toddlers is beneficial for many reasons such as exposure to vocabulary, hearing how words go together, gaining empathy and emotional awareness, comprehension and concentration.
b. By reading with your child AND having your child read to you, you are exposing them to words that you may not use during your everyday conversations. Possibly even words they may not have seen before. As these new/unknown words come up, talk about them using vocabulary they already know so they can understand what the word means while relating to an already familiar word. For example: If your child knows the word “mad” but has never heard or read “frustrated,” you can talk about how mad and frustrated are similar but different.
a. Singing songs and playing simple games such as peek-a-boo or imitating your child’s gestures such as a toy against the ground and even the use of puppets helps with social, motor, language and emotional development.
b. Playing board games and card games with our 5+year olds teaches turn taking, winning and losing, following directions, one-to-one correspondence with moving spaces.
Visit https://mtcus.com/services/counseling/ to learn more about Counseling Services and feel free to contact Mobile Therapy Centers to speak with one of our therapists.
Mobile Therapy Centers services include ABA Therapy, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Feeding Therapy, Reiki Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Animal-Assisted Therapy and Counseling. We see children at our clinic, at your home or at your child’s school/daycare making it convenient for you and your family.
Contact us for a free screening/consultation at 800-977-9072, asktheteam@mtcus.com or at www.mtcus.com. We also provide Telehealth services. Most commercial insurance is accepted.
Elaina is a part of our MTC Occupational Therapy Department and received an education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, McHenry County College, and Husson University. She has a strong passion for working with both animals and children. Elaina has always wanted to incorporate both of these passions into her career and is incredibly excited to bring Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) to Mobile Therapy Centers!
Rocky is an Australian Mountain Doodle who loves to learn, play, and meet new people. Rocky joined our MTC team when he was just 8 weeks old and has been training to support the clients of MTC from day one. His kind and loving nature makes him the perfect match for Animal-Assisted Therapy, and Rocky can not wait to meet all his new friends through the MTC AAT program!