| Dear Parents and Guardians,
Take time to help your child grow in his/her experiences. Play
games, read stories, enjoy each others company and have a fun and safe
summer.
Sincerely,
Michele Colebank
WPS Speech Clinician
1. Play 20 questions with your child. Ask him/her to choose the name of a
favorite TV show. You may ask 20 questions (or any number you feel is
appropriate) while trying to guess its name. He/she must only answer the
questions with yes or no. After guessing correctly, switch turns. This not
only enforces your child’s imagination and abstract thinking skills, but
also helps them to think of “wh” questions to ask.
2. Place a pile of straws or toothpicks between you and your child. Before
either of you may pick one up, you must first name a part of the car, such
as tires, steering wheel, bumper, etc. For each correct response pick up
one straw. When you have named all parts on a car, change categories until
all the straws are gone. Count your straws. Who has more? Other categories
may include; fruits, vegetables, clothing, animals, etc.
3. Choose a sound that your child has difficulty saying correctly. Tell
him/her what sound you picked. Say a word and ask him/her to say a word
that rhymes beginning with the specific sound you chose. For example, if
you chose the L sound, have your child replace the beginning sound of each
word with L, such as, wag (lag), make (lake), map (lap), head (lead), pink
(link), toe (low), ham (lamb), back (lack).
4. Play a riddle game. Tell your child you are thinking of something that
begins with R. Give him/her clues to guess your word.
- It is a flower. (rose)
- It is a color. (red)
- It looks like a large mouse. (rat)
- It is used to tie things up. (rope)
- You run fast when you try to win this. (race)
- It’s wet and falls from the sky. (rain)
- You play this when you want to hear music. (radio)
Change the beginning sound and make up your own clues.
5. Create a sound picture book by picking a letter and its sound. Have
your child cut pictures out of old magazines that begin with that sound.
Glue the pictures onto paper, creating a special sound picture book. Review
the pictures and sounds that you’ve accumulated. This can be their special
alphabet sound book.
6. Have a tea party with your child. Have them invite their favorite
stuffed animals. Let them initiate the topic of conversation.
7. Read your child’s favorite story book to them repeatedly for several
nights. Once they comprehend the story, have them read the story to you.
Have them recreate the story by drawing pictures that
8. Take your child on a fieldtrip to the main
library. Explore the children’s section and take time to read several books.
9. Explain to your child that you are going to say some words, such
as “fruit.” Explain that you want him/her to name as many different kinds
of fruit as he/she can before you count to ten. Take turns saying different
category words, and keep score of how many each of you can name. Other
categories may include; birds, animals, fish, cereals, stories nursery
rhymes, shapes, colors.
10. Cut out a comic strip from the local newspaper (Sunday would be best
because the colored comics would be more appealing to your child). Have
your child tell you a story that they think the pictures tell.
11. Create magic bottles by filling a small empty soda bottle with cooking
oil. Add a small amount of water and confetti. Make sure the cap is
securely fastened and discuss the movement of the confetti as you tilt the
bottle.
12. Fill a clean plastic soda bottle with small metal objects. Using a
magnet on the outside of the bottle, explore which items are attracted to
the magnet side of the bottle.
13. Have a relay race in your home. Clear a safe pathway for you and your
child to travel and then provide each of you with a spoon and a cotton
ball. See if you or your child can travel faster without dropping the
cotton ball. Complicate it by creating obstacles. Place a chair in the
pathway that each of you must circle around.
14. Increase your child’s descriptive skills by playing what’s in the bag.
Place and object inside a paper bag. Have your child reach in without
looking and describe to you, it’s size, it’s shape, it’s texture, etc. See
if your child can guess what you’ve put in the bag.
Take turns. Your child will enjoy trying to fool you!
15. Children have difficulty understanding the concept of time and waiting a
given number of days until a special event, such as the holidays, occur.
This activity won’t make it easier, but it will help your child to see that
as each day passes, the anticipated event is closer. Cut a 2 x 10 inch
strip of paper for each day until the event. (If there are 10 days, cut 10
strips). Thread each strip through the next and glue its end together
creating a paper chain. Explain to your child that each link represents one
day, and the less links there are, the closer it is to that special day.
Each day, have your child remove a link from the chain. Before you know it,
the great day has come and your child was able to anticipate its arrival.
16. Watch where I go. This activity increases the child’s understanding of
spatial concepts. Create a follow the leader game using a toy truck, doll
or stuffed animal.
First, you be the leader. Take the toy around the room talking about where
it is going
(ie. under the chair, under the rug, over the chair, over the lamp,
forwards, backwards, between the books, etc.). Once your child catches on,
have them be the leader.
17. Ordering from least to most and most to least. This activity increases
the child’s understanding of quantity concepts. Using blocks, measuring
cups, numbered playing cards, etc. have the child place items in order least
to most or most to least. You can also use food items, such as raisins, M &
M’s, or cheerios to discuss who has more/least. This is a good activity to
encourage counting as well.
18. Plan a picnic. Discuss where you will go, who will go, what will you
bring, when will you go, and how will you get there. Have your child help
you plan the event, beginning with when, where, who, and then have them help
you list what you will bring. If students can not write, have them cut
pictures of food items out of magazines to create the 'food' list. Ask them
questions regarding the elements of this event.
19. It's the perfect time of year to head outdoors and collect
objects/items from nature to make a collage. Discuss the items that your
child has collected, as well as, ask them wh questions regarding the itmes.
Discuss similarities and differences that these items display. Glue the
items on a large sheep of paper or cardboard and ask your child to give the
artwork a name/theme/description. Share the artwork with friends and
family, encouraging your child to use "good" speech to describe it.
20. Make puppets from paper bags, paper plates, old socks, paper, sticks, or
any other materials you may have at home. Children love puppet shows. Have
them create a stage by placing a sheet over a table and hiding behind the
table. Help them to create the dialogue by giving them a theme or idea to
build upon. Encourage brothers, sisters, and friends to participate with
them. Turn down the lights and turn on flashlights to create a 'spotlight'
effect for the show.
(You can also use dress up clothes and children can reinact a familiar or
favorite story or invent their own)
a name,
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