Social skills, such as asking questions, requesting, manners, safety, perspective, feelings, etiquette and understanding humor/sarcasm are important for interaction with others!

Use the ideas/situations/activities here for some practice! This is a good opportunity to give real examples/situations/role play things that may be difficult for your child.

Social Skills Practice at Home

It's June!

Here is the Speech-Language Homework/Practice Calendar for the month. Try to do a little practice each day. On the weekends, look for opportunities to PLAY, READ, DRAW, WRITE, COLOR and have fun.

June Calendar

It appears Spring has finally arrived! I know that I'm enjoying being outdoors more and enjoying the sunny, warm weather.  We've had some rainy, cooler weather too - and that's OK.

Make the most of your time indoors and outdoors. These are good opportunities for speech and language practice:

• Enjoy our great city! Go for a walk, take a ride (bike, car, bus, etc.) and talk about the things you see and hear. There are so many fantastic homes and buildings, art work including murals and sculptures, gardens/plant life, animals, etc.
  
  Here are a few coloring pages of Buffalo & Niagara Falls Buffalo City Hall Niagara Falls. Use coloring activities for talking about your actions, adjectives/descriptions (colors, shapes, textures, locations) and of course naming pictures or spelling/sounding out words.

• Learning happens everyday! Here is a great picture reminder Everyday Learning Activities
  
  

• Get moving/exercise. Talk about the actions you are doing (actions are just as important as naming objects we see). Moving our bodies can often increase language/talking too! Spell out your name, or any other words, with this exercise list Alphabet Letter Exercises. Work on incorporating multiple movements/following directions too.

• Crafts are an excellent way to get creative, problem solve, and have some fun. Try this Toilet Paper Shadows Craft to project shapes/shadows with shining a light through the roll. You could also use toilet paper rolls to make binoculars or build towers/buildings, tunnels for vehicles, etc. Use materials you already have!

There are a lot of free websites out there with educational materials and games! Here are a few more (shared from an online posting I found)

As we're all trying to make sense of all the changes happening over the past few months, many of us have questions (including the kids!)

Here is a this resource I found that can help explain to kids more about COVID-19, germs, and school closure. I did not make this resource, credit to:  Teaching Sensory Explorers

Some things to keep in mind with kids:

• Keep information brief, but informative
• Be mindful of recognizing and acknowledging kids feelings (scared, anxious, worried, sad, angry, happy)
• Talk about what you CAN do (i.e. ways to keep healthy, stop the spread of germs, help/support for feelings)
• Use pictures and words, as you think will be appropriate, to help discuss/explain

The resource I shared is a "Social Story". These are great for helping to explain to kids about any type of situation/change in their life. You can find many examples across the Internet from Speech-Language Pathologists and Educators. Or, create your own. Use straight forward language, add pictures if you like or even personalize it with your student's name/picture to help make it more meaningful. 

It's a new month! Time to get in some daily speech and language practice. 

 May Speech/Language Calendar

Use the weekend days to PLAY, DRAW, READ, WRITE, COLOR or other activities!

One of the things I love about speech and language is that it can be done ANYWHERE!

Here are some ideas to help facilitate language at home:

In the Bathroom:

Examples of vocabulary: toothbrush, toothpaste, comb/brush, sink, tub/shower, towel, soap

Follow directions: "Show me the...", "Find the....", "Pick up the..." incorporate words/actions "Point to the soap before you pretend to watch your hands", "Stick out your tongue after you touch the towel" use spatial concepts/locations "Put the comb on top of your head", "Wave the towel under your chin"

Answer questions/describing: What color/shape/size is...? What do you do with...? Why do we use...? How are these 2 the same/different? Tell me 3 things about...

In the Kitchen:

Examples of vocabulary: bowl, spoon, fork, knife, plate, fridge, stove

Follow directions: "Show me the...", "Find the....", "Pick up the..." incorporate words/actions "Point to the bowl before you clap your hands", "Stomp your feet after you close the fridge door" use spatial concepts/locations "Put the plate under the bowl", "Put the spoon between the fork and knife"

Answer questions/describing: What color/shape/size is...? What do you do with...? Why do we use...? How are these 2 the same/different? Tell me 3 things about...

Using Books (and other printed materials):

Can kids identify/name the title, author, illustrator of the book?

Comprehension/Answering Questions/Retelling the story: (either while reading or after reading)
Who are the characters in the story? Where does the story take place (setting)? What is the problem in the story? How do the characters feel? What did the character(s) do to solve the problem? How did the story end?

Describe vocabulary: pick words or pictures from the story. What color/shape/size is...? What do you do with? How are these 2 the same/different? Tell me 3 things about...Are there any synonyms (words that mean the same) or antonyms (words that are opposites) for the word?

Phonological awareness/reading: What letters and sounds are the words? Are there rhyming words? Words that have the same sounds/letters at the beginning, middle, or end of the words? Can kids sound out or read words on their own? Can they answer questions/respond to things they are reading (demonstrating comprehension). 

Using Toys/any other objects:

Follow directions: "Show me the...", "Find the....", "Pick up the..." incorporate words/actions (get your bodies moving!), use spatial concepts/locations (stack items, hide items over, under, next to, beside, between other things)

Answer questions/describing: What color/shape/size is...? Put objects or pictures into group/categories (all foods, all people, all animals), What do you do with...? Why do we use...? How are these 2 the same/different? Tell me 3 things about...

It's been wonderful seeing so many of you this week for teletherapy!

One of the things we work on consistently in speech is asking and answering questions to learn more about each other and seek information. We often start our speech sessions with "sharing time" where I ask the kids to come up with a question they want to ask each other. If not, they pick questions from a jar that I have printed on paper. Or, I come up with a question. 

Cues I give/things to remember about questions:

• Questions start with Question Words: What, Where, Who, Why, How, etc.
• Questions ASK for information/try to gain information (not statements telling information)
• Don't forget to say a COMPLETE/WHOLE sentence!
• Are your words in the right order? Does it make sense?

Take turns coming up with questions and taking turns asking and answering them! Choose new topics based on your interest or current events. It's a great way to check-in with each other and have conversation about feelings and opinions. It can lead to some really good conversation.

Today is Earth day...a day to think about our planet! Here are some topics/activities you could do today (and everyday):

• Talk about recycling (to take a material and turn it into a new material). What materials can be recycled? Paper, plastic, glass, metal. Find objects in your home and sort them into different piles by material. Talk about how each one looks, feels, sounds - use the 5 senses!
• Talk about conservation (making sure we are not wasteful, using something up). What are ways you conserve every day in your home? Turning off the lights, turning off the water faucet when done, unplugging electronics when you're not using them. Get into a discussion about "what if"? What if we used up all of our water/electricity/fuel - what would we do?
• Talk about reuse (using an object for another purpose). Find objects in your home, talk about how you use it/what it is used for. Can you use it in another way? Kids can make crafts/toys/games out of common household objects! Toilet paper/paper towel tubes, clean/empty food containers, empty packaging materials and boxes. Get creative, be safe, have some fun!

Our weather hasn't been the most cooperative for outside time, but if you CAN get outside, go for a walk or look in your yard! If you can, look out the window at nature. Look for flowers and trees, animals in nature. Play games like "Eye Spy..." and Scavenger Hunts as you talk about the things around you. Enjoy nature!

One of the things we work a lot on in speech is asking and answering questions. They are so important as they help us to GAIN information and SHARE information. When you think about it, you are asked questions all day long by your family, friends, teachers and community members/other people you may interact with.

I always tell the kids that there are several questions that are VERY important and they should always be able to answer them no matter who asks them. Some of these questions are important for their own safety, if they should need assistance at home, school, or in an emergency (police, fire fighters, paramedics/doctors). 

Here are some questions the kids can answer about themselves:

What is your name? (Tell me your first name, last name, full name, or middle name)

When is your birthday? (What month were you born? What number day? What year?)

How old are you? (How old will you be on your next birthday?)

Some family related questions:

Who do you live with? (For example, What is mom/dad/grandma/grandpa/aunt/uncle's name?)

Do you have any siblings? Brothers? Sisters? What are their names?

What is your address? Where do you live? (House number? Street name?)

Some school related questions:

What is your teacher's name? (Who is your speech teacher? Who is the gym teacher? Who is the art teacher? Who is the music teacher? etc.)

What grade are you in? (What grade will you be in next school year?)

What is your classroom number?

Where do you go to school? (What is the school number? 59)