The Power of Play

What do kids love to do? PLAY!

Did you know that playing with kids is actually a super impactful way to provide language input? As parents/caregivers, this is great news because we already play with our kids!

Lets take a peek at how we can make play time a time of language learning:

First, we meet them where they are. If they are playing with blocks for half a second, switching to the kitchen for 2 minutes, and then reading books for 5 minutes, don't panic. They don't need to play with one toy/focus on one task for minutes on end in order to receive language input. Just go with the flow because what they are interested in is where they are going to learn best.

Second, talk about what they're doing. In the speech world, we call this, "parallel talk." This is when you describe what they're doing WHILE they are completing the activity. For example, they're stacking blocks. So, you say, "you're stacking blocks. Red block. Green block. Pink block." Another language model could be, "put on," as they stack. The possibilities here are endless- just keep it short and simple. Our littles can't process lengthy sentences, so don't worry about if you're "saying enough."

Finally, you should "self talk," during play time with your kids. If they are playing with the toy kitchen and they're stirring something, you might join them by pretending to eat some food they've "cooked" for you. While doing this, you can say, "I'm eating," "oooo, crunchy carrots," or "my food is yummy"... something along those lines! Talking about what you are doing is just as helpful as narrating what they are doing.

Give it a go this week, and let me know what happens!

Stay chatty,

Lindsay Leahr, MA, CCC-SLP