Practicing Pragmatic Skills in Everyday Moments
Pragmatic skills — the social side of communication — are often easiest to support in real-world situations, and so practicing takes no time out of your week!
For many families, the summer holidays naturally create opportunities to practice these skills without adding structured exercises.
At Speakable, the emphasis is on integrating communication support into everyday interactions so that children are not aware they are “practicing.”
What are pragmatic skills?
Pragmatic skills involve how language is used socially:
- Taking turns in conversation.
- Staying on topic.
- Interpreting non-verbal cues.
- Adjusting communication based on the listener.
Summer holiday moments as practice
Social gatherings create natural opportunities to practice reciprocal questions, greetings, and conversational turn-taking. Children can be gently prepared in advance and supported during interactions.
Events such as barbecues or outings also allow for practice with waiting, polite interruptions, and adapting communication to different listeners.
Using routines and traditions
Activities such as sensory play or cooking provide structured opportunities to practice requesting help, following sequences and engaging collaboratively.
Because these moments are meaningful and familiar, they support communication in a way that feels natural rather than instructional.
When communication is embedded in real life, children develop skills that transfer more easily across settings.
There’s also a deeper message that these activities convey to kids: every single day brings opportunities to learn and discover new things.
For more information about speech therapy services in English or French, contact us.
About Speakable Speech & Language
Founded in 2013 by Tamara Paull M.SC. SLP(C), Speakable Speech & Language provides in-person and virtual speech therapy in Montreal, Toronto and the Laurentians. The Speakable team of clinicians in good standing with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO) or l’Ordre des orthophonistes et audiologistes du Québec (OOAQ) aim to engage children in 30-45-minute sessions that are therapeutic, educational and fun.