School’s Out! Now what about that speech homework?
It’s hard to believe that another school year has come and gone! The team at SpeakAble is already enjoying the (not rainy days of) summer, as I’m sure you are too. Many of our families take vacations, plan extra outings and allow their children to enjoy the season to the fullest. We fully support this! However, summer vacation does not mean abandoning speech therapy practice altogether. By planning ahead and getting creative you can add a little dose of speech and language into your warm summer days by the pool, or even abroad. Here are a few tips to get you on your way.
- Set Aside & Start Early
Set aside 5-10 minutes, five times per week, to work on your goals. It can be helpful if you pick the same time each day (i.e. just after breakfast, during your child’s bedtime routine or in the car on the way home from camp). Even this short amount of time can have a significant impact on your child’s performance and progress. Remember to start this routine at the beginning of summer to get your child accustomed to this new expectation.
- Reinforcement & Rewards
Create a reinforcement schedule in which your child earns a check mark, smiley face or a sticker for making their best attempts during the time set aside for practice. If they participate nicely for five days in a row treat them to a small reward (i.e. a trip to the beach, an ice cream cone or watching a movie).
- Be Creative & Keep it Fun!
Think of ways you can practice while on the go and in the community. Your children spend all year working so hard on their goals at a therapy table or face to face on the floor, so switching up the setting to somewhere more fun may provide a burst of motivation for them. Changing the learning setting can also help with the generalization of goals. So next time you are playing at the park, visiting the Toronto Zoo or at the farmer’s market, point out items around you with your child’s target sound, and challenge them to do the same!
- Don’t forget about us 🙂
As tempting as it may sound to take an afternoon off by the pool, please continue to prioritize your visits with your CDA or SLP. We acknowledge that time off is much needed and well deserved and we will always do our best to work around your summer schedules. But don’t forget, consistency is the key to steady progress, and that applies year round.
Hopefully these tips are useful over the next few months (and always). The staff at SpeakAble are here for you to use as a resource. Chat with your clinician about your summer plans so we can help support and advise on how to incorporate your child’s individual goals into their busy summer routine.
Have a happy, fun and safe summer!
Sheela Sriharsha B.A (Hons) Communicative Disorders Assistant