Summer Fun Activity Ideas to Support Speech & Language!
Updated: Aug 14, 2020
School has wrapped up, and summer has officially arrived! If you’re looking for some engaging things to do with your children while social distancing is still in place, read on for our first suggested activity...
Be sure to check back next week as we continue to reveal super fun ways to target speech & language this summer. Also, hit subscribe to download our activity-a-day July calendar!
Summer Fun Activity #1: Make Ice Cream
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! I’m pretty sure this is very true for a majority of us, especially during the summer. While we might not be able to go out and enjoy our favorite cup of ice cream, we can still make our own! This is a simple way to get your kids thinking and moving, practice joint attention skills, help them follow through with 1-2 step instructions, and improve their receptive and expressive language! Don’t forget to practice your self-talk and parallel talk too :-) Self-talk is when a parent talks about what the parent is doing. You should use an animated and excited voice to make it really fun and engaging. Parallel talk is when a parent talks about what the child is doing
Goals to Target:
Identifying items: You can make finding the ingredients into a game! Act like you don’t know where to find the Ziploc bags or oven mitts by saying something like, “Hmmm...where are the _____? I can’t find it! Can you help me?” You can pick up incorrect objects and ask, “Oh! Is this a _____?” Once you find the correct object, you can say, “Yay! We found the ______!”
Labeling items, actions, or descriptive words: You can attempt to do this throughout the activity by asking things like, “What was this called again?,” or “What is mommy/daddy/you doing?”
Following directions: You can read the instructions to your child, and see if they can follow through! If they’re having trouble, try not to get frustrated. Instead, show them and help them follow through with the instruction. Modeling goes a long way with our kiddos.
Answering WH questions (who/what/where/when/why): There are a plethora of WH questions you might be able to ask your child throughout this activity! Make sure you’re not constantly asking questions though, as this can get frustrating for some children! Try to comment throughout the activity, make conversation, and occasionally throw in questions.
Don't forget to look out for Summer Fun Activity #2 next week on the blog and on Instagram!