Learning language skills for little ones can be tricky. Engaging your child in a game or activity will help keep their attention as well as improve their speech. Here are some great activities for 3-5 year olds:
1. Spider Web What it is: Build a spider web with your child on the floor using painter’s tape. Select a book with a lot of SP words or create flash cards with SP words. For every SP word your child says correctly, build a section of the spider web.
2. Hungry Frog What it is: Create a frog, or other animal, out of a tissue box using the opening as the mouth. Write words on small pieces of paper. Every word your child says correctly, they feed to the frog.
3. Pictures What it is: Show your child pictures of an activity and ask them to tell you what is happening or what the people are doing. This activity will help with –ing ending words.
4. Read What it is: Read with your child and have them repeat words. You may also have them point to pictures and name objects in the illustrations.
5. Bingo What it is: Play bingo with your child. Use words like dog, tree, etc. Copy all words used on the bingo card to index cards, shuffle them, and place them face down in a stack. When you draw a word, before your child marks their card, have them tell you about their dog, describe the tree, etc.
6. Find the M&M What it is: Print or draw pictures of objects on small squares, write the object’s name below it. Glue the squares to the bottom of small cups. Hide an M&M under one of the cups. Have your child search for the M&M, but before they can look under the cup they must say: “Is it under the ____?” When they find the M&M they can eat it. Activities like these ones are used by Rainbows’ Speech Language Pathologists to help children improve their language skills. These DIY games are a fun way to help your child practice their speech at home!
