Top Tips for Supporting Your Child’s Speech Development at Home
As a parent, there are many things you can do to support your child’s speech and language development at home. Here are some practical tips to help boost your child’s speech intelligibility, language skills, and confidence in communication.
1. Read Aloud Daily
Reading books together is a powerful way to expose your child to new vocabulary and sentence structure. Making reading a part of your daily life will also help to foster a love of reading from an early age, and create opportunities for daily conversation. Choose books that are age-appropriate and engage your child with questions and comments about the story to build comprehension. Younger kids (toddlers and preschoolers) may respond better to board books with flaps and textures, while older school-aged kids
2. Play-Based Language Activities
Games that involve describing objects, sorting items by category, or guessing words can help build vocabulary and comprehension, as well as opportunities for articulation practice. Consider games like Guess Who, Battleship, Headbandz, Dixit, What’s It? and Codenames, provide opportunities for describing, listening, and articulating!
3. Model Clear Speech
Speak slowly and clearly, emphasizing the correct pronunciation of words. Draw your child’s attention up to your mouth by holding motivating objects next to your face. If your child makes a speech error, gently model the correct word without forcing them to repeat it. Start by building awareness about the sound, and then reach out to a registered speech-language pathologist who can help your child learn to produce their sounds correctly.
4. Stay Consistent with Speech Therapy
Regularly attending speech therapy sessions ensures your child receives the support they need. Discuss with your speech therapist about ways to incorporate therapy strategies into daily routines for ongoing progress. Speech therapy is all about frequency and intensity. Regular, consistent speech therapy with LOTS of opportunities to practice is the fastest route to speech therapy success!
Supporting your child’s speech development doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Small steps at home, along with professional guidance, can make a big difference.
