Tuesday Tips!
Tuesday Tips:
Production of the /r/ sound is trickier than other sounds since visual cues are not as obvious as, say, the /p/ and /b/ sounds. So, it helps to have your child understand the correct tongue placement. Have your child feel the sides of their tongue with a finger. Next, have your child try to touch the sides of their tongue to their top back teeth. Finally, have them turn on their voice and you should hear a simple /r/ sound. Once this has been mastered, you can now try what many speech therapists do and have your child pretend to be a pirate and say, “arrrr!”
Since /r/ is typically mastered by the age of 7, this strategy is better suited for older children who have more sensory awareness.
To help increase or encourage your young child’s expressive language development, one tip is to model the correct (or “adult”) phrasing without directly correcting your child. For example, if your child says, “doggy run,” you could respond by saying “Yes, the doggy is running!” Or, if your child asks, “want milk,” you could respond with, “I like how you said, ‘I want milk please.’” This strategy not only shows your child how to produce the correct phrasing, but it allows a very simple conversational back and forth that can encourage further language and social development.
Games such as Chutes and Ladders or Candy Land are excellent activities for children. They have simple directions and incorporate turn-taking, both of which are fundamental skills needed for every child’s development. The simple rules help children develop their understanding of following multi-step directions. The turn-taking helps children understand the back-and-forth nature of conversation. Also, it is important to describe the events taking place and to give your child the chance to do the same. For example, with Chutes and Ladders, you can say, “Oh look, you got a four. Count with me: one, two, three four…oh no! You’re going down the slide.” Remember, it’s okay not to let your child win all the time.