Life with children can be so busy, sometimes it feels like there’s not enough time in the day to work on speech and language goals. I have a great solution – BOOKS! Books are everywhere! I bet you’ve seen books in the dentist’s office lobby, your child’s pediatrician’s office, schools, and maybe even all over your child’s room! As a speech pathologist, I’m constantly grabbing and using books in my speech therapy sessions. Whether it’s associated with the time of year, a holiday, or just to use a book that is loaded with actions, books are an incredible resource to support your child’s speech and language development. Now, taking a book and putting it into practice whether that’s working on speech sounds, questions, perspective taking, etc. can feel daunting. Let’s make it simple, practical, and of course, FUN! Here is a list of my top 3, go to books, how to work on a variety of goals, and keep your child engaged throughout the process.
Go Away Big, Green Monster
1. Language:
- Words have POWER in this book! What your child says goes, if they say “go away!” POOF, it’s gone! How cool is that cause/effect relationship!
- Early language, Core word: “go,” this can be a sign, vocalization, word, etc
- Identify: work on identifying body parts on the monster
- Descriptions: big, green, purple, squiggly, etc.
2. Speech sounds: /g/, “go,” “big,” and “green”
3. AAC Device:
- TouchChat WordPower 60 page set has this book programmed into the device!
- Go to Read>Early books>Go Away Big, Green Monster
Where is Spot?
1. Language:
- Yes/No questions, “is this Spot?”
- Actions: knock knock, “open” sign
- Answering “where” questions
- Labeling animals, furniture, etc
- Using prepositions
- Animal noises associated with each animal
- Gestalts:
– Let’s open it
– It’s not Spot
– What’s inside?
– It’s a X (label animals)
– What’s next?
2. Speech sounds:
- /s/ blends (spot)
- Multisyllabic words: honey, monkey, alligator, hippo, puppy, mommy, etc
3. AAC Device:
- Model language on the animals page after opening each door
Little Blue Truck
1. Language:
- Imitation and use of animal and environmental noises! “Beep!” “Croak,” “Neigh,” “Cluck,” etc
- Identifying and/or labeling of animals
- Variety of questions such as “Where are they going?” “Where are the animals?”
- “What happened to the truck?”
2. Speech sounds:
- Final consonants: beep, dump, honk, toad
- /l/ (little, blue)
- /k/ (truck, stuck, duck, honk, cluck, cow)
3. Rhyming
- Great book for phonological awareness!
Next time your child brings you a book (or five), to read before bedtime, try to use a tip that best
resonates with you and your child’s needs! Happy reading!
By Brie Russell, M.S., CCC-SLP