better hearing and speech month

Games to Try During Better Hearing and Speech Month
Games to Try During Better Hearing and Speech Month 1080 1080 PTN Chicago

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM), which brings awareness to those living with communication disorders and some of the challenges they face throughout their daily lives. Each year, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) chooses a theme. In 2023, the theme is “Building a Strong Foundation”. One way you can help your child build a strong foundation is by incorporating speech therapy skills into your day-to-day activities. It does not have to be difficult. In fact, it can be fun.  

This year, in honor of BHSM, we wanted to share some games that you can try with your little one. Not only are these games interactive for your family, but they will allow you to incorporate speech therapy techniques while playing with your child. It’s a winning combination!

Guess the Chalk Drawing

Grab some chalk and get ready to use your imagination! Go outside and start by drawing an object using the chalk. Now, have your child use their speech to try and guess what you’re drawing. Once your little one has correctly guessed the object, switch roles and have them use their fine motor skills to draw an object. If your little one gets stuck while guessing, they can ask questions to help them figure out what you drew.  

Matching Opposites

This game is the perfect way for your child to work on their speech while also learning about opposites. Take a piece of paper and write down 10 pairs of words that are opposites (for example,  cat and dog, up and down, hot and cold, etc.). Now, cut out each word and have your child use their fine motor skills to draw a picture on the back of each paper to match the word on the front. Once they’re done drawing, have your little one match the opposites, and use their speech to say what the opposites are. 

20 Questions

This is another game you’ve probably heard of and maybe even played. First, start by thinking of a person, place, or thing. Now, your child will have to try to guess what you’re thinking about by using their speech to ask questions. If your child cannot correctly guess within 20 questions, the game is over! Once your child’s turn is complete, switch roles and have your little one think of something for you to guess.

What Animal Am I?

For this final game, write down 10 different animals on separate pieces of paper, crumple them up, and place them into a bowl. One at a time, ask your child to choose an animal from the bowl and have them use their speech skills to describe the animal to you. Once you have guessed all of the animals, place the paper back into the bowl, and prepare for the next round! In this round, your child will have to use their gross motor skills to act out which animal they are and use their speech to make the noise of that animal.

Follow us on our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) throughout May for great tips, resources, and activities dedicated to BHSM.  Should you have questions about speech therapy or any of our other services, do not hesitate to contact us to discuss if your child would benefit from pediatric therapy. Our team is here to support you and your child in any way we can.

Easy Activities That Allow Your Child to Work on Their Speech Therapy
Easy Activities That Allow Your Child to Work on Their Speech Therapy 1080 1080 PTN Chicago

One time of the year that is very near and dear to our hearts is Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM). BHSM is celebrated each May, and helps bring awareness to common communication disorders, as well as the challenges that people with these disorders face daily. Spreading the word about BHSM is crucial as it can help families recognize that their child is struggling with their speech and language development. Once they realize this, they can better understand what their child is going through and get their little one the help they need.

If your child is experiencing challenges with communication and you want to help work on their skills at home, we have some easy speech and language activities to share with you. These activities are simple and a whole lot of fun for your little one to partake in:

Alphabet Search: Now that the weather is warming up, it’s time to bring your child’s speech therapy outside! Head out to your backyard or go on a walk with your little one. Now, look around and try to find objects that start with each letter of the alphabet. For example, maybe you see an apple tree for “A”, a bus for “B”, a cat for “C”, etc. Work together and try to find objects for as many letters of the alphabet as possible!

Feed Your Monster Friend: Get ready to be creative for this next activity! First, gather some paper, kid-friendly scissors, and a box of crayons. Next, have your child draw a silly monster friend on one sheet of paper, and 5 of their favorite foods on another sheet of paper. Once they’re done coloring, your little one can carefully cut out each food item, and feed them one at a time to their new friend. Be sure to ask your child to describe the color and shape of each food, and then have them explain what they enjoy about that specific food item.

Find the Match: The last speech activity to try at home is to create your own matching game. Cut a piece of paper into 12 squares, and work with your child to draw 6 pairs of matching animals on the squares. While drawing, have your child describe what the animal looks like, and even ask them to make the sound of that animal. Flip all of the squares over so that you can’t see the animals, and mix the pieces of paper up. Finally, have your child flip two squares over at a time until they match each animal pair.

Happy Better Hearing and Speech Month! If you want to do your part and help spread the word, be sure to use #BHSM in your social media posts all May long, and share the materials found on the ASHA website. Keep an eye on our social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest) as we continue to share activities, useful tips, resources, and so much more! As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time to discuss if your child would benefit from pediatric therapy.

Celebrating Better Hearing and Speech Month with These Age-Appropriate Speech Tips
Celebrating Better Hearing and Speech Month with These Age-Appropriate Speech Tips 1080 1080 PTN Chicago

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM) and our team is ready to kick off the celebration. BHSM helps to raise awareness of communication disorders for those who have difficulties speaking, hearing, and understanding. It’s crucial to spread awareness so that other people have a deeper understanding of common communication disorders and can assist those who are struggling.

Speech disorders affect all types of people and typically start at an early age. If you’re concerned that your child may be falling behind in their speech and language development, or are simply looking for some ways to help them work on their communication skills, we can help! Read on for some age-appropriate tips that you can use with your little ones:

Children 0-2 Years Old:

  • Try and get your child to mimic gestures. Start with simple ones such as clapping, waving, and nodding.
  • Say, “mama” or “dada” to your child and work towards getting them to repeat the sounds back to you.
  • Make facial expressions when your child makes sounds or says words.
  • Read your child a simple board book nightly and point out/ label various objects to them . Describe to them what’s happening on each page and get expressive as you’re reading.
  • Make animal sounds such as “moo” or “baa” and have them try and repeat the sounds. While doing this, you can also teach your child which animal makes each sound.

Children 2-4 Years Old:

  • Help your child pronounce their words more clearly by repeating what they said the correct way.
  • Encourage your child to ask for things that they want rather than pointing to them.
  • Ask your child simple questions such as, “what is your name?” or “what is your favorite toy?” and proceed to let them answer.
  • Point to objects around the room and teach your child what they are.
  • Sing simple songs and nursery rhymes with your child.

Children 4-6 Years Old:

  • Pause after speaking to your child so that they have time to process what you said and respond.
  • Watch television with your child and ask them questions about the show such as, “who is your favorite character?” or “what was your favorite part of the show?”.
  • Ask your child questions about what activities they did during the day and what type of foods they ate.
  • Let your child help you cook simple meals and give them step-by-step directions that they’ll need to follow, such as, “pour the sugar in the bowl, now, mix the batter.”
  • Read books with your child and have them describe what’s going on in each scene or ask them to summarize the story at the end. 

Happy Better Hearing and Speech Month! Follow us on our social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) all month long for more tips, resources, and activities. If you find that your child is falling behind in their speech and language development, please don’t hesitate to contact our team to discuss if your little one could benefit from pediatric therapy. We are happy to help support your child and family in any way that we can.

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