From the expert: 5 tips for fostering your child’s speech and language skills
Jan 30, 2024
From our 2024 resident scholar Wendy Gordon, speech-language pathologist and founder of Words with Wendy
Do you have concerns about your child’s speech and language development? Can others understand what your child is trying to say? Is your child getting frustrated if they can’t communicate what they want? Whether you are a new parent or a seasoned veteran, here are five expert techniques to help promote clear speech and expand language skills.
Use your mouth
Hold objects up to your mouth so that your child can visualize how the sounds are made. Get down on their level, gain their attention and have them look at your mouth. The sounds that are learned the earliest (m, b, p) are the ones children can see. On that front, get yourselves in front of a mirror. Make silly faces and mouth shapes and see if your child can imitate you. Howl like a coyote, moo like a cow (great for lip rounding), practise your lips popping together, practise an ambulance sound (eee-ooo-eee-ooo).
OWLS
Not the actual animal! OWLS stands for Observe, Wait, Listen, then Speak. We are often very quick to jump in and help our child with their words or help with a task. Try taking a 10 second pause and see what happens. I also recommend not forcing your child to repeat after you. I shy away from using the phrase “Say X,” but rather model what I want the child to say and wait for them to do it. Alternatively, you could try “My turn,” and say the target word, then “Your turn,” and wait for them to try. This alleviates the communicative pressure from your child.
Give choices
I love to offer children two choices when working on language. Not only does it allow your child to exert control, but it also provides an opportunity to speak! Look at the difference if I say, “Do you want milk?” and hand it over, versus, “Do you want milk or water?”. The latter is encouraging the child to make a choice. It’s alright if they can’t say the actual word. Gesturing works too. We are going to model the word and encourage the child to say it. Using this technique also gives the caregiver an opportunity to repeat the word and expand on the utterance. “Oh, you want the milk? Here comes the milk! The milk goes in the cup!”
Sing it
I am no Lady Gaga, but that won’t stop me from singing the praises of singing! Songs are a great way for children to build upon their vocabulary, practise error sounds and learn language in a fun way—and singing has been shown to facilitate more fluent speech. For little learners, the old favourites never go out of style: Old McDonald Had a Farm, Wheels on the Bus, Mr. Sun. For older kids, I like to keep it to pop music from any era. Working on “sh”? Sing Shake It Off (Taylor Swift) or My Sharona (I am aging myself). Trying to make an S? Try SOS (ABBA) or Satisfaction (Rolling Stones). An L sound? How about Lollipop (The Chordettes) or All You Need is Love (The Beatles). I also love the echo microphones from the dollar store—it’s excellent for some auditory feedback.
Find a muffin tin
There are so many possibilities with this one! Grab a muffin tin and a dozen objects (think snacks, treats, toys). Have your child imitate a sound or word that you are working on. They get to drop the object into the muffin tin as they say it. Repetitive practice is key when acquiring new skills, and this turns it into a fun and motivational activity. Also, for older children working on speech or language skills, get them to help in the kitchen! Pick a favourite recipe. Have your child read it out loud (if they are a reader) and practice their targeted sounds. This is also great for following directions. Plus, why should you do all the work?!
Still have some concerns? Reach out to a certified speech-language pathologist for help. Early intervention is key. I offer complimentary consult calls to see if your child would benefit from speech therapy. Reach out to me at [email protected] and watch out for my videos on Instagram at @wordswithwendyslp.
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Wendy Gordon is a certified speech-language pathologist with 25 years of experience working with the paediatric population. She worked in the school system in Arizona for 10 years, then returned home to Toronto with her husband and two daughters to continue to raise her family. She works primarily with children ages 18 months and up, both in-person and via teletherapy. Her passion and creativity is evident in her fun and functional speech therapy sessions and videos. You can find her here.
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