Welcome to our 5-minute series!

We’re playing with a purpose. We aim to build a relationship between speech, language and communication skills and how children learn. Which is through play- 5 minutes of practicing speech and language skills through play is not a lot of time if done once a week or every so often. However, 5 minutes consistently daily can produce improvements. Think about exercising. If you set a goal to run a marathon and only run a mile or two every once in a while….you’re probably not going to be as successful as if you had trained daily (or almost daily) on race day. Practicing speech and language skills are the same. Think of working out those muscle fibers in your child’s brain and preparing them for the marathon of life.  Here are some quick ways you can increase your child’s communication skills.  If they are learning a new developmental milestone use these strategies to help them make progress towards their goal.  If your child has reached their developmental milestones use these strategies to advance them.  Follow their lead.

These Quick Tip Strategies are used to increase your child’s communication skills during bath time (if bath time is enjoyable for your child).

Try one of the following:

1) Put their bath toys in a bin, bag or beside you. This allows your child to practice or learn a new sound, word, phrase or gesture by telling you which toy they need. If your child does not immediately ask you for the toys, you may need to help them. You can do this by holding up two of the toys and labeling them. For example, crayons or cups?

2) Put water in a cup, Tupperware container or pitcher and pour a small amount into their bath. Pause for a few seconds and model a new sound, word, phrase or gesture. IMMEIDATELY continue pouring when they try to use the new communication skill you just modeled!

3) Bring a surprise activity such as bath crayons, paint or play-doh. OR, bring one of their favorite toys they have not yet played with during bath time, such as their vehicles or figurines.

4) Don’t forget to pause while you’re singing so your kiddo can practice using those tremendous new words and sounds, too!

5) Bath time is a perfect opportunity for teaching body parts. If your child is not yet speaking, you can teach them to point to body parts you name or simply label body parts to teach them to begin to understand there is a “name” for each.

6) Put a laminated picture on the wall or use a doll to “mark” off body parts. You can use a bath crayon to mark off body parts they have washed or practiced saying.

 There is also a decision tree attached to these strategies. Use this decision tree to help you decide which strategy to use now to increase your child’s speech, language, communication and play skills during bath time.

Remember to keep a language diary and write down the sounds, words, phrases or gestures they use. It’s a lot of fun to watch it grow!

If you haven’t noticed growth in a month or more, check in with your child’s pediatrician to ensure your child is reaching their developmental milestones.

Take your child on their #pathforwords.