Infusing Speech & Language into your Busy Day

It feels like since we entered the global pandemic phase and work-life balance became a thing of the past, that days became shorter, and weekends almost nonexistent. It’s no surprise then that when I talk about speech homework with parents, there’s the challenge of trying to figure out when this can realistically happen in a meaningful way that ensures progress through the week. We talk a lot about about using everyday routines such as bath and mealtime as useful opportunities for incorporating language building. However there’s an overlooked time that also is a goldmine for language opportunities- the car ride!

As preschools and schools are reopening, school drop-offs and pick ups are becoming part of the daily routine again and provide great moments for interaction. My life has changed again from listening quietly to podcasts on the work commute to belting out Moana in carpool karaoke en route to ballet.

As traffic has become horrible again (ugh) you’ve got yourself at least 30 minutes together in the car for a full speech and language therapy session. Here are some tips on how to make it happen:

Early Intervention level :

Point out what your child is seeing and experiencing in the environment. Use commenting with easy carrier phrases such as “I see a…” , Look! it’s a….” or simple utterances like “blue car,” “big bus.” Don’t just focus on objects either, these rides allow you to talk about actions around you “stop and go” , “walking, running, driving, riding, eating, honking,” and concepts and describing words “noisy, pretty, yucky, smelly, behind, around.”

Preschool to School age level:

Start to expand those sentences and build that vocabulary. “Oh no, we’re in a traffic jam,” “That car is moving so slowly” “He is riding around the roundabout” “We can’t go because the lights are red”. Ask a variety of “wh” questions to stimulate early critical thinking skills. “Where do you think the ambulance is going?” “Why did the bus stop?” “Where are we going before we get home?” “Who is driving the minibus?” “what happened?” This is also a great time to have conversations which allow them to recall the events of their day. Swap questions like “How was your day?” with “What fun things did you do today?” “What was the best/worst thing about your day?” “Tell me about something you learnt today.”

Speech sounds:

Find objects around that start with your target sound and practice saying the sound. Can you say your target word 5 times every time you see a red car?

Phonological Awareness and Literacy

Play “I Spy” games to find words that start with a certain sound or rhyme with a word. How many signs can you read? Can you break the word down?

Fluency

Can your child use smooth talking to describe what he/she sees around? Don’t forget to praise that nice smooth talking.

Try these out this week on your morning or evening commute. I’ll be thinking about you and cheering you on as I sing Moana at the top of my lungs.