Bilingual speech pathologist Jocelyn M. Wood shares some helpful pointers to continue to build our kids’ language while school’s out for the summer.
Summer is surely a time to relax and recharge, but it’s also a great time to build your child’s language and communication skills. Among beaches, barbeques, and family trips, there are plenty of opportunities for you to support your child’s language development in a natural and meaningful way. Whether your child is learning a new language, or you are trying to boost words in their own their native tongue, these suggestions are all helpful.
Play With Your Food
Cooking is a magical experience that your child will never forget. When preparing a dish for a weekend’s barbecue or pool party, let your child help. For younger children, this can be an opportunity to sequence events. For example, “first, we add the beans, next we add the corn, and finally we’re going to mix it all together.” You can also help your child observe similarities and differences between different fruits and vegetables. For the little ones, this could be as simple as the shape of fruits, while for bigger ones you can compare textures (sticky vs. smooth) or flavors (sweet vs. savory).
Don’t forget the importance of a shopping list, either. Children can practice their writing skills (or representational drawings) and divide items by category (fruits, vegetables, dairy, etc.) or characteristic (leafy vegetables, healthy foods, junk food). While at the market, make sure you use colorful language to describe that tender tomato or delicate fig.
Television is OK
Without a doubt, there will be some rainy days this summer. It’s okay for children to watch television or movies (in moderation), and this can also be a helpful way to develop a dialogue with your child. You can ask your child questions about who the characters are, where the setting is, or what will happen in the next episode/sequel. For some children, television and movies are a way to observe emotions in characters, which they can then apply to their own lives (think: Inside Out or Finding Dory). Encourage children to talk about the characters’ personalities and feelings and use that information to support they do or do not like the character.
Night at the Museum
Whether traveling or on a staycation, there is a museum for everyone all over the world. In NYC, we are fortunate to have tons of free entries with a id NYC Card. My favorite activity at a museum is the beloved scavenger hunt. For younger children, I play an “I Spy” version of the game, but for older kids, we do internet research to find items that may be hidden at the museum and set about making our list. Another fun activity is to create a digital scrapbook. Children will welcome the opportunity to have mommy or daddy’s phone, and later on you can work together to caption the photos and create a book using Photo Scrapbook, or a similar app.
Support Your Local Library
Plan for a day at the public library. In Brooklyn, we have a ton of author visits and amazing opportunities for children to listen to visiting authors or get involved with crafty activities. Check your local branch to see what events they are sharing with the community.
Parents always ask what to look for in books that their children are checking out of the library. It is important to instill a love of reading early on, so I always suggest allowing for a variety books. Children can choose a book of special interest, as well as a book to practice reading skills. Don’t forget to check out non-fiction books to support your museum trips!
Outdoor Events
Summertime is filled with outdoor concerts for parents, children, and families. Take turns choosing events and have conversations about likes and dislikes. Imagine what it would be like to be a performer, and write songs together. Maybe you’ll be the next band that takes the summer stage.
Wherever this summer takes you, make sure you kick back, relax, read and converse.
Jocelyn M. Wood is a bilingual speech language pathologist in Brooklyn. She has experience working with children from birth to 18 years of age with speech and language difficulties. Jocelyn works with families to build natural and fun language learning environments and also offers workshops for parents to better understand child language development and the importance of vocabulary. For more information, go to www.jocelynmwood.com or email jocelyn.m.wood@gmail.com