Squeak, Rattle and Roll!

Enriching Language Skills
Through Play

By Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP

Do you remember how much fun it was to play? I do.As a speech and language pathologist I use play every day to help children develop their speech and language skills. It's a lot of fun and educational, too! Play is how children learn many new skills including social skills, language development and problem solving.

I often see parents "playing" with their child. They grab a squeaky toy and wiggle it in front of their toddler's faces. This is not play; this is just trying to entertain a toddler. When I am working with a child, I will get little accomplished if I'm just sitting there on a chair holding a toy. The child will not be engaged and will wander away probably looking for someone to play with! However, if I sit on the floor, snatch a toy and make silly noises and faces, then I will gain that child's attention. He will come over to see what I'm doing. This is the time to enrich speech and language skills!

During play, it's best to be at eye level with the child. Getting down to a child's level will decrease the authority figure role, and your child will know you're ready to have some fun. Furthermore, your child will be better able to see your face and lips as you speak.

This is a great way to emphasize the imitation of speech sounds. I love to play with pretend food toys. There are so many sounds that can be modeled for children using these toys. For example, pretend to drink from a cup while saying, "ga, ga, ga." Toddlers love these sounds and you're modeling the use of the consonant "g." Sizzle a hamburger in a pan while saying "sssssss." You just showed your toddler how to make an "s" sound! Pretty soon you will hear your toddler imitating these sounds as he plays and will start forming these sounds into words. So kick off your shoes, grab a banana and take a seat on the floor.

"For some children, saying words clearly and correctly is easy," says Dorothy P. Dougherty, a speech-language pathologist and author of Teach Me How to Say It Right: Helping Your Child With Articulation Problems

Want to see more?

• Toddler Talking: Common Speech Problems in Young Children
• Late Talkers: Correctly Diagnosing Speech Disorders
• Talking Toddlers Telling Tales: Speech Milestones and Tips
  for Parents
• Talk about it!