By Amy Knackstedt, MA, CED
Are you planning a fun family trip this summer? Whether you go to the local water park or make the haul to Disney World, your vacation can be much more than just great memories. Below are a few ideas to think about as you prepare and return home from your trip:
-Take lots of pictures of your child and family doing ACTIONS (digging in the sand, hugging Mickey Mouse, etc.) When you return home, put the pictures in a small photo album and have your child help you add captions of what was happening in each picture. Remember to think about how you can get some of their language targets in the sentences. This activity motivates your child to use targeted language to discuss something meaningful for them. Children love to talk about themselves and their own experiences!
-If it’s for a younger child, use the pictures to make their own “My Trip to ____” book. Again, add language above each picture on the pages for the child to practice. You can use this book to also target auditory discrimination by laying out the pages of the book, saying a sentence, and having the child identify which picture goes with the sentence given.
-Have your child give a verbal “presentation” to another family member (grandparents, etc.) about their trip. They can fill a poster board with drawings, pictures, brochures, and trinkets collected from their trip. I’m sure they’ll be expected to answer lots of questions, too! This is another activity that can be motivating for your child because it’s about their own experience. They will want to share about all the fun they had; especially with close family members.
-Make a memory box with your family. Each family member can put in things to represent their favorite parts of the trip as they talk about it. If it’s an older child, they can write a memory page and read it aloud as they add their object(s) to the box. This not only targets language but requires them to listen as each family member adds their items.
Here’s to making fun summer memories that motivate our kiddos to talk!