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All kids will be kids, and regardless of whether they are meeting their milestones or they have been diagnosed with a speech or language disorder, they still need to get out and play. But did you know that encouraging your kids to get out into nature and play can benefit and improve their speech and language skills? Yes!
In this article, we’re going to talk about seven outdoor activities that you can do with your child to help strengthen their speech, language and learning skills.
1. Play ball!
This one is especially good for toddlers! Playing with the ball outside is such a wonderful way to help your kids engage their language and speech skills because there are so many actions you can tell them today. The important thing here is to follow their lead and see what they want to do with the ball, then follow through with the instructions. Tell them to “throw”, “bounce”, “roll”, or “kick” the ball – there are so many options and the repetitiveness just reinforces using language.
2. Get on the playground
Talk about a variety of opportunities to encourage your kids to communicate. Between the options of going to the jungle gym, swinging, sliding and more, they will have so many different things that they’ll want to do and how they want to do it, and that requires them to try and communicate, whether it be verbal or non-verbal.
3. Blow some bubbles
Another wonderful way to get toddlers excited and engaging in their speech and language skills is to blow them away with some bubbles. Take every opportunity to narrate what you’re doing with them, saying things like “open” as you open the bubbles, take the wand out, and count before you blow. And, of course, you have to say “pop” as they explode upon landing. Don’t be shy about using adjectives to describe everything about the bubbles, too. The best part about using bubble time as a way to encourage kids to speak is that most bubble packaging is difficult to open and use by themselves; they need you, and they need to try and communicate what they want.
4. Take nature walks
For a relatively relaxing activity that still gets you and your kids moving and out in nature, consider taking them on nature walks. This could mean you go out to the park or just around the block, but you could take them on a hike if you’re feeling more adventurous and ready for a challenge. The main objective is to get them to make observations in nature and try to communicate what they see. Remember, you need to model this to them first, so point out everything you think is interesting, and don’t hold back from a “Wow!” to show your excitement when they try to point things out to you. Also, you don’t have to find the most intriguing things to engage with your child because everything is new to them.
You can take this activity one step further and take photos of everything they find interesting and print them later to create a scrapbook to remember their fun day out in nature. This is great for younger and older kids as you can encourage them to relay the sequence of events on the walk.
5. Plan a scavenger hunt
Who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt, right? Put a few clues together. If your kids can read, then you can write them out, and if they’re too young to read, add some pictures. You can include things you find in nature, household items if you’re stuck in the house on a rainy day, and things you find around the city if you don’t live in the suburbs. Scavenger hunts encourage kids to read, listen, analyse, categorise and memorise everything, which is super beneficial for helping them build good communication skills.
When should you see a speech therapist?
As much as you want to help your kids with their speech and language development, there comes a point where they need help from a speech therapist. Here are some key indicators that you should take your child to see a speech pathologist:
- They are not babbling (4-10 months)
- They have a very limited vocabulary
- They struggle to pronounce words and sounds
- They stutter when speaking
- They have a hard time understanding what others are saying
- They don’t smile when interacting with others
If you’re looking for a speech therapist in Brisbane, book an appointment with Hear & Say; they’d be happy to assist you.
Speech and language development isn’t assigned to the classroom or the speech pathologist’s office; it can happen anywhere at any time, and the best time to get kids excited to speak and practice their skills is when they’re having a good time. There are so many fun activities you can do with your child outside that can encourage them to strengthen their speech and language skills, and they won’t even realise it. So, take them outside for some proactive fun.