Speech Therapy Fun at Home

Communication is everywhere, at the center of every activity your child will engage in. We communicate all day, every day, and there’s no better place to practice that communication than in the home. The most effective therapy happens when a child is engaged in an activity they enjoy. So why not use the things they enjoy in the place they are most comfortable to build these communication skills?

Through play, children learn how best to respond to variables in a situation. Play fosters imagination and creativity and promotes early learning skills. It is the perfect arena to practice problem solving and life skills like taking turns. Here are some of our favorite speech therapy activities that can be accomplished through play at home.

Easy Speech Activities Using Simple Toys

Balls:

Try rolling a ball back and forth with your child. This may seem simple, but it allows your child to practice with joint attention, action imitation, and turn-taking, which are the building blocks of sharing a conversation. Playing with a ball can also be used to practice making a request with repetition and modeling—for example, “Ball, ball, roll the ball!”

Toy Cars:

Like balls, cars are a simple way to teach through imitation and repetition—for example, “Ready, set, go!” or modeling classic transportation sounds like “Vroom, vroom!” or “Beep, beep!”

Toy Animals:

Another good area for modeling words is animal sounds. Toy animals could also be used for following simple commands like, “Put the horse in the barn.”

Or they could just be used for language exposure as the adult narrates everything the child does in a low-pressure, play-only activity.

Playdough:

A truly versatile and loved activity, playdough can be used for so many things. Try encouraging verbal requests by letting your child ask for a certain color of playdough or request specific tools. Or work on following directions with simple one-word commands, such as “squish,” “push,” “pull,” “open,” or “roll.”

Bubbles:

No one can say no to bubbles! They are the perfect easy tool to liven up the day and work on communication. Model words like, “Pop!” or “Bubbles!” to work on requests.

Fill your child’s day with communication and promote their development through play today!

Positive Reinforcement offers in-home ABA therapy in Ashburn, VA, Purcellville, VA, and the surrounding Northern Virginia areas. Our ABA therapy services help children develop essential skills through individualized, family-centered programs designed for at-home learning environments.