Speech, Senses, and Sounds in Seattle Summertime
Written by Sarah Gunderson, MS, CCC-SLP
Continue to develop vocabulary knowledge by sorting shells, rocks, and sea glass into categories based on:
Color
Shape
Size
Summer is coming to the Seattle area and there is nothing better than hitting the outdoors to soak up the sun and have some fun! While enjoying some popular warm weather activities, why not also encourage the development of speech and language?
The beach is full of sensory experiences that can increase receptive and expressive vocabulary skills. While exploring the tide pools, building sand castles, chasing the waves, eating a picnic lunch, and flying kites talk about:
Sounds you hear (seagulls screeching, wind whooshing)
Textures and temperatures you feel (gritty sand, icy water)
Scents you smell (coconut sunscreen, salty air)
Tastes from your picnic basket (sour, bitter, sweet)
While playing in a pool or at a splash park, enhancing grammar skills can be done easily. Label the different action words happening around you, such as:
Splashing
Swimming
Kicking
Diving
Floating
Bobbing
Then expand on those verbs by adding pronouns and adverbs, such as:
He is kicking quickly.
She is splashing playfully.
They are swimming wildly.
Finally, while enjoying a nature walk through the woods, you can target any sound for articulation practice by highlighting words with your child’s specific sound. For instance, if your child is working on producing /l/, go on a scavenger hunt for:
Our L Story
“Once upon a time, there was a little ladybug who loved to land on leaves. He laughed all day with his best friends, the caterpillars, slugs, and snails.
Leaves
Ladybugs
Caterpillars
Snails
Slugs
If your child is working at the sentence level, make up silly sentences that include each word. If they are moving into the conversation level, help them make up an imaginary story packed full of their special words.
Speech-Language pathologists can help you lay the groundwork for building up your child’s communication skills in different environments. This doesn’t only help them use those abilities in a variety of contexts, but makes speech and language fun and exciting!
Let’s brainstorm some fun ways to boost your kiddo’s communication skills this summer!
