Language development activity: Sensory box

Thank you for all the positive feedback on my previous post Language Activity: Digging for Dinosaurs and Cloud Dough .  I hope it was helpful!  First off, I just wanted to clarify that I am not claiming to have invented these activities.  Most of these activities you can find via pinterest or some web search engine.  I am taking basic activities, adapting them into activities that will encourage language development, and then providing language tips... So to the inventor of cloud dough, or any other activity... our children thank you! :) 

My goal is to post 1-2 activities a week, so make sure to check back frequently for new activities/tips.  There are so many directions I want to take this blog (soon to be website).  In addition to lots of language activities/tips, here are a few entries I have planned for the future: 

• Language developmental milestones from birth to four years old
• How to promote language development during your regular day to day routine
• When to be concerned, and when to seek out a speech language pathologist (SLP)
• Benefits of sign language, and how to teach basic signs (sorry to all my aussie mates this will be in American Sign Language, however the tips still apply to everyone)
• What if my child isn't talking yet? How to teach new words to your child
• The power of reading to your child

Moving on to today's activity:  

"Sensory box" 

brief overview: 

  You will notice as time goes on that I love sensory activities.  For those of you who don't know much about sensory activities, they are basically activities that incorporate our different senses (eg touch, taste, sight, hearing, smell etc).  My love for sensory activities could partially be due to the fact that my twin sister is an occupational therapist (OT), and raves about it's many benefits.  Here are some things I love about sensory activities:  1. Your child is able to incorporate all of their senses to examine the properties of objects.  What greater way to learn about something then to touch, smell, feel, even taste(?) it! 2. It involves hands on learning (in my opinion one of the best ways for a child to learn) .  Activities that are hands on, in addition to providing lots of language (of course!!!), will do wonders for your child's language development.  

During this activity we will review the three language strategies used in the previous post: 1. Self Talk, 2. Parallel Talk, 3. Expansion.  As last weeks post was primarily centered around tips for children 1-2 years old, I will also be providing tips for children that are 3-4 years old.  So, with that being said let's get started!  

Supplies needed: 

Box

Different sensory items* 

* Now, for the sensory items these can be anything, and I mean anything.  I went around the house and collected different items for Ella to explore.  Try to collect items that vary in shape, color, texture, size etc.  The more diverse your items are, the more you will have to talk about!     

My box consisted of: colored popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners (made into different shapes), feathers, pom poms, plastic Easter egg, magnet, flower lay, sea shells, pieces of fabric, toy animals, paint brush, bow, magnet, paper clip, eraser, glue stick, crochet hook, and a rock.   

1. Introduce the activity: 

Children 1-2: Here is an example of something you might say "Look what I have (show your child the box).  I have a box full of different items.  Let's have a look inside, and see all the different things we can find."  

Children 3-4 years old:  For children 3-4 years old you may choose to focus on two features, for example color and size.  An example of an introduction might be.  "Look I have a box full of different items.  The items are all different colors and sizes.  Let's have a look inside, and see if we can name all the colors, and I want you to tell me if the items are big or small."  

Before beginning the activity you may need to have a discussion about the features you have decided to focus on.  If you want to focus on size the child may say small for everything (since most of the items will be small in order to fit in the box).  In this circumstance you will need to have a chat about comparing the size of the items in the box, for example a paper clip is small compared to an Easter egg).  If you choose to focus on texture (which this is a great activity for), you will need to have a chat about what texture is.  If you say how does the feather feel... you may get the response "happy."  When discussing how something "feels" provide your child with an example... "We are going to talk about how the items feel when you touch them (grab the feather and rub it on their arm), This feather "feels" soft.  Ooh it tickles. (put a rock in your hand) Now does this rock feel bumpy or smooth? etc."  This feature may require a lot of discussion, and you may need to keep providing lots of examples before it sinks in, but that's the great thing about a sensory box, it's full of items to compare! 

2. Language therapy

Children 1-2: As mentioned in the previous activity, children at this stage are primarily in the illocutionary stage and are beginning to enter the locutionary stage of communication.  This means the child will be communicating through gestures, signs, vocalizations etc, and will be beginning to use words.  This is a crucial stage for language storage.  Your child must store the words correctly before they are able to use them expressively.  Children at this stage are constantly soaking in new information, and after repeated exposure to a word they will eventually store it into their lexicon (think of it as a "mental dictionary of all the words you know").   +++ input (repetition and exposure)= output. What you put in, is what you get out.  Understand?  As your child matures they will begin storing words at a rapid pace, but in these first couple years of life it takes a lot of repetition to really sink in. Kind of like learning a second language. Once they have stored a sufficient amount of words (around two years old), this is when you will really see their language burst! 

Just a reminder on the therapy strategies you will be using. If you need more of a review, make sure to look at last weeks activity for examples.  

• Self talk= talking about what YOU are doing (eg "I found a pom pom.  I'm squishing the pom pom.  It feels soft."   
• Parallel talk= talking about what THEY are doing (eg "You are holding a blue Easter egg.  You opened the Easter egg.")
• Expansion= taking their word or phrase and putting it into a grammatically correct sentence, and then expanding on it with some descriptive language.  
• Use descriptive language to talk about what the items look like, how they feel, taste even(?)
• For familiar items you may ask the child to locate them.  (eg "Where's the chicken?") 

Children 3-4: 
Receptive language (understanding of words, concepts): For this portion of the activity you are evaluating what concepts they understand (for example, do they know their colors).  To test their understanding have them follow a direction,  such as "give me an item that is blue." "give me an item that feels soft." "give me something that is small." You get the idea..
Expressive language (words used expressively): Evaluate what words they are able to use expressively. "What is this?"  "What color is this?" "What does it feel like?"

You don't want the child to feel like you are constantly drilling them with questions so make it fun, follow the child's lead, and remember to still incorporate self talk, parallel talk and expansion.  Use these strategies to teach your child about the different features.  For example if you are focusing on color and size, make sure to talk lots about what the different items look like.  "You're holding a big black pom pom.  Oh look, I found a small white pom pom.  They feel soft."

Hope these tips helped!  Thanks for reading and stay tuned... more language development activities and tips to come!  If you have any questions or comments make sure to leave a comment  below with your email address so I can respond.  :)  

X Lisa, Your SLP go to mom 

Summer fun in Salt Lake City

Since we are now only a 3 hour drive from Salt Lake City, we get the opportunity to go home lots to visit.  Here are some of the things we've been up to in Salt Lake this summer.

Michelle's pinning ceremony 

Michelle's graduation

Hogel Zoo 

My sweet niece Reese Charolette Hart was born on May 06, 2013 :) 

My brother-in-law got hitched, and I got a new sis in law.  Congrats Ashely and Ryan! 

Wedding reception

Pool time with aunty Chell

Walks up City Creek 

Happy 4th of July!

Brandon came home from Greece 

I love my family

We celebrated my dads 60th birthday! Love you dad! 

More time at Hogel Zoo

Family time at the Ranch 

Language development activity: Digging for dinosaurs with cloud dough

I decided to try something new on the good old blog.  I will now be sharing tips and activities on ways to encourage language development in toddlers.  I have a new website that I'm working on getting up and running that will be dedicated solely to this cause, but until I direct you else where you can find these posts on my personal blog.  Hopefully, down the road my website will expand into other areas of speech/language development and therapy.

As most of you know I am a speech language pathologist (SLP).  Prior to bringing my little Ella bug into the world, I worked as an SLP in Perth Australia for a private speech pathology clinic for children, Next Challenge.  One of the areas I enjoyed working in most was early intervention (aka working with the little ones from birth-4 years old).  Now that I'm a stay at home mom I get my quota of one on one time with a very busy toddler, which allows me plenty of time to brush up on my therapy skills.  In order to keep things entertaining, and avoid doing the same mundane routine day after day, I like to introduce a few new activities each week into our schedule.  Let's face it, as a stay at home mom sometimes it can feel like you are in the twighlight zone where the days seem to repeat themselves.  Now these activities usually aren't too exotic, although sometimes I like to show my creative side... but other times it's as easy as going on a rock hunt in the garden, and seeing all the different rocks we can collect in our bucket.  

Rule #1: It's not so much the activity that you DO, but the language that you USE. :) So if you aren't in a creative mood, fear not because these tips are still very relevant for you.

So let's get started on our first activity (drum roll please), 

"Digging for Dinosaurs with Cloud Dough."   

Supplies needed:    

Cloud Dough: Mix flour and baby oil (or vegetable oil if your child is in the "I stick everything in my mouth stage," like mine).  Gradually add oil to the flour and mix until you are able to mold the flour in your hands. 

Large container for cloud dough

Bucket and shovel (optional)*

Small plastic animals or dinosaurs*

Sand box toys (optional)*

supplies 

Cloud dough

dinosaurs

*You have the option to be as creative as you want here.  Adapt the supplies to whatever suits you.  If you don't have a bucket and shovel use a cup, spoon, bowl, measuring cup etc.  You can also dig for toy animals, dinosaurs, cars, rocks... really you can use whatever you have around the house, or whatever interests your child.  Do not feel like you need to go out and buy all new toys for the activity... again going back to rule #1, it isn't so much about the activity/supplies, it's 100% about the language!  ;)    

Now I will give a pre warning... this is a MESSY activity.  My advice is to use a plastic swimming pool (if you have one) outside, that way when you are finished with the activity you can scoop up the cloud dough, put it back in your container and rinse off the pool with a hose.  Easy peasy.  I did attempt playing with cloud dough in my kitchen, and it was disaster.... but hey, if you don't mind a mess go for it! I've also heard of people using cloud dough in the bath tub, but I was still a little skeptical that my drain might clog.

Brief overview

Just a few things to keep in mind before starting the activity.  First of all in order for this activity to work you must get down on your child's level and play with them... sitting back and relaxing with a lemonade while your child plays, isn't going to do the trick (although sometimes it's a nice break). So get ready for some messy fun with your little one! Remember we are focusing on  language.  The dialogue I use, or tips I recommend may sound a bit corny typed out, but trust me the more language the better. Don't be afraid to sound silly.  I know it feels a little strange, especially if your child is at the stage where they aren't talking much. Children learn through exposure, and experience... so be assured that what you are saying does matter (even if they don't let you know).  Some of these tips may be common sense to some of you, some of you may be doing these skills already without knowing it, and for others this may be new information.  The three main therapy strategies I will be discussing are 1. Self talk 2. Parallel talk 3. Expansion   

 1. Introduce the activity:  Here is an example of something you might say.  (open the box) "Wow look what I have Ella. We are going to play with sand today (you don't have to be too specific... cloud dough and sand are pretty much on the same level).  Look! There are dinosaurs hidden inside.  Do you see the dinosaur hiding? We are going to dig for dinosaurs. (grab the shovel and start digging in the sand). I wonder what type of dinosaurs are inside. Can you help me find the dinosaurs?" (hand child the shovel).      

Language Tips:   Notice how I emphasized the word "dinosaurs".  Since this is probably the first time Ella has seen a dinosaur (she is only 14 months, and unfortunately you can't see those at the zoo). I made sure to use the word as frequently as possible while showing her what it was. Repetition, repetition, repetition.  A child has to hear a word multiple, multiple times before they are able to store the word and use it.  

Ella digging in

2. Follow the child's lead:  My therapy strategies are based on child centered therapy.  I find most success in therapy when I follow the child's lead.  Don't try to control the activity too much.  Allow your child to move at their own pace, and explore.  Pay close attention to what their actions, body language and words are telling you.  The first thing Ella did was poke her finger in the sand (you could tell she was a little timid and needed some coaxing). I followed her lead by taking some sand in my hands, feeling it and letting it run through my fingers.  "I'm touching the sand.  It feels soft." I said.  Sure enough Ella did the same thing.  

Language Tips: Use "Self Talk": Talk about what you are doing (eg I'm digging in the sand, I'm making a sand castle etc.) use "Parallel Talk":  Talk about what they are doing (eg You're playing in the sand. You found a dinosaur).  If the child is a little hesitant take the lead and show them what to do, using self talk.  Then sit back and watch as they follow your example, and make sure to add in lots of parallel talk. :)   

      

3. Expand their language:  Again, watch your child's body language, actions, and words, and remember that this is their way of communicating to you!  Ella knows a few words, but for the most part she grunts and points.  This is called the illocutionary stage (up until about 2 years, when their vocabulary really starts to expand, their communication will be primarily through non verbal communication aka: pointing, grunting, reaching, signs etc).  

Language Tips: Pay close attention to those communication attempts.  For example, if your child hands you the shovel, this means "I want you to dig." From there use expansion.  In this example the child has non verbally expressed shovel/dig. Expand on what the child has said. Take the shovel and say "shovel. It's a red shovel.  You use a shovel for digging in the sand." Then throw in some of your fancy self talk:  "I'm going to dig with the shovel. I'm going to dig for some dinosaurs. I wonder what dinosaurs I will find.  Oh look I found a small blue dinosaur.  Look this dinosaur has a long neck."  You get the idea.... Remember to use lots of repetition, and descriptive language.  If your child is using words, again use expansion.  For example, Ella's favorite word lately is "ball."  I made a ball out of the sand and handed it to her.  She grabbed it and said "ball" (just as I was hoping). I expanded her utterance by saying "That's right, it's a ball.  I made the sand into a ball.  You're holding a ball."  If your child is two years or older they are likely using short phrases with two or more words (eg "sand dig").  Use the same strategies (eg "That's right you are digging in the sand.  You are using your red shovel to dig in the sand.")   Repeat what they said and expand the utterance, then throw in lots of repetition and descriptive language.  

  

4. Descriptive language: Although I've already touched on this briefly.  Remember to use lots of descriptive language.  I'm talking about semantics here people... Talk about the size, shape, color, texture, special features etc. Remember these little kids are like sponges soaking in ever little thing you are saying (the good and the bad)... so might as well make it count.  ;) Throughout the activity I would also ask Ella "where's the dinosaur?" and she was able to point to it.  One more word stored into her receptive language.  Success!!!

When we were finished playing we scooped up the cloud dough, put it in our container for another day, and rinsed out the tub.

Ella enjoyed helping me rinse off the toys. :) 

Hope these tips helped! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned... more language development activities and tips to come! If you have any questions or comments make sure to leave a comment below with your email address so I can respond. :)

X Lisa, your SLP go to mom