Promoting Listening and Language Development Through Everyday Experiences

Today's post is an oldie but goodie written by my friend and colleague, 
Mary Boucher Jones MA CCC/S LSLS Cert AVT
Listen and Learn Communication Center Indianapolis, Indiana

We presented this information in Vietnam together at Parent Night when volunteering with the Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss

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Promoting Listening and Language Development Through Everyday Experiences

The everyday chores of home living provide an abundance of opportunities to develop language skills.
  Include your child in your daily activities and enrich his language as you talk to him about what you are doing. 

geniuspregnancy.com
Here are some examples of household activities that can be turned into a fun learning experience for your child.
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Setting the table                                                                  Getting a haircut
Washing the dishes                                                             Ironing the clothes
Sweeping the floor                                                              Watching Daddy shave
Dusting the furniture                                                            Watering the plants
Making the bed                                                                    Scouring the sink
Going grocery shopping                                                      Putting groceries away
Buying new ____________                                                 Visiting a friend or relative
Filling the gas tank                                                             Washing a car
Going to the bank                                                               Changing a light bulb
Fixing a broken ___________                                            Looking at a newspaper
Feeding a pet                                                                     Doing the laundry
Checking a hearing aid or cochlear implant                       Taking a bath
Shampooing hair                                                                Brushing teeth
Mowing the lawn                                                                 
Visiting the post office
Preparing dinner                                                                 Preparing a special treat
Eating at a restaurant                                                         Taking a walk



Activities for Expanding Language Doing the Laundry

http://cache2.asset-cache.net/
Listening Activities
·      Listen to the water filling the washing machine drum.
·      Listen to the water changing cycles.
·      Listen to the turning dials.
·      Listen to the motor sounds.
·      Listen to clothes bumping in the dryer
·      Listen to buzzers and timers.


Cognitive Activities
·      Sort clothes by color.
·      Sort clothes by which body part they cover.
·      Sort like clothes together (pants together, socks together, etc.).
·      Sort clothes by their owner. (Mom, Dad, sister, brother, etc.)
·      Sort clothes by texture. (soft, silky, rough, etc.)
·      Sort clothes by design. (stripes, checks, prints, etc.)
·      Sort clothes by function. (school clothes, play clothes, church clothes, etc.)
·      Compare lengths (Mom’s pants, Dad’s pants, and Child’s pants)
·      Compare sizes.
·      Sort clean and dirty clothes.

Vocabulary to Target
Verbs
sort                                                     separate                                            find
spray (prewash)                                 pour                                                   take out
load                                                    listen                                                               open/close (lid)
push                                                   turn                                                     fill (washer)
fold                                                     hang                                                   match (socks)
collect                                                 pick up                                               gather
Watch (water line and agitation)
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Items Needed
washing machine                           clothes                                               detergent
pre-wash                                        bleach                                                stain remover
fabric softener                                clothes line                                         clothes pins
dryer                                               drying rack                                          lint
hamper                                           laundry basket
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Types of Clothes (purpose)
play clothes                                   school clothes                                   work clothes
special occasion clothes               pajamas                                            exercise clothes
uniforms
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Types of Clothes (names)
pants                                                  shirts                                      dresses
shorts                                                 socks                                     skirts
tops                                                   blouses                                  nightgown
jeans                                                  capris                                     jacket
coat                                                   underwear                              diaper
***Once one name is known for an object occasionally substitute a synonym when appropriate.
For example: socks: stockings, tights, panty hose, knee socks
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Describing Clothes Appearance
colors                                                 striped                                   checked
patterned                                           printed                                   wrinkled
fabric names (corduroy, denim,                                                       colorful
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Describing Fabric Texture
soft                                                    rough                                    bumpy
smooth                                              silky                                      heavy
light-weight                                       damp                                     wet
dry                                                    scratchy                                
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Parts of Clothing
collar                                                  sleeve                                     cuff
leg                                                      zipper                                     snap
button                                                 hook                                       buckle

Question To Ask?

Whose _______________________? (pants, socks, sweater, etc.)
Where are _____________________? (clean clothes, soft clothes, striped clothes, etc.)
Where do you wear______________? (socks, hats, pants, etc.)
How does ____________feel?
What kind of clothes? (uniform, pajamas, school clothes, etc.)
What do you wear ___________? (on your feet, on your arms, on your head, etc.)
What do we do ____________? (first, next, last, etc.)
When do you wear________ ? (a jacket, pajamas, a uniform, etc.)
When do we put ______ in?   (detergent, fabric softener, clothes, etc.)
Which clothes are ________ (Mommy’s, play clothes, soft, dirty, etc.)
Can you find another________ (pair of pants, sock, shirt that is Daddy’s, etc.)
  

REPETITION: Everyday Activities and Routines to Build Listening and Language Skills

Today's post was adapted from a blog written with help from 

Joanna Brachmaier, a rehabilitation and education specialist at MED-EL.

http://www.medel.com/blog/build-language-skills-routines/


Intended for children ages 3–9.

Routines by definition happen the same way over and over, but that doesn’t mean they need to be boring. No, in fact they can be beneficial! Use the repetition to help your child build language skills.

Repetition Helps Build Language Skills

By speaking the same words or phrases over and over you can build and reinforce your child’s understanding of these words and phrases. When incorporated with routines, you can help your child to learn specific words and phrases without needing any special toys or materials.
Here are some of the different routines that you can use to build language skills:
  • Cleaning the house or a specific room
  • Having a bath
  • Cooking or preparing for meal time
  • Reading a book
  • Putting on clothing in the morning
  • Getting undressed in the evening
  • Going to bed

What to Do

Depending on the specific routine or activity, here are some of the different things that you can do:
  • Use straightforward, but meaningful, language:
    • “Up, up, up! Go up on to your bed.”
    • “Your pajamas are under the blanket.”
  • Prepare your child by setting the scene:
    • “It’s night time, it’s time to go to bed!”
    • “Now let’s read a book.”
  • Narrate what you are doing:
    • As you grab the toothpaste, say “now it’s time to squeeze the toothpaste onto the toothbrush.”
    • As you grab a pair of pants, say “now here are your pants”
  • Name each and every object when you first use it or approach it:
    • “Let’s grab the forks and knives.”
    • “Don’t forget to tie your shoe laces.”
  • Imitate the sounds that your child will hear:
    • “The bath water goes splash, splash, splash!”
    • “The zipper goes ziiiiiiiiiiip.”
  • Encourage your child to respond, like saying the word or sound or giving objects names:
    • “What sound does your stuffed animal make?” If it’s dog for example, then encourage them to say “Bark! Bark!”
    • “Where is the broom and dustpan?” Then encourage them to say, “In the closet!”
  • When dressing, give your child the chance to choose:
    • “Do you want the red shirt or the yellow shirt?”
    • “It’s cold outside. What clothes do we need?”
Make sure to encourage your child to play an active role in all of these activities so that he or she engages with the words you’re using. Soon, by doing these exercises over and over again you can help your child to build language skills. Once you feel they’ve mastered some words then move onto more difficult ones. Your child’s progress might surprise you!