Summer Pool and Water Fun - Auditory Verbal Therapy

Summer and the swimming go hand in hand for many families with young children. The opportunity for maximizingListening and Spoken Language (LSL) learning is immense and cumulative for water-loving families over an entire summer. Early in June, I often coach parents/caregivers and we brainstorm and plan together LSL goals to target while they are enjoying the pool and related routines. The child’s age and goals dictate the activities and strategies. I help families understand and take advantage of water-resistant hearing technology and related gear/equipment.

For home-based LSL auditory verbal intervention the backyard plastic pool is equally as effective as play-based clinic therapy with a container of water and pool themed manipulatives or in my case, I am fortunate to have a Fisher Price Little People pool.


 A few of the pool related LSL vocabulary themed areas I’ve targeted with families involve:
  • Packing a bag to go to the pool or grabbing a suit, towel, and toys for the backyard
  • What’s goes in the bag or what do we need for our pool? (Towels, sunscreen, hats, shovels… )
  • Putting on a swimsuit or dressing a doll (The straps go over your shoulders.)
  • Rubbing sunscreen on your toes vs. nose. Body parts vocabulary expansion - forehead, cheeks…
  • The weather –> sunny, too hot, cloudy, bright, humid, breezy
  • The water–> warm/cool; deep/shallow; sink/float; above, below or under
  • Pool/ sand toys –> and related activities (splashing, digging, castles…)
  • Pool snacks or a picnic lunch –> popsicles, ice cream sandwiches...
  • Swimsuit, bathing suit, bikini, trunks…
  • Barefoot –> shoes, sandals, flipflops, water shoes
  • Pool related words/phrases that sound similar to little listeners such as – sun, sunny, sunscreen, sunburn, suntan, sunglasses…
  • Old MacDonald had a pool E I E I O. And in that pool her had a toy boat.. with a ppppp…
  • Motor Boat, Motor Boat Song ( goes so fast, slow, goes around and around…)

Fisher Price Little People Pool/Mattel Barbie Pool

Dave Sindrey’s pool/beach themed murals, games, and materials in The Listening Room




Pool fun is great entries in an Experience Book
What summer LSL ideas can you share?

Kicking Off Summer Read Aloud

Summer by Alice Low
 is my kick off to the season read aloud in AVT. 
Listening to the rhyming text leads to prediction and auditory closure skills.

 “Oh, the wonderful things that summer brings—swimming at the beach, making sand castles, catching butterflies, eating watermelon, toasting marshmallows, watching fireworks!” 



Turtle Crossing and Auditory Verbal Therapy

I told a Little Listener and his Dad that I saw a big turtle in the middle of the road this morning.


 Hours later I received a text from their Nanny saying he told her the story about the turtle. This 3 year old listened, comprehended, remembered and retold the story later in the day! WooHoo! 

My turtle adventure turned into this language rich turtle craft.

Picnic Fun in Auditory Verbal Therapy

Picnic Fun Across The Ages and Stages

1. Identify the child's goals
2. A Picnic Theme has limitless possibilities in your session and for carryover at home.

This week at the Auditory Verbal Center of Wheaton

What a picnic!

Barbeque Party Game 
https://www.amazon.com/Barbecue-Party-Grill-Before-Flying/dp/B008VGOJS4

Barrier Game and Critical Elements While Making Sandwiches

No session is complete without a good book and a song or two.

Target listening and spoken language goals with this interactive shared screen two player BBQ App BAMBA

MAKING FRESH-SQUEEZED LEMONADE


ACROSS THE AGES AND STAGES IN AUDITORY VERBAL THERAPY









1. AUDITORY COMPREHENSION AND USE OF TARGETED NOUNS, VERBS AND ADJECTIVES:

 BE CREATIVE! EXPAND YOUR CHILD'S CURRENT LISTENING AND LANGUAGE SKILLS.

NOUNS: LEMONS,  LEMONADE, PEEL, FRUIT, PULP....
VERBS: SQUEEZE, SLICE, TWIST, JUICE...
ADJECTIVES: YELLOW, SOUR, TART, STICKY

2. AUDITORY MEMORY, AUDITORY ASSOCIATION, KNOWLEDGE:

 HELP A FRIEND MAKE LEMONADE BY TELLING THEM THE RECIPE AND STEPS.

3. AUDITORY COMPREHENSION AND EXPRESSIVE USE OF AND CONCEPTS:

WHOLE/HALF/PART
ALL/SOME/NONE
FIRST, SECOND...LAST
FIRST AND THEN
BEFORE/AFTER

4. AUDITORY MEMORY AND SEQUENCING:

TAKE A VIDEO OR DRAW STICK FIQURE DIRECTIONS.
 THEN SEQUENCE THE RECIPE PICTURE CARDS IN CORRECT ORDER AND RETELL THE STORY

5. HAVE YOUR CHILD LISTEN TO YOU TELL THE LEMONADE STORY. 

 USE A "STORY TRACKING" TECHNIQUE TO TARGET CLEAR SPEECH, "LITTLE WORDS" ETC.


6. AUDITORY SEQUENCING AND RETELLING WITH TARGETED VERB TENSES 

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE: 

LYNN IS SLICING THE LEMON IN HALF.
SQUEEZING THE JUICE MAKES MY HAND HURT.
LYNN IS MAKING A FUNNY SOUR FACE AND PUCKERING HER LIPS


PRESENT TENSE: 

LYNN SQUEEZES THE JUICE FROM THE LEMON.
LYNN SMELLS THE SOUR FRUIT.
LYNN SPILLS THE SUGAR ON THE TABLE

REGULAR PAST TENSE:

LYNN POURED THE JUICE INTO THE CUPS.
LYNN ADDED SUGAR TO THE JAR.
LYNN MEASURED THE SUGAR AND STIRRED THE LEMONADE.


IRREGULAR PAST TENSE:

LYNN THREW AWAY THE LEMON PEEL.
WE ALL DRANK THE DELICIOUS BUT SOUR LEMONADE.


7. TELL SOMEONE ELSE HOW YOU MADE LEMONADE USING YOUR 

AUDITORY MEMORY, AUDITORY SEQUENCING SKILLS AND DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE ABILITIES


8. USE CRITICAL THINKING SKILL AND TALK ABOUT HOW YOU WOULD MAKE ORANGE JUICE.