I’m always on the lookout for books that will support speech and language development in my young clients. I recently purchased “All Better” from Usborne Books and More and I love it! The book has reusable band-aids that can stick onto “boo-boos.” There are so many ways to use this book to build speech and language skills! Here are a few ways I’m using it in speech therapy.
Speech:
Sounds such as “o,” “oo,” and “w” all require lip rounding. This book has many opportunities to practice round lips while say words such as “boo-boo” and “oh no!” These simple words are great for kiddos just learning to talk. This book provides a lot of opportunities for repetitive practice! Other words/phrases to practice include, “All better!” “Ouch!” “Uh-oh,” and “Put it on.”
Imitation:
If your little on is not yet imitating words, they may imitate actions such as giving a kiss. You can incorporate turn-taking as well.
Story Retell:
Around 2-3 years of age, children start to link story elements together. By explaining what’s happening in the picture (“Oh look, the sheep was jumping and he landed in the bush!”) we can scaffold (provide support) in how to retell simple events, the beginning of story-telling.
Prepositions and Body Parts:
Practice putting the band-aid “on” different body parts. Talk about where the animals are hurt and where you need to put the band-aid.
Verbs and Adjectives:
Verbs and adjectives help children build more complex sentences. Model these words by commenting such as “That monkey is swinging!” and “Oh no, that log looks sharp!”
“Wh” Questions:
Practice “wh” questions by asking “Who got hurt?” and “Where is his boo-boo?” Just remember to balance your questions with comments!
Building Language:
Build language by expanding what your child says. For example, if your child says, “hurt,” you can repeat it back and expand by saying, “He is hurt. Ouch!” You can also model language structures such as pronouns (“He is hurt”) -ing ending (“He is crying”) and past tense (“He fell down!”).
Empathy and Social Skills:
Modeling emotion words can help give children the words to express their feelings. Talk about how the character feels (“I can tell by his frown that he feels sad”). You can also use the pictures to brainstorm ways to handle emotions (“When I feel sad, I take a deep breath and think about something that makes me happy”).
You can also work on these skills with regular old band-aids! They often have different patterns in Target’s Dollar Spot! Stay tuned for more posts ways to promote speech and language at home. Be sure to follow my Facebook and Instagram accounts for more ideas!
Brooke Andrews, M.A. CCC-SLP is owner of The Speech Dynamic. Brooke specializes in speech and language development in early childhood and provides in-home speech therapy to families in Houston, TX.
