Better Late Than Never - Right?

I intended to post more on play on the day following my previous post but things don't always go as planned. I have had two deaths in my family in the span of two weeks and, as I am sure you can all imagine, my focus shifted a bit. I was only able to get done what absolutely had to be done and unfortunately updating my blog did not make the cut. I am, however, slowly getting out of the fog I have been in and back to work. I will have the play post up by this afternoon.

Play Is Work

For children, playing is more than just play - it is work. They are working to learn about themselves and the world around them. They are working to learn how to interact using words, what words mean, and how to put words together to express thoughts and ideas. They are working to learn how to solve problems, store memories, and to remember new information. They are working to learn how to grasp, to carry things, run, to climb and to balance. They are also working to learn how to negotiate, to cooperate, and how to play by the rules.

Theodore Roosevelt once said "Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing" - so remember to always work hard to play with your children to give you both a chance at one of life's best prizes - work worth doing!

Working hard as an adult to play seems silly to you I am sure - I mean how hard can it be? - it's only playing. The surprising answer is that it is much harder than you would think and many grown-ups, it turns out, are not such naturals at great playing after all so check back tomorrow for some tips on how to be a better playmate to your child.

Great News for Say-N-Play

Say-N-Play was picked up by Technology for Education. Check out the website at www.tfeinc.com.

Talk About Talk: Have You Played Today?

Talk About Talk: Have You Played Today?

Have You Played Today?

I Took His Hand and Followed

My dishes went unwashed today

I didn't make my bed

I took his hand and followed

Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring

My little child and I

Exploring all the great outdoors

Beneath the sun and sky.

We watched a robin feed her young

We climbed a sunlit hill

Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky

We plucked a daffodil.

That my house was so neglected

That I didn't brush the stairs

In twenty years no one on earth

Will know or even care.

But that I've helped my little child

To noble adulthood grow

In twenty years the whole wide world

May look and see and know

~ Author Unknown

Considerations for a Speech Therapy Home Program

In establishing home programs and activities therapists need to consider the following:

1. Practice on a daily basis is the most efficient/effective way to improve articulation, language, feeding or communication goals.

2. Because families of children with special needs are busy and experience significant stress, therapy activities to be carried out at home should be simple, time efficient, cost efficient, and motivating for the child. In addition to regular daily activities, families of children with special needs often have physician appointments, and other therapy appointments. Caregivers are much more likely to provide the child with practice at home or school if techniques are simple, detailed and quick.

3. Children must be motivated by treatment activities provided with your home programs. If the activities are not perceived as “fun,” children will not engage in the activity, and the practice will not occur, as it will become burdensome for caregivers.

Fun Therapy Activity

Looking for a fun new activity to elicit language from your child or your clients? Children love searching for things and this activity lets them do just that! Fill a plastic container with raw elbow macaroni and puzzle pieces or small objects and let the hunt begin. Language opportunities are vast with this simple activity and children stay engaged because they are having so much fun. We use this activity for a range of language skill targets, from basic object labeling to more complex object categorization. As an added bonus, this activity is also great for children with sensory processing difficulties - great tactile input from the macaroni.