One of the best times to reinforce goals for speech and language is during bedtime stories.
Speech sounds can be practiced with sound-loaded stories. Many popular stories already have plenty of words with your child's speech sounds built in! Simply have your child repeat the words after you have read them aloud.
What are some of the language skills that can be honed through books?
-Answering wh-questions
-Sequencing the story and its events
-Describing the pictures and/or characters
-Expanding sentences
-Comparing and contrasting
-Categories and attributes
Best Thanksgiving Books for Speech & Language, according to an SLP:
-Turkey Trouble by Wendi J. Silvano
-Thanksgiving Cats by Jean Marzollo
-Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving by James Dean and Kimberly Dean
-There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey by Lucille Colandro
-Thanksgiving is For Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland
What to do during the bedtime routine?
As an SLP, one of my top choices at Thanksgiving is the book, "Turkey Trouble." When working with a child who is practicing the /L/ sound, read the refrain, "Turkey looked just like a cow...almost." Then, ask the child, "Does Turkey look like a cow?" The child needs to respond using the phrase, "look like..." to practice the /L/ sound.
For language, ask the child to compare a cow vs. a turkey. Point out the different colors, having fur or feathers, and the size of the different animals. The child can also brainstorm a new disguise for the turkey and explain why it would be effective.
Readers: What are your favorite books to read for Thanksgiving?
About the Author: Melissa Goff, M.S., CCC-SLP, is the owner of Sunflower Speech & Myo Therapy in Charlotte, NC.
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