EXPLORE SPEECH & LANGUAGE AT....
Labor Day Celebrations
Monday, September 7th in towns throughought the region, including:
Greenbelt, MD ~ Kensington, MD ~ Herndon, VA
The DC/MD/VA area is rife with parades and carnivals in celebration of Labor Day. So, pick your local Labor Day festival and enjoy a day of holiday fun as you help your child strengthen his/her language skills!
TALKING
EXPLORE: Describing
ENRICH: Sensory Descriptors
ENGAGE: The ability to describe a food item
Labor Day festivals often have a wide array of food, often from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Challenge your child to try a food he/she has never tasted before and use his/her senses to describe the experience.
PARENT PROMPT:
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After your child tastes the new food, have him/her describe the food using the following senses. Remind him/her to use complete sentences:
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How does it look? (e.g. size, shape, color)
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How does it feel? (e.g. texture, hardness)
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How does it taste? (e.g. salty, sweet, bitter, sour, spicy)
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*Bonus: After your child is done describing the food, ask him/her to state his/her opinion of the new food in a sentence and give a reason for that opinion (e.g. "I liked the mango because it was sweet and juicy.")
LISTENING
EXPLORE: Following Directions
ENRICH: Understanding Multi-Step Oral Directions
ENGAGE: The ability to follow directions to play a game
It is an ideal situation to practice following directions with your child when he/she is motivated to do something fun. A Labor Day festival can present the perfect opportunity for your child to work on following directions in order to play a fun carnival game.
PARENT PROMPT:
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Have your child choose a game that he/she wants to play. Ask the perosn in charge of the game to explain the directions (if it is an un-attended game, give the directions to your child yourself). Then, ask your child to do the following:
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Restate the directions in complete sentences
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Use sequencing words such as first, next, then, and last
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Follow the directions to play the game
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If your child forgets a direction, give him/her a verbal cue such as, "You threw the first beanbag and didn't make it in the hole. What do you have to do next?"
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WORD PLAY
EXPLORE: Articulation
ENRICH: Pronunciation of Speech Sounds in Sentences
ENGAGE: The ability to produce the /p/ sound
The /p/ sound is one of the earliest-developing sounds and it is also a very common sound in the English language. Being able to make a clear, strong /p/ sound helps children to be better understood by others.
PARENT PROMPT:
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Have your child practice /p/ while watching a Labor Day Parade! See if he/she can find 10 objects or actions in the parade that have the /p/ sound in them (e.g. PuPPy, jumPing, caP). Then, ask him/her to use each word in a sentence. Remind him/her to:
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Make a strong /p/ sound by closing his/her lips and releasing them with a puff of air
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Use a complete sentence
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Speak slowly and clearly
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EXPLORE: Conversations With Peers
ENRICH: Social Use of Language
ENGAGE: The ability to initiate a conversation
In order to make new friends, children need to be able to initiate a conversation with someone they don't know. A Labor Day festival is a great place to practice this skill because there are so many exciting topics to talk about.
PARENT PROMPT:
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Challenge your child to introduce themselves to another child at the festival and to start a conversation. Before your child approaches someone, help them brainstorm ideas for festival-related topics to talk about, such as an interesting performance in the parade or a favorite carnival activity.
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Start with a greeting (e.g. "Hello")
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Introduce him/herself (e.g. "My name is ___")
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Make a comment or ask a question (e.g. "What was your favorite part of the parade?"
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