Articulation Disorder Therapy: Exercises You Can Do During Playtime
If your child has an articulation disorder, you may well know how impactful it is to weave targeted speech exercises into their everyday routines, especially during playtime! Playtime learning takes the pressure off and can make learning and retention feel more natural and fun. Today, we’ll discuss some easy ways to include some practice and learning strategies that improve skills without cutting into their natural rhythms and playtime.
Playful Practice Sound Games
Did you know that playing cars can be word practice too? While they’re having fun “driving a car around a track,” have your child say a target word each time they reach a key point in the track, such as the starting line or a dinosaur figure.
If your child is struggling with the /s/ sound in /s-blends/, playing a game like “I Spy” is a great way to get some practice in while engaging their creativity, enforcing problem-solving skills, and practicing their /s/ sound over and over again. This type of articulation disorder therapy makes a huge difference while feeling like a fun, interactive game for your child.
Modeling and Mirror Exercises
Modeling and mirroring are helpful for letting children visually see how it looks to make a sound with their mouth. To make this feel like play, have your child practice a few target words before routine tasks, such as brushing their teeth or washing hands, while you, the parent, provide quick models and mirroring attempts.
Storytelling and Interactive Activities
Storytelling and reading is another way to inspire creativity and imagination while getting speech sound practice in. During storytime, pause at words containing the target sound that your child is working on, prompting them to repeat the word. Try to remember to enunciate the sound each time you say the word so that it’s clear and helpful for learning.
There are a variety of other speech sound disorder activities that you can do with your child, and at Find My Voice Speech Therapy, we can help you with specific playtime games and exercises that are more specific to the needs of your child. Our goal is always to ensure that your child is learning and growing in ways that work for them so that they can excel to their full potential. If you’re looking for more support with speech therapy, please contact us at Find My Voice Speech Therapy in St. Pete.
