As parents when you deal with your child's speech delay, you most struggle with the communication part. Speech delays and speech language disorders are quite prevalent in children and attempting for parents. Speech therapy can help improve speech, understanding and expressing through language and develop communication in children with speech delay and other similar issues.

Speech therapy involves multiple games, toys, activities and exercises to treat speech language disorders. Parents can also practice these activities at home but it’s significant to consult a proficient speech language therapist to better understand the challenges and required practices for your child. The therapist can help you determine the best speech therapy ideas to do at home.

 

Best fun speech therapy ideas for parents to do at home to motivate your child speak and understand better.

§  Place some stuff out of reach

It’s a simple and fun speech therapy idea to promote your child's speech. Keep some stuff, your child usually need or love, out of his reach. For example, put his favourite toys above the fridge or on a shelve, where he can see them but can’t get himself.  When he will look for that stuff, he will ask you to give that. Either your child will try to speak or ask you to get that stuff, through some signs. It’s a descent way to teach them how to request for something. It’s a tempting strategy to enable speech.

§  Flashcards

You can create some flashcards at home or also get from a store. Show the flashcards to your child for a few minutes everyday and tell what it is and make him repeat. Have patience, give him some time and he will start staring at the flashcards and repeat the names. You can draw daily use items such as cup, toothbrush, toy on the cards and ask your child to colour them and you can provoke him to talk about the items on the cards.

§  Play dough

You can fascinate your kid in various fun play dough activities to nurture his imagination. Normally, kids love to hold and press the clay with their hands. You can create cartoon characters or something else, that your child love. Also help your kid create something to make it more engaging.  Try to keep your kid’s hands busy and talk about what are you going to create for him or what the child is creating. Allow your child to define, what he is making to encourage his activity.

§  Mirror exercises

Mirror exercises are highly considerable to improve speech language disorders in kids. These include very simple activities in front of mirror. Most children love watching themselves in mirror. Some children may have speech problem because they have no idea, how to move their mouths to produce correct sounds. Stand in front of the mirror with your child and speak a few words to make him mimic you. Make funny and silly faces and ask your child to copy you. When the child try to copy you, it utilizes his facial muscles.

§  Singing and reading

Singing songs, rhymes or poems for your child is a nice speech therapy idea to assist your child to speak. Songs and rhymes help children acquire and memorize fresh words and also develop listening skills. Singing or reciting can help enhance their vocabulary. Kids rhymes are a fascinating method for this. You can also try reading a book slowly in front of your child. Tell him what area you reading and show him the pictures in the book.

§  Use bubbles

Bubbles are amazing fun speech therapy idea because these can be used in various ways to foster language development and language skills. Immerse your kid in a bubble blowing activity. Blow bubbles, then give it to your child, see what he do, he may try to blow the bubbles or give it back to you and request for help. You can teach your child signs like sign to open the lid. You can teach some words, turn taking through bubble activities. Bubble blowing works on pucker and lip rounding I.e. essential for creating sounds.

§  Appreciate your child's efforts

Praising and appreciating your kids has a deep effect on their achievement because it increase the feeling of self worth and self esteem. To make it more interesting praise your child in different ways. For example when he try to speak a new word or create something new, appreciate his efforts by clapping, jumping or showing the thumbs up. These creative ways make him feel delighted and facilitate him to do more.

Speech language disorders in your growing children can be sad, frustrating and challenging for parents. May be as a parent you feel responsible for that sometimes, that’s not going to help. You can talk with a speech language therapist and also try above presented speech therapy ideas at home to develop speech skills of your child. Speak slowly, look at him and pay attention when talking to your child, Make it interesting, try something innovative and make it fun for your child.