Lets Roll: using toiletries as toys

I'll probably never go into someone's home for a speech session and say, "Hey, let's go to the bathroom and play with toilet paper!" Parents, you'd send me on my way, right? But as a mama myself, I know that when you're trying to put your make-up on in the morning, you need to occupy your little one for at least a few minutes. My one year old tends to occupy himself, usually by digging through the cabinets and drawers to find all sorts of exciting no-no's. So, why not make life easier and give them some yes-yes's to play with! One great idea is several rolls of toilet paper! Stacking is a great motor skill, and you can practice the vocabulary words "up, on" as they stack, and then "ready, set, go" before the tower gets knocked down, then "down" as they all come tumbling to the floor. Of course, he might think it's great fun to start tearing off pieces of toilet paper to hand to you. Really, who cares, as long as he's not using up an entire roll! As he hands you pieces you can model "more", "piece", "little." And again, tearing off those little pieces is great fine motor practice! Your kiddo is going to think he is something else for getting to play with an off-limits "toy"--and usually those are the kind that keep their attention the longest! So sip your coffee, put on your mascara, and enjoy the morning:) Happy Talking!

Sit dog, sit! Using the family pet to develop language

A few posts back, I think I wrote something along the lines of "never, ever, ever (ever, ever) wanting a dog." Well, sometime this summer that changed, and all I could think about was wanting a dog! So after some persuading the hubby, we got Bodi, a fluffy black Cockapoo with a sweet heart, sloppy kisses, and sharp little teeth. I had to quickly teach my kids the appropriate way to show him who is boss. So, within the past three weeks my children have heard me say "down" and "sit" about 3,000,000 times. And guess what, my 16 month old now looks at Bodi and says "da" (down) and "tit" (sit), words he was not saying before. Repetition, repetition, repetition! Sometimes a child needs to hear a word many times before he will try to say it, and then he will have to say it many times before he can pronounce it correctly. So if there is a word you really want your child to say, make sure he hears you say it frequently! And if it is a really hard word, find a way to simplify it, such as nana/banana, papa/grandpa, or tato/potato. Accept a close approximation of the word (da/down), and praise him for his attempts! What word do you really want your child to say? Happy Talking!

Signing Sick Day

Back in May, all three of my kids were sick for an entire week.  It meant a lot of missed work, a lot of running to the doctor, and a lot of snuggling on the couch with my poor, sick babes.  I fully intended to take the week off of blogging, and return to writing the following week.  But, well, you know, life happens.  Memorial Day, weddings, summer, birthdays, etc.  Before you know it, it's been over two months since I've written a blog post!  My promise to myself is to return to doing 1-2 blog posts a week, and starting off with "signing sick day", in honor of the reason I "fell off the bloggin wagon" to begin with.  The sign for this week is sick, which I believe can also be used for "hurt." 

Here's hoping your family's are staying healthy this summer.  Ironically as I write this, my youngest is sick, again....