Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Thanksgiving Crafts to Make with the Kids

Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Thanksgiving Crafts to Make with the Kids

Games and Activities Parents' Corner
Thanksgiving Crafts

These cute little turkeys make great appetizers at the kids’ table and you can add names for place cards at the dinner table. Image source: www.chattingoverchocolate.com

Somewhere along the way it became November and Thanksgiving is almost here. These Thanksgiving crafts not only help your little ones get into the holiday spirit, but they are easy ways to help prepare for the holiday, too, even producing appetizers, table setting options, and decorations. Continue reading

Word-Final Disfluencies: How Can I Help My Child?

Language Development Speech Disorders Speech Therapist Speech Therapy Techniques

 

Word-final Disfluencies

Word-final disfluencies are often classified as forms of stuttering that occur at the ends of words or sentences. However, the treatments for this disfluency type are often more typical of therapies used for other disfluencies and not necessarily stuttering. Image source: busybeespeech.blogspot.com

Uniqueness is a beautiful thing – unless that is it comes to struggling to find a diagnosis and treatment plan for an uncommon speech disorder. Then unique can translate to undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, either one of which can be frustrating and challenging for families. If you’re a parent of a child with word-final disfluency, chances are that at least one time you’ve been told that your child’s speech pattern is unique, but not necessarily something to worry about or for which to seek therapy. Unique can be beautiful, but if you’ve got that feeling in your parental gut about that not-so-normal-stuttering speech pattern, there are steps you can take to help your child. Continue reading

Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Games That Build Gratitude During the Holidays

Games and Activities Parents' Corner

 

Build Gratitude

Gratitude is good for you! Help your kids experience more of it with these 6 activities. Image source: prettyprovidence.com

Thanksgiving is here – and so is the Christmas season, meaning that kids everywhere will be making lists and making sure they check those lists twice. While the holidays are a wonderful time to share gifts with people who are special in our lives, it can mean that families sometimes feel an imbalance between the getting and the giving. If you’re trying to build gratitude in your kids, try some of these games and activities that remind everyone of the real joys of giving. Continue reading

Reading Aloud – How to Help Kids Succeed

Language Development Reading School

 

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud is an important part of communication and it gives kids the opportunities to build many of these valuable skills. Image source: letsgrowspeech.com

Literacy is an intricate process in which many different aspects of communication and language are involved. Visual awareness of letters and sentences, auditory awareness of phonetics and the spoken language, processing skills for language, and skills for transferring what is read into speaking are all parts of the equation. While reading is generally considered a quiet, if not silent, activity, there are numerous benefits to reading aloud.

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Speech Buddies Parents’ Corner – Travel Games for Little Ones

Games and Activities Parents' Corner Reading

So you’re almost set for the drive to Grandma’s house for the holidays, except there is just one problem – the drive to Grandma’s house with bored and fidgety little ones in the backseat. I always find myself remarking to my kids that never had movies in the backseat or iPods to play while traveling across the country in the back of the station wagon and somehow we managed to survive. While my own kids might have access to those luxuries, it still seems that the best boredom busters while traveling are good (dare I say old-fashioned) travel games.

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