{"id":2160,"date":"2012-12-26T21:08:21","date_gmt":"2012-12-26T21:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=2160"},"modified":"2023-11-08T10:21:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:21:59","slug":"build-your-childs-vocabulary-top-speech-therapy-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-therapy-techniques\/build-your-childs-vocabulary-top-speech-therapy-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Build Your Child\u2019s Vocabulary! Top Speech Therapy Activities"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Speech<\/a>

Image source: Grammar.net<\/p><\/div>\n

Speech therapy activities<\/a> often work to improve a child\u2019s understanding of language. If you\u2019ve read our recent posts on boosting expressive language<\/a> and receptive language skills<\/a> in children, you\u2019ve probably already realized that vocabulary has a lot to do with those crucial areas. After all, how can your youngster follow your direction to \u201cStop aggravating your sister, Billy!\u201d when he does not yet understand the word \u201caggravating\u201d? Before jumping to the conclusion that your tiny tot is in a rebellious stage and is purposefully trying not to follow directions, consider whether he understands the vocab you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n

Building a child\u2019s vocabulary probably sounds like a tedious task. But you can banish those images in your head of long hours spent doing flashcard drills (unless, of course, your youngster actually \u2013 gasp! \u2013 enjoys doing flashcards). Building your kidlet\u2019s vocab can \u2013 and should \u2013 be fun! There are countless games you can play that helps strengthen vocab skills, and I\u2019ve listed a few of them in this post to get you started. As always, it\u2019s important to collaborate with your child\u2019s speech-language pathologist (SLP). She can point you in the right direction for speech therapy<\/a> activities that suit your child\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

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Introducing New Words<\/h2>\n

Introduce new words gradually so that your youngster doesn\u2019t become overwhelmed with a bunch of unfamiliar terms. When you use a word, provide a simple definition that you know your child can understand. For example, you can tell your child that \u201caggravating\u201d means \u201cannoying,\u201d but only if your child already understands the definition of \u201cannoying.\u201d Instead, you might tell your child that he\u2019s doing something that his sister doesn\u2019t like. You may need to define each word for him repetitively until he seems to grasp it.<\/p>\n

Reinforcing new Words<\/h2>\n

Reinforce new words so that he remembers the meanings. One great way to do this is simply to scatter them throughout your day-to-day conversations. So while you\u2019re driving your youngster to school, you might say, \u201cThis traffic is aggravating me. I don\u2019t like it at all, because now we might be late.\u201d<\/p>\n