{"id":2178,"date":"2012-12-28T21:38:02","date_gmt":"2012-12-28T21:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=2178"},"modified":"2023-11-08T10:22:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:22:03","slug":"speech-therapy-activities-for-kids-on-the-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-therapy-techniques\/speech-therapy-activities-for-kids-on-the-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Got a Hyperactive Youngster? Try These Speech Therapy Activities for Kids On the Move!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sports<\/a>

Image source: Facebook.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Many at-home speech therapy activities and techniques, such as Speech Buddies<\/a>, can often be squeezed into a few minutes here and there before bedtime, while making dinner, etc. In many cases, simply knowing how to talk to your speech disordered child can make a huge difference. But did you know that you can also customize your child\u2019s favorite sport to turn it into a fun speech therapy session?<\/p>\n

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In recent years, there\u2019s been a trend toward aquatic therapy for speech disordered patients. Some speech-language pathologists (SLPs)<\/a> have been hosting their lesson plans in local pools or aquatic facilities in rehabilitation centers. In particular, patients with certain medical conditions, such as cerebral palsy,<\/a> can benefit because they are afforded more support for diaphragmatic movement and lung expansion. The result is that these patients have achieved better articulation<\/a> and voice projection. Plus, it\u2019s fun and relaxing for your child! There\u2019s a good reason why humans find the ocean so calming and peaceful; in fact, one could argue that humans are innately drawn to the water<\/a>. But you could customize any sport to suit your youngster\u2019s speech therapy needs, not just swimming.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve found that it\u2019s tricky to keep your child engaged in speech therapy activities, try tweaking them to fit your child\u2019s favorite sport. If he loves to swim, talk to his SLP about whether aquatic therapy would benefit him. Otherwise, take your cues from baseball, football, or whatever physical activity your youngster enjoys. Here are a few ideas to get you started.<\/p>\n

Vocab Building<\/strong><\/p>\n

Use sports to expand your child\u2019s vocabulary.<\/a> They provide a great opportunity to work on verbs, adjectives, and prepositions. For example, make a point of describing actions to your child and encourage him to do the same. \u201cLook, Lucas! Sarah\u2019s Frisbee flew under (preposition!) the bench and into the mud puddle! What color is the Frisbee now that it\u2019s all muddy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sports<\/a>

Image source: Absolutelywindows.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Here\u2019s another sample speech therapy activity to work on more basic vocabulary. Toss a Nerf ball back and forth with your youngster. When one of you catches it, say, \u201cI caught the ball!\u201d This reinforces the connection between the word \u201cball\u201d and the object. Tweak this concept to label various objects from other sports and descriptive words associated with them.<\/p>\n

Articulation with Sports<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speech therapy activities with sports could also be tweaked to work on your child\u2019s articulation. Play baseball, softball, etc. with your child. As he rounds each base, he must call out a target sound or word that he\u2019s currently working on with his SLP. If he gets a hit or makes a catch, he will be challenged to think of a sentence with at least two words that contain the target sound. Tweak those rules to suit your child\u2019s needs and interests.<\/p>\n

Sports-Themed Crafts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Outdoors play is great for kids, but what if it\u2019s raining outside? You can still do speech therapy activities with a sports theme, just adapt them to a crafts activity. For example, have your child draw a picture related to his favorite sport, such as a football. Then, write or have your child write a few target words that he\u2019s working on inside the football. Give him a minute to review the words, then flip the paper over and challenge him to say as many of them as he can remember.<\/p>\n