{"id":3862,"date":"2013-05-09T12:24:21","date_gmt":"2013-05-09T12:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/?p=3862"},"modified":"2023-11-08T10:28:21","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T18:28:21","slug":"using-imaginative-play-in-speech-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.speechbuddy.com\/blog\/speech-therapy-techniques\/using-imaginative-play-in-speech-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Imaginative Play in Speech Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"importance<\/a>

Source: supportingimagination.com<\/p><\/div>\n

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Imagination is a key<\/a> part to childhood. That\u2019s why advertisements, like McDonalds, with kid\u2019s playing pretend in boxes might make us smile. Maybe you can remember a time when you dressed up like a pirate, made an elaborate fort from pillows or created an elaborate tale of a princess in a castle. All of these are important parts of childhood because the involved: peer play, creativity, story telling and most of all, elaborate language. Imaginative play in speech therapy<\/a> can be an integral part of fostering language, here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

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\"child<\/a>

Source: trendhunter.com<\/p><\/div>\n

What is imagination?<\/h2>\n

Imagination is \u201cis the ability to form new images and sensations that are not perceived through sight, hearing, or other senses. Imagination helps make knowledge applicable in solving problems and is fundamental to integrating experience and the learning process\u201d<\/em> (Wikipedia).<\/p>\n

The basic components of imagination are: listening<\/strong> and storytelling<\/strong>. Already we can see that listening (auditory comprehension) and storytelling (narrative skills) are big part of language development. Auditory comprehension skills are those that allow us to hear and understand what\u2019s being said. In pretend or imaginative play, this might also be following the plot as it\u2019s being developed, understand the words<\/a> and vocabulary being used and responding appropriately to your playmate\u2019s pirate conversation. Narrative skills are those that let us tell others about our experiences. Good narratives skills develop early, even young toddlers communicate about what happened early in the day or share new information.<\/p>\n

How Can we Use it in Speech Therapy?<\/h2>\n

Imagination certainly has it\u2019s place in speech pathology, though with a bit more structure. Consider using pretend and imagination with some specific tips and tricks in mind:<\/p>\n