{"id":619,"date":"2020-04-20T17:02:38","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T00:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/?p=619"},"modified":"2020-05-08T13:24:11","modified_gmt":"2020-05-08T20:24:11","slug":"supporting-your-childs-language-skills-when-playing-outside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/2020\/04\/20\/supporting-your-childs-language-skills-when-playing-outside\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting your child’s language skills when playing outside"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"While keeping a safe physical distance from others, you can support your child’s language skills when playing outside.\u00a0 You can download a handout on supporting your child\u2019s language skills when playing outside and handouts for other activities here.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Activities and Strategies<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. Wait for eye contact from your child to encourage an activity to keep going.\u00a0 Any games that build up suspense like chase, tickles, or \u201cGo, Go, <\/span>Stop<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0are good<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>At the moment<\/span> when the child is expecting you to catch\/tickle\/pick them up, wait for them to look at you before you follow through with the action.\u00a0 Even if your child is using words, it is important for them to be using eye contact when they make a request such as\u00a0<\/span>Chase me!<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Take turns doing<\/span>\u00a0actions and make a sentence to describe what you<\/span>\u00a0are<\/span>\u00a0doing<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>For example,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I am jumping<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Extend\u00a0<\/span>on what the child has said\u00a0<\/span>with more details as appropria<\/span>te, for example you can say<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>I am jumping\u00a0<\/span><\/i>on the rock<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Model the use of basic language concepts when you\u2019re outside:\u00a0<\/span>I am\u00a0<\/span><\/i>up<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and you are\u00a0<\/span><\/i>down<\/span><\/i>. We\u2019re going to go\u00a0<\/span><\/i>slow<\/span><\/i>\u00a0this time! We are going\u00a0<\/span><\/i>over<\/span><\/i> the bridge.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Repeat, Repeat, Repeat!\u00a0 You may do one concept a week or two a day; move at your child\u2019s pace!\u00a0 Here is a list of basic language concepts: <\/span>On\/Off, Same\/Different, Happy\/Sad, Full\/Empty, Loud\/Quiet, Old\/Young, Sharp\/Dull, Tall\/Short, In front of\/Behind Up\/Down, More\/Less, Top\/Bottom, Big\/Little, All\/None, Front\/Back, Thick\/Thin, Old\/New, Long\/Short, Hard\/Soft, Over\/Under, Hot\/Cold, Smooth\/Rough, High\/Low, Always\/Never, Heavy\/Light, Forward\/Backward, Above\/Below.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Make obstacle courses.\u00a0 Use different action and concept words to describe what you do to make it through the course.\u00a0 <\/span>First, climb over the rock. Then, crawl under the branch. Last, hop in the circle.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Plan a walk or bike journey.\u00a0 Picture your route and the turns you\u2019ll take, and landmarks you\u2019ll see along the way.\u00a0 Put on \u201cfuture glasses\u201d, which help<\/span>\u00a0your child<\/span>\u00a0think about the future and places\u00a0<\/span>they<\/span>\u00a0will be later<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0 What will\u00a0<\/span>they<\/span>\u00a0do and see there?\u00a0 After, think about what matched\u00a0<\/span>thei<\/span>r expectations and what did not.\u00a0 Use\u00a0<\/span>First, next, then, last\u00a0<\/span><\/i>sequencing words.\u00a0 Draw a map or picture for a visual support.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. D<\/span>escribe thing<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>you see\u00a0<\/span>on a walk, add<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>detail<\/span>s to make\u00a0<\/span>your child\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0sentences<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>longer and\u00a0<\/span>more interesting<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>e.g., <\/span>That is a big, tall tree.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>The tree<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is growing\u00a0<\/span><\/i>light green\u00a0<\/span><\/i>buds!<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Work on developing\u00a0<\/span>their<\/span> opinions by making a comment.\u00a0 e.g.,<\/span>\u00a0Look, that\u2019s cool!<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>or\u00a0<\/span>I don\u2019t like those.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Play m<\/span>odified Red Rover<\/span>\u00a0to w<\/span>ork on listening skills and following directions.\u00a0 <\/span>Have one person shouting directions<\/span>, e.g.,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Red Rover, Red Rover I<\/span><\/i>f you\u2019re wearing red, come over<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0If you have an\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u2018<\/span><\/i>A<\/span><\/i>\u2019<\/span><\/i>\u00a0in your name, come over.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0If you can hop on one foot, come over.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0If you can put\u00a0<\/span><\/i>a rock under a leaf<\/span><\/i>, come over.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Play follow the leader, and take turns being the leader.\u00a0 Move in a funny way, and the other person will then switch to copy your movement.\u00a0 You can emphasize\u00a0<\/span>First, Next,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Now<\/span><\/i> concepts (e.g.,\u00a0<\/span>First I am stomping, now I am skipping.<\/span><\/i>), or pronouns (e.g., <\/span>I<\/span><\/i>\u00a0am spinning and\u00a0<\/span><\/i>you<\/span><\/i>\u00a0are copying, now\u00a0<\/span><\/i>we<\/span><\/i>\u00a0are both spinning!<\/span><\/i>), or you can emphasize past tense verbs (e.g., <\/span>I jumped.\u00a0 I ran.\u00a0 I walked backward.<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0 You could also work on vocabulary development by acting out the differences between words like\u00a0<\/span>walk, stroll, saunter, meander, run, jog, sprint, sneak, tiptoe, creep,<\/span><\/i>\u00a0etc.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Draw a hopscotch with sidewalk chalk full of different actions and directions to follow.\u00a0 Take turns adding on steps and then playing them out.\u00a0 Remember to talk about what you\u2019re doing!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Work on categorization as a family game with inspiration in the outdoors, e.g., <\/span>Name all the flying things you can, name all the green things you can, flowers, cars etc.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Or you can say three examples from a category and have\u00a0<\/span>your\u00a0<\/span>child think of the category or group name, e.g.\u00a0<\/span>Bird, airplane, bee.\u00a0 These are all ________.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 This supports vocabulary development, word retrieval, and executive functioning skills.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  11. Play Eye Spy to work on describing, listening, and making smart guesses.\u00a0 For example, <\/span>I spy with my little eye something that is round, black and white, and you kick it.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  12. Go on a T<\/span>reasure\/Scavenger Hunt.<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>Before going out, m<\/span>ake a visual checklist\u00a0<\/span>(draw or find photos)\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0things you<\/span>\u2019ll<\/span>\u00a0need<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>search for<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span>Encourage your child to\u00a0<\/span>m<\/span>ake smart guesses about where\u00a0<\/span>they<\/span>\u00a0think you might have to look for some of these items<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Hunts can be all about a certain category (e.g., looking for <\/span>hard<\/span>\u00a0things in nature<\/span>, or\u00a0<\/span>yellow<\/span>\u00a0things, etc.<\/span>), or you can choose a sound of the day (e.g.\u00a0<\/span>Today we are going to look for things that all start with the S<\/strong> sound.<\/span><\/i>).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  13. Collect pieces of nature (e.g., leaves, rocks, flowers, twigs) and sort them, talking about characteristics, similarities, differences, etc.\u00a0 Organize them in different ways to explore different concepts. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  14. Look for stuff outside and think of as many rhyming words as you can<\/span>\u00a0with your child<\/span>.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have to all be real words; made up words are fine if they fit into the rhyming pattern (e.g., If you find a twig: <\/span>twig, big,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>mig<\/span><\/i>, sig,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>lig<\/span><\/i>, jig, pig, wig, zig<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0 If your child is getting stuck, try providing them with a few examples and then the first sound and have them finish the rhyme (e.g., <\/span>Twig, big, m___?<\/span><\/i>)<\/span><\/li>\n
  15. Say a letter sound<\/span>\u00a0(<\/span>mmmm<\/span><\/i>)\u00a0<\/span>and have your child try to figure out the letter<\/span>\u00a0name (\u201cM\u201d), or vice versa<\/span>.\u00a0 They can try to make\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>letter<\/span>\u00a0names<\/span>\u00a0with their\u00a0<\/span>bodies<\/span>, or<\/span> create an action to match the sound (e.g., wiggling for a\u00a0<\/span>ssssss<\/span><\/i>nake<\/span>)<\/span>. <\/span><\/li>\n
  16. Draw a picture story in sidewalk chalk, taking turns to add characters or problems\/events and solutions.\u00a0 Taking turns with the development of the story helps build flexible thinking and communication when working together.<\/span><\/li>\n
  17. Paint rocks into characters and have them talk to each other.\u00a0 Or paint vehicles, animals, or whatever your child is interested in and make a narrative or story.\u00a0 Talk about what the objects are doing and make up a story about it using\u00a0<\/span>First, Then, Last<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 They can retell their story to another family member later!<\/span><\/li>\n
  18. When playing pretend, use Job Talk.\u00a0 This means you give a title to all participants that helps them visualize more easily what they will do<\/span>\u00a0and build<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0their exec<\/span>u<\/span>tive function skills<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>E<\/span>.g., <\/span>Okay, let\u2019s play restaurant now!\u00a0 I\u2019ll be the<\/span><\/i>\u00a0server, and you be the chef.\u00a0 Your sister will be the customer.\u00a0 What do chefs do?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>You can also use Job Talk in non-play scenarios to make them more fun, e.g.,<\/span>\u00a0Okay now we are all\u00a0<\/span><\/i>cleaner uppers<\/span><\/i>!<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0or<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Let\u2019s see who\u00a0<\/span><\/i>can be the best\u00a0<\/span><\/i>custodia<\/span><\/i>n<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and clean up fastest<\/span><\/i>!<\/span><\/li>\n
  19. Make a witch\u2019s brew of stuff outside\u00a0<\/span>in a bucket\u00a0<\/span>(e.g. grass, leaves, dirt, rocks, petals, etc<\/span>.<\/span>), and talk about what you\u2019re<\/span>\u00a0all<\/span>\u00a0adding, and mixing, etc. and what your potion might do.\u00a0 Think about what\u00a0<\/span>magic\u00a0<\/span>spells you could do too.\u00a0 How would nice spells or mean spells or funny spells make others feel?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  20. Play detective: Infer what an animal or person might be doing and predict what they will do next.\u00a0 To make a smart guess, <\/span>look<\/span>\u00a0with your eyes,\u00a0<\/span>listen<\/span>\u00a0with your ears, and\u00a0<\/span>think<\/span> about what you know. E.g.,\u00a0<\/span>I see that person is holding shopping bags, and I know that the grocery store is nearby. I can make a smart guess that they just went to the store!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>You can also try to predict the weather:<\/span>\u00a0I see some grey clouds and I hear some wind.\u00a0 I think it might rain soon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/span>Optional\u00a0websites to\u00a0explore\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

    \u00a0<\/span>Basic Concepts<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span>Playing hopscotch<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span>Pretend\u00a0<\/span>Play<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    While keeping a safe physical distance from others, you can support your child’s language skills when playing outside.\u00a0 You can download a handout on supporting your child\u2019s language skills when playing outside and handouts for other activities here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8620,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8620"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1014,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619\/revisions\/1014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sd41.bc.ca\/slp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}