Months back, I shared my experience of meeting moms who are worried over their kids’ delayed milestone achievements. I firmly believe in the fact that every child is different, however, if a child doesn’t start speaking at 2 years of age, it might be a reason to worry. In that scenario, you might want to opt for Speech Therapy for your child.
Speech therapy helps with using the voice properly and using the muscles to make the right sounds. It helps people understand language and express themselves.
https://intermountainhealthcare.org/services/ear-nose-throat/treatment-and-detection-methods/speech-therapy/
I am not a speech therapy expert, yet would like to share some basic fun activities, which I tried with Kreesha. Kreesha started speaking only after 2nd birthday. She used to say words earlier like Ma, Pa, dada, dadi, ice, rice, dudu, juice, and a few more. So, I playfully involved her in these activities and she started speaking phrases and now she is 2.5 years old and is able to speak long sentences with 10-12 words also.
Activities till 2 years:
- Kreesha started her eye contact with us at an early age of 3 months. So, I started talking to her. She would respond with her eyes and expressions. For example, if she was happy, she would move her legs and if she is sad then she would simply ignore the situation.
- Sharing small details of her daily routine with her like, “now its time to take bath, we are going to sit in bathtub and enjoy the bath”. Verbally explaining your child about their daily routine helps them build vocabulary but develop good habbit also.
- Talk about things baby see in their room, house. Explain what is it and why is it in the house.
- Talk about family and family members.
- Talk about body parts and help them point their body parts.
- Read them stories, rhymes sing them fun songs.
- Show them colours and various objects, wait for them to respond.
Activities after 2 years:
- Speak clearly to your child. Make them aware of the importance of clear speech.
- Do not speak in their language, even if you do, do repeat the correct pronunciation or word also.
- Repeat what they say, so that they are assured you understand what they want to say.
- Show them pictures of various objects found in house, classroom, playground and get them talking about it.
- Play yes or no game. Ask your kids simple questions like, “Do crow fly? Are you hungry?” Let kids respond to your question in a yes or no. Play vice versa – get your child ask questions to you.
- Have a conversation where a child has to make choice like, “Do you want juice or milk?” or “Do you want to go out or play in the house?”
- Talk about various body parts and what it does
- Place some toys in a box and ask your child to pick one-by-one and tell what is it
Exercises to Try:
Paper Blowing is one of the Exercises to boost your kids’ Oral Motor Skills
- Blow a balloon – Blowing a balloon helps the child develop facial muscles, which enable the child to speak easily.
- Paper Blowing – A fun activity that will enhance your kid’s oral motor skills and concentration.
PS: I will soon be sharing a video on my youtube channel with other fun activities to help your kids develop their oral motor skills and enhance their speech.
Love,
Wonder Mom
