Games
to
Help Communication*
By Kandie
Demarest
October
14,
2000
(*
this article originally published by Chart & Compass)
Language skills
usually evolve
naturally in a normal family environment. But what if
your child isn't taking to communication as readily as your other kids
did? Maybe he isn't talking as much or understanding what he
hears.
There are fun ways to help kids learn the language skills that come
naturally
to most people.
My son has a
problem processing
language. He can speak fine and understands single words
perfectly
but when you string the words into a sentence he starts to
falter.
Try a paragraph or an abstract question and you've lost him completely.
(well, actually he's lost you completely; he knows where he is but it
is
very hard to follow him and always a surprise if you do figure it
out!)
Today I asked
"What would you do if you found a kitty hurt in the street?"
He
replied
"squished by a car." When I tell him "Go get the pen that is
next
to the
red
hat." He will return with the hat or sometimes whatever red
thing
happens
to
be in the room. He has trouble understanding what his ears
have
heard,
there
is no doubt he did hear it since he many times can repeat it
word
for word.
The problem is the processing of the words.
We
play games
every day that are helping him develop these much needed
language processing
skills. I thought I'd share a few of them for other
parents
of
late language-learners. Many of these games are old classics
like
"I spy
with
my little eye" and some are store-bought but all of them can
be
altered
to
be just perfect for your own child's level and interests.
Guess
My
Name - Ravensburger, for ages 6-10 (Alter directions for use
with
younger
ages)
Board with many pictures of a variety of things, I pick one
thing
to describe
and start with one attribute. "I live in the water….what
am
I?" As
your child's skill increases you can add attributes as in "I live
in
the
water,
I don't have gills, and I am brown." For more advanced kids
you
use
dice and
markers and everyone takes a turn describing the items.
What's
That
Sound? - Discovery Toys, for ages 3 - 8
Play
BINGO
using an audio tape and bingo cards with pictures of corresponding
items
such
as: dog, clock, bird, whistle, frog, baby,piano….
Helps
listening
and following directions and leads into some great
conversations
and silly play.
Tell-A-Story
- Ravensburger, for ages 3-10
Picture
tiles
meant for sequencing to tell a story. Good for helping with
sequencing
skills and talking about before and after also can be used as a
matching game.
For more advanced kids it helps develop imagination and
story-telling
skills.
"What would
you do?" conversation game for all ages.
Start
the game
with a question "What would you do if….you found a
puppy" or
"What
would
you do if…you got lost?" This game is great for
taking a peek
into
your child's
thoughts as well as providing a chance to give ideas and
suggestions
for safe responses. As your child's skills grow so can
the
difficulty
in questions.
"I spy with
my little eye" a good game similar to Guess My Name only
you
have no
cards
for prompts. Instead you choose an item in site and say "I
spy
with my
little
eye something GREEN" and they guess. With every incorrect
answer
you
get to add a clue. This game is helpful whether you are the
spy
or the
guesser.
Your child can get a lot of practice putting words in order
slowly
when
he is the spy.
Touch
and
Tell
This
is a good
tactile experience as well as an opportunity for your child to
describe an
item or guess what it is. Place in a box various items of
differing textures
and shapes such as: smooth stone or mirror, rough
sandpaper,
round marbles or pitted golf balls. Cover your child's eyes
with
a
bandana or
sleeping mask
and
have her
reach into the box and choose one item. Have her hold it in
her
hand
and encourage
her to feel it and try to describe it. What does it feel
like?
What might it be? What could you do with it?
Small
Tape
Recorder with microphone and blank tapes
One
of the most
useful tools I've discovered for language exploring is a
kid-friendly
tape recorder. Show your child how to tape her voice and
songs
or just
funny
noises. She may enjoy recording all the different noises in
her
neighborhood
and having you guess what they are. Or it may be enough to
encourage her
own story-telling attempts. Another must is a good supply of
books
on tape
and a wide variety of music of her own.
Remember that
these games should be FUN. For learning to happen your child
needs
to be
involved-the more fun it is the more they will learn and
remember.
If he isn't successful right away, make the game easier so he
feels
success.
You can always make it more difficult as his skills increase.
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