Playing with your child is a great way to observe how and why they communicate. After taking the time to observe, enter into the play by following your child’s lead. See the chart below for common play themes and ways that you can build language.
| Food Baby Doll Farm Animals | Body Parts Ocean Life Zoo Animals Jungle Safari | Transportation Kitchen Centre Camping |
Conversation Starters
Playful conversations are a way to engage older children. See the link below for fun conversation starters. Family Activity: Oral Language – Conversation Starters
Crafts
Getting crafty with your child is another great way to build their oral language skills. Because crafts typically involve following a sequence of steps, they are a great way to practise following directions and explaining a procedure. By talking about the craft before, during and after it is completed, you help your child use descriptive language to plan, build and comment on their craft. See below for some crafts you can do at home:
Procedural Language Craft Instructions:
- Child will follow instructions to complete the craft step by step
- Child will retell the steps using the checklist. Encourage child to use long, descriptive sentences while
explaining the steps. - Use “First, Then, Next, Last” visual to help child organize language.
Monkey Craft: Procedural Language and Materials
Elephant Craft: Procedural Language and Materials
Frog Craft: Procedural Language and Materials