Preschooler communication stimulation at home

Published: 24 Jul 2020 Tagged: articulation disorderschildrendevelopmentlearning differencesliteracypre-schoolerspreschoolerPronunciationSLPSpeakablespeakingspeech and language pathologystimulationvocabulary

Between two and five years old, crucial developmental milestones are reached by most children, which will influence the rest of their lives regarding school performance, entering the workforce, having a satisfying social life and self-realisation. Therefore, each and every effort from parents and carers over children in such age must be provided to keep the development on track. Sometimes, psychological or neurological factors might hinder the expected development, but healthcare and education professionals are always available to plan and implement extra activities to maintain stimulation.

However, the most important stimulation happens at home with family members, the child’s main models for the rest of their lives. Because of this essential role, simple but meaningful activities can be conducted by parents, carers and other influential people in order to help the child’s communication stimulation, such as:

• Wording jokes and riddles. Since language and vocabulary are still under development, word games to analyse existing words, such as rhyming, and even making up words is something preschoolers might enjoy a lot.
• Storytelling is a must to help with vocabulary acquisition, but also to stimulate the child’s imagination. You can take turns telling a story and then listening to a story retold by the child, or completely made up from him/her. Watch the following video where a French girl is making up a story:
• Music is always an enriching experience. When at home or in the car, songs with an interesting vocabulary to be acquired can be played, and even the child and people around could sing them to stimulate articulation and pronunciation.
• Reading aloud together can make a remarkable influence over the child’s learning curve, by following the way other people talk and use intonation. It’s crucial for preschooler literacy.
• Explore the child’s interests when it’s an opportune moment. For example, if the child likes animals, a simple bird nearby can become the topic of a rich and engaging conversation which will use a vast vocabulary and the child’s confidence to communicate about it.

As you can see, not much effort is needed to stimulate a preschooler’s communication skills – besides the rational and logical reasons for such activities, all of them are wonderful opportunities to strengthen family and friendship bonds with children. The more you spend time with children, the more both sides can share support, happiness and love.