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RECEPTIVE AND EXPRESSIVE
LANGUAGE TASKS TO REINFORCE AT HOME WITH A PREVERBAL CHILD
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Give
directives like “Give, Get, Find, Show, Point…” and “Put in, Take out,
Put on, Take off…”
Ask
questions like “Where?” “Is/Are/Do/Does,” and “Want _____? Go_____? See_____?”
Encourage and model responses through pointing, eye gaze, sign, gesture,
facial expression and vocalizations.
Teach
body awareness through song, puppet/stuffed animal/doll play, and mirror
play.
Teach
action words with body parts (e.g. “Clap hands, Raise hands,
Shake
hands”) and toys (Throw ball, Roll ball, Kick ball”).
Teach
opposites/concepts with toys (e.g. “Car up. Car down. Car
fast.
Car slow. Car stop. Car go”).
Teach
categories through sorting activities (e.g. putting clothes, toys, and
groceries away).
Teach
functions with objects (e.g. “Eat with a spoon.Stir with
a spoon”).
Pair
words with objects, pictures, gestures, sign and text to facilitate understanding.
Stimulate
oral-motor play with mirrors, whistles/horns, and bubbles.
Encourage
exploration of the nose and mouth while vocalizing.
Exaggerate
oral-motor movements and vocal inflections.
Imitate
your child’s vocalizations.
Pair
sounds with activities (e.g. “M-m-m” while humming to music or eating,
“B-b-b” while bouncing a ball).
Imitate
environmental and animal sounds
Model
and reinforce meaningful vowels and consonant-vowel/vowel-consonant syllables
like:
Ow,
Oh, Uh-oh, Ooo, I, Uh-uh, Ah, M-m-m, Whee, Yeah, Hi, Ha, Pee, Pa, No, Neigh,
Do, Bye, Boo, Baa, Me, My, Moo, Ma, Go, In, On, Out, Up, Eat, Eek, Ick,
Ugh.
Sing
songs and recite nursery rhymes.
Play
gesture, fingerplay, and action games.
Accept
and reinforce all communicative attempts.
Many
preschool and kindergarten web sites have thematic songs and fingerplays
set to familiar tunes.