Social Distancing continues to be a topic of discussion across the nation. Many parents feel anxious about the unknown and figuring out ways to keep their kids busy. Don’t let social distancing get you down! There are many fun activities you can do with your child at home during this time to build their language skills. Here are 5 ways to promote language skills while chillin’ at home:
- Play a board game. Board games are indeed a great way to practice language skills. From following directions, labeling, answering questions, turn-taking, to participating in back-and-forth communication exchanges your child will benefit in great ways from a board game. Make it fun by creating a weekly “game night” and allowing your child to choose the game.
- Read an e-book on Oxford Owl. Here is a fun way to get some reading practice on the tablet or computer. This online e-library is free and offers many digital books for ages 3-11. You can work on naming vocabulary, asking and answering questions, as well as story retell.
- Watch some fun and educational videos on YouTube. There are many videos that promote language and vocabulary development across various Youtube channels. From basic vocabulary to academic concepts, there are excellent videos to engage with your child in. Just grab a seat beside your child and have fun dancing, singing, and talking about what you see on the screen. (Some great options are Blippi and CoComelon)
- Cooking. Oh yes! Cooking is not only appealing to your appetite, but also loaded with language concepts. From spatial concepts (i.e. “on, in, out”) to using sequence words (i.e. “first, next, last”) cooking a meal together can help your child develop understanding and using environmental vocabulary. Grab a fun recipe from a book or online and head to the kitchen!
- Scavenger Hunt. Create a list of items for your child to find around the house. Come along as they explore the home to locate the items and cross them off on their list. If you really want to get creative, you can make a “Fort Scavenger Hunt” while listing items needed to build an indoor fort. Once your child has completed the list, now you can work together to build the fort. Don’t worry laughs and smiles are included at no extra charge!
Our current times contain a lot of uncertainty, but one thing that is sure to keep you going is quality time. Quality time plus language development is sure to be a great time, so happy language building friends!
