Back to School, Back to Speech

As summer comes to an end, children are heading back to school. If your child goes to speech therapy, this time is important. You want to make sure they feel good and can express their wants and needs when they go back to school. Whether your child is still in therapy or just starting school, here are some easy ways to help them learn and expand their communication skills for school.

1. Start Daily Routines

Summer often means late bedtimes and fun, unplanned days! But getting back to school's schedule can be hard. Introduce small daily routines to ease back into your school-year routine.

• Wake up and eat breakfast around the same time every day.

• Build language opportunities into your morning routine, like naming foods during breakfast or talking through steps while packing a lunch.

• Predictable routines help ease anxiety and can provide rich opportunities for natural language use.

  
  

2. Practice Speech Goals at Home

If your child has been in speech therapy, look at their latest report or goals. Even if it's been a few weeks, a quick refresh can help them get ready mentally and emotionally for school.

• Print or draw a chart of their goals so you can easily see them at home.

• Practice what they learned with simple, fun activities. For example, practice sounds in the car or read books together and learn new words.

  
  

3. Talk to the School Team Early

Don't wait for a parent-teacher meeting to ask about your child's speaking needs. A quick email or call to their teacher, speech therapist (SLP), or IEP helper can make a big difference.

• Tell them about the progress your child made over the summer.

• Share any changes, like new things that worked well or problems that came up.

• If your child also has private speech therapy, ask how to make goals align or share progress reports for a smoother transition.

Working together with your child's school team helps them have a more steady and helpful experience at home, school, and therapy.

4. Practice School-Ready Communication Skills

As you get ready for the first day, work on the talking skills your child will need in class. These include:

• Asking for help

• Following multi-step directions (e.g., first, then)

• Taking turns talking

• Joining in group talks or activities

You can help with these at home by pretending ("Let's pretend you're asking the teacher for a pencil"), using social stories, or having short practice talks during meals or playtime.

5. Keep the Conversation Going at Home

One of the best ways to help your child's language grow? Have regular, open talks. Instead of asking closed-ended questions like, "Did you have a good day?" try more open-ended questions like:

• "What was your favorite part of school today?"

• "Tell me something new you learned."

• "Who did you sit with at lunch?"

These types of questions help kids give longer answers, tell things in order, and learn more words. These skills are important for therapy and for life.

Starting a new school year is a great chance to help your child improve how they communicate with new energy and purpose. With a little planning, being consistent, and working together, you can help them have a year full of progress, connection, and confidence!