This Halloween, use themed books to help increase spooktacular skills at home! Here are some helpful tips on how to use Halloween Books to support speech and language.
The Four S’s: Say Less, Stress, Go Slow, and Show
Say Less: Use short phrases and familiar vocabulary. Feel free to change or shorten the story. Books are a tool and there doesn’t have to be one “right” way to read them!
Stress: Emphasize interesting words and sound effects. Use silly voices for characters. Use gestures for actions in the story or your child’s toys to bring an extra visual and tangible element.
Go Slow: No need to rush through each page. Give your child a turn to engage with the pictures or your silly sounds. Wait for your child to respond in their own way. Let them turn the page when they’re ready, or help them turn the page if you can tell it’s time to keep reading.
Show: Reference important vocabulary words by pointing to the objects in the pictures. (Ex. “Frog! I see a green frog.”) Relate objects in the book to the objects around you (Ex. “You have a green frog too. Ribbit ribbit!”).
For children working on speech sounds, you can target your child’s sounds while you read!
Look out for your child’s target sounds. Point it out when you see it. (Ex. “Frog! I hear your /f/ sound in ‘frog’!”)
Use a magnifying glass to “search for” words or pictures with your child’s target sound. Write down the words you find on a white board or piece of paper. Practice them when you’re finished reading the book.
For children working on their sounds in sentences, have them make up silly sentences containing the words you find.
Post contribution by: Ari Griffin, M.S., CCC-SLP
Sources:
©Hanen Early Language Program, 2014
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