Expressive language skills (Labeling & Summarizing) activities.

Use the following methods to work with the child to increase their expressive language skills.

1. If your child gets stuck, help him or her express what it is he or she wants to say.
2. Model for your child. For example: the child wants a cookie.
Child says: cookie. Parent asks, "You want a cookie?" and then models "I want a cookie, please." for the child.
3. Have your child play the name game using things around the house or the car while traveling, such as chair, couch, beach, dog, cat, car, truck, etc.
4. See how many different types of animals, colors, or shapes they can name designating the group for the child.
5. Look in magazines and have your child cut out different pictures and put together a picture book categorizing the pictures into like groups. For example: animals, people, places, things, etc.
6. Put together concept books, for example: size, color, texture, feeling, etc.) in which each page has an object of different sizes, textures, lengths, etc. to help develop use of descriptive words such as big, medium, little, long, short, tall, etc.
7. Have your child tell you the directions of a game or how to make a sandwich.
8. Play games that promote the use of language. Such as Simon Says, I Spy, Ring Around the Rosie, Duck Duck Goose, etc.
9. Involve the child in making shopping lists, grocery shopping, writing a letter to a friend, or creating a birthday card for a friend or family member. Talk with your child about what you are doing and let them help you.
10. Print out a simple to do list for your child for that particular day and display it.
11. Sing songs together, read nursery rhymes together, have your child tell you a story.
12. Have your child copy simple words onto a sheet of paper.
13. Read aloud to your child.
14. Have your child take the letters in their name and find other words that begin with the same letters.
15. Place things out of their reach so they have to ask you for it.
16. Purposely forget something to see if your child remembers it. For example your child wants some juice take out a glass and the juice but don't pour the juice in the cup.
17. Give them choices every opportunity you can.
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