Other resource ideas for you
Here are some ideas about resources which have been tried and tested by parents as they have tackled a variety of activities with their child. Most can be made at home, and some can be borrowed from IWTLOG. As always, this is a start and more ideas will be added in the fullness of time.
Posting Boxes
The ambitious project vs the simple one...
In my experience, this was an essential item to obtain the co-operation of my daughter and ensure the completion of whatever particular activity we happened to be doing. Be it matching colours, words, cards such as the Galt "Opposites" mentioned on the Play ideas page, all "tasks" were enjoyed that much more if there was a chance to post the completed items into the post box. You really don't have to make one quite as elaborate as mine which was based the Tumble Tot that my daughter used to love to watch on the Tumble Tots video. A simple pretty shoe box with a posting slot in the lid will be enjoyed too.
Photo books
I have made many of these over the years and my daughter has always enjoyed them as they centred around her and her world. My first ones were simply small photo albums with photos and hand written word captions. These days, if you have a digital camera, a pc and a word processing software package you can make them much more quickly, simply and cheaply. If you have a laminator, then they can be made virtually indestructible. Below are some examples of the types of books you could make. If anyone would like some further help with making books, please email me at iwtlopgroup@hotmail.co.uk or come along to the Thursday play session and I will be glad to help.
Focus on me : My first one was an "All about me" with photos of everyone in the family, the pets, the house, the car, my daughter's toys, clothes, and so on. Everything in her "world". Something like this could be made and used from a very early age, just as you would share a simple picture book with your baby or toddler. They can be also be used for an older child, especially if speech is delayed and you want to work on early words.
Help with sounds : Practising certain sounds can be assisted by books with pictures all starting with a single sound. This is particularly helpful if your child has difficulty with a couple of sounds and you want to practice them with them. We had a "b" book and a "m" book and it helped a lot without my daughter being aware.
Single words into phrases : Books with repetitive short sentences such as "I like xx" with a photo of xx help to build single words in to phrases especially if filled with pictures of your child's favourite foods. These were also used as part of an early reading programme which advocates teaching reading to assist speech and is advocated by the DownsEd Trust in Portsmouth.
Cope with potentially upsetting experiences: My daughter would get very distressed when we visited the hospital, which given this would involve poking, prodding and oten having blood taken is not very surprising. An inspired play therapist at St Mary's suggested visiting the hospital purely to go to the playroom and then go home again so that my daughter did not always associate it with nasty experiences. During these visits, we took along "Milo", Lauren's Tweenie softoy and a new book was born entitled "Milo's Check-ups". With the aid of some real, and some play, medical equipment, Milo underwent a series of medical check-ups performed by Lauren and her able assistant, the lovely play therapist Jacinta. This book was used many times in preparation for hospital visits and took some of the fear away by familiarising her with the equipment likely to be used. Taking Milo along to subsequent visits also helped. Some 7 years later, this book is still taken down off the book shelf and enjoyed by Lauren.
(Note: Usborne books have an excellent series all about first experiences including visiting the hospital and going to the dentist. They have now released the complete series in one book which at £6.99 from Amazon at last check and is a very good buy.)
Help cope with a new setting: A book with pictures of pre-school, school or some other new place to be visited and the people who work there can be an invaluable aid to help introduce your child to it.
Help a child retell news: Other "books" can be made to record step by step through special outings or events to allow your child to share them with others especially if their speech is limited. It also provides them with a "feel good" book which they will enjoy looking over again and again.
All these books encourage both the parent and the child to spend time practising key words and phrases in a way that is meaningful to the child and enjoyable. Anything in this respect can only help the development of speech.
Puppet friends
We have 3 large puppets available to borrow from our Toy Library section. Experience from some parents has revealed that introducing a puppet "friend" into an activity has helped reduce resistance from their child. A reluctant eater or potty trainee? Perhaps a demonstration from a puppet friend can help things along. Definitely worth a try!
More ideas to follow.....
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