Today is the official first day of Summer! It is finally here! My oldest daughter finished school this week and we have been settling into our new summer routine around here. I love the opportunity summer presents for us to all SLOW DOWN and connect a little more with our children. When we connect, we shut the rest of the world out, get down at their level, and communicate with them. As I previously wrote, I believe THE most important way we can connect and communicate with our children is through everyday tasks and routines. To read this article again to help understand the power a Flexible Routine has on your child’s communication click here.
If you find you have extra time during your summer days together, I also believe some of the most child-centered activities that naturally promote communication can be found in stories, art, and play.
Using this image as a summer motto of sorts, I have created a photo album on the Kids Talk Time Facebook Page. This album is titled “Summer Fun” and will be a place I can share ideas/activities that inspire communication with our children throughout the summer. Since I am not sure how often I will be able to actually blog during the summer months (I’ll have both girls home with me as well as my private clients to treat) , I wanted to create a quick and easy way for me to still share some new ideas with you. My goal is that these ideas will be simple, fun, and easy to do using items you already have in your home (such as stories, basic art supplies, and toys).
Now lets get one thing straight. Do I think you should have activities like these going on in your home each and every spare moment you get? Absolutely not. Down time for children is a good thing and believe it or not, it is healthy for them to have some idle time where there is no agenda at all. That being said, summer does typically mean longer days together which can be the perfect opportunity to try some new ways to connect and communicate with your child!
Not only will I be posting my ideas to this Summer Fun album, but I hope YOU will post some too! If you have not already done so, be sure to like our page so you can follow along! As the summer progresses, if you happen to stumble upon an activity that your child enjoyed engaging in with you AND you think others would enjoy it too, post a quick picture of the activity to our Facebook page. Post it with a short description and I will make sure it gets into this album where all the ideas will be collected. Ideas to keep us connecting, communicating, and most importantly having FUN with our children all summer long! Let’s see how many new ideas we can get! Will you join me?! I hope so!!
Happy Summer!
**Disclaimer: All communication tips offered in the blog are not meant to substitute for professional speech and language services if your child qualifies for them. They are meant for educational purposes only, to provide simple examples of ways to promote speech and language development in children.
