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Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm

Snapdragon Speech

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Snapdragon Speech

Snapdragon Speech is a private practice located in the Ballarat area

14/11/2025

Resource of the Week – The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game!

The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game is a playful and engaging way to target communication goals in therapy or at home:

🐿️ Speech sound practice: Perfect for working on the /s/ sound in words like sneaky, snacky, and squirrel, or when describing actions during play.

💬 Language development: Encourages turn-taking, following directions, and using descriptive language such as colours and quantities.

🧠 Social interaction: Supports waiting, sharing, and celebrating others’ turns — all within a fun, motivating game context.

It’s a great go-to for practising speech and language skills through meaningful play!

12/11/2025

💪 Playing games like tug of war is a great way to work on action words while also promoting physical activity. As your child plays, encourage them to describe their actions and feelings using verbs:

💪“Can you pull really hard?”
💪“How does the rope feel?”
💪“Who is winning?”

This game allows your child to practice action verbs in a playful and interactive way, all while strengthening their motor skills.

10/11/2025

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

AAC includes all the ways we help someone communicate when speech is hard. This might be through pictures, symbols, devices, or signing. It can be used alongside speech to make it easier for someone to share their thoughts and needs.

It’s important to know that AAC does not stop someone from talking — in fact, it can help encourage speech and give children a voice while they are still developing their communication skills.

08/11/2025

Resource of the Week – Doll House!

A doll house is a wonderful resource for imaginative play and social interaction:
🏠 Imaginative play: Encourages role-playing and storytelling, and creativity.
🗣️ Social interaction: Supports communication skills through role-playing and conversation.
🧠 Problem-solving: Children can engage in planning and decision-making as they arrange furniture and characters.

Incorporate a doll house into your play resources for a rich, imaginative learning experience!

06/11/2025

🐾 A fun, rhyming story about a wombat stew with a mix of Aussie animals. Perfect for building rhyming skills and animal vocabulary!

Use these ideas to encourage speech:
🐾Rhyming: Focus on the rhyming words in the book. Can your child find other words that rhyme with “stew,” “roo,” or “koala”?
🐾Animal vocabulary: Discuss the different Australian animals in the book. Can your child name some more Aussie animals?
🐾Story expansion: “What other ingredients could go into the Wombat Stew? Can you make up your own stew with different animals and their special skills?”

What’s your favourite book for talking about Australian animals?

03/11/2025

🏇🌸 Public Holiday Closure – Melbourne Cup Day 🌸🏇

Snapdragon Speech will be closed on Tuesday 4 November for the Melbourne Cup public holiday.

We’ll reopen as usual on Wednesday 5 November and look forward to seeing you then. 💙

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable day!

02/11/2025

For those of you that do not already know, Sam will be taking a break from face-to-face sessions from the end of November 2025 to enjoy the arrival of her baby in January! 🎉

Snapdragon Speech will pause all services for around six months, with a planned reopening in July 2026.

Thank you to all our families for your understanding and support during this special time for Sam and her family! 💙

30/10/2025

Halloween is full of exciting sights, sounds, and spooky stories - a perfect chance to spark your child’s language and creativity!

Try these simple speech and language activities to enjoy together:
🕸️ Describe costumes and decorations using new words
🦇 Tell spooky (or silly!) stories with your little one
🍬 Sort Halloween treats by colour, shape, or size
🧙‍♀️ Play pretend with witches, monsters, and magic spells

Remember, every chat, laugh, and “boo!” is a chance to build communication skills in a fun, relaxed way.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

29/10/2025

Resource of the Week – Binoculars!
Binoculars are a fun way to support language and communication during play!
🔭 Describing and commenting: Encourage your child to talk about what they see — using words for colours, sizes, locations and actions (e.g., “I see a big bird flying!”).
🗣️ Expanding sentences: Model longer sentences and new vocabulary as you explore together (e.g., “You found the tall tree behind the playground!”).
🧩 Turn-taking and attention: Great for shared attention activities and taking turns to “spot” things in the environment.
Bring binoculars into playtime to spark conversation, encourage observation, and make language learning fun!

27/10/2025

👻 A playful, interactive book where the pigeon tries to stop you from turning the pages! A fun way to engage children in language through humour and prediction.

These activities can help with speech and language development:
👻Predicting: Ask your child, “What do you think will happen when we turn the page? Who do you think is at the end of the book?”
👻Action words: Encourage your child to act out the words. “Can you stomp your feet like the pigeon?”
👻Character feelings: “How does the pigeon feel when we keep turning the pages? How do you think the pigeon feels at the end?”

What’s your favourite book for talking about monsters or dealing with fear?

25/10/2025

Resource of the Week – Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza!

Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a fast-paced game that enhances reaction time and social skills:
🕹️ Quick thinking: Players need to think quickly and react fast, enhancing cognitive skills.
🗣️ Turn-taking: The game encourages patience and sharing.
🧠 Strategy: Develops planning skills and quick decision-making.

Incorporate Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza into your play activities for a fun, interactive learning experience!

24/10/2025

If you've been in the clinic with Sam, you've probably heard her mention LAMP WFL – it’s one of her favourite high-tech AAC systems!

Sam loves LAMP because it's based on motor planning and consistent placement of words, which can support language development for many AAC users. It’s robust, flexible, and designed with long-term language growth in mind.

BUT - AAC is never one-size-fits-all. While LAMP might be the right fit for some, we always individualise our recommendations based on each child’s strengths, needs, and communication goals. That’s what makes AAC work - the fit.

Have questions about AAC or wondering where to start? We're always happy to chat

Address

15 Dawson Street South
Ballarat Central, VIC
3350

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://Snapdragonspeech.com.au/, https://events.humanitix.com/speechie-library-talks-2024-ballarat-library

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