Milton Keynes Speech and Language Therapy Service

13/02/2026

It is WORLD HIPPO DAY! On Sunday 15th

Here are activity ideas linked with hippos our team have come up with…

• Pretend play! Collect some wild animal toys (e.g. hippos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions), and follow your child’s lead in play. Model lots of pretend ideas; making the animals jump, hide, run, sleep, eat, chase each other.
• Model lots of describing words related to the hippo within your play. You could talk about its big mouth, large teeth, rough grey skin, short legs and small ears!
• Compare the different animals and think about how they are the same and how they are different. A hippo and an elephant are the same because they are grey… what makes them different?
• Make up a short story about hippos! First.. next… last! Can your child suggest what might happen next?
• Borrow a book from the library about hippos! Here are some ideas:
- Hippobottymus by Steve Smallman
- Hippospotamus by Jeanne Willis
- The first hippo on the moon by David Walliams
- Hippo has a hat by Julia Donaldson
• Use the word “hippopotamus” to do some sound awareness. Can your little one clap the number of syllables in the word? Hi-po-pot-a-mus! 5 syllables!

11/02/2026

Did you know, we recommend including wordless picture books in your story time!

Why?

• They work at your child’s level - you can model language at the level your child is currently communicating at.
• They encourage creativity and imagination! You can create your own story together.
• Children can make inferences based on the pictures, e.g. how do you know the dog wants to play? What might happen next?
Without a text to stick to, this encourages children to join in if they want to!

10/02/2026

Here are some ways to encourage story telling in the Early Years and in your nursery and preschool settings:

1. Role play and props! This allows children to be imaginative and act out their stories

2. Create story themed activity trays - this encourages children to act out stories and add their own imagination to it as they play.

3. Children’s pictures - ask for pictures of children at home, on holiday, with their family etc. This helps them to share their own experiences and stories related to the pictures.

4. Model storytelling! Tell your own stories and make up stories with your children. This will help to give them the confidence to tell their own stories too.

06/02/2026

Here are some ideas for having fun with rhyming words!

- Sing nursery rhymes.
Nursery rhymes are an excellent way to begin to introduce rhyming words.

- Changing nursery rhyme words - changing the words to a favourite nursery rhyme is a fun way for your child to experiment with new rhyming words.

Rhyming I spy
Instead of looking for words beginning with a certain sound, ask your child to find something in the room that rhymes with another word.

04/02/2026

We LOVE nursery rhymes! Let’s take a look at why nursery rhymes are so beneficial…

• They introduce kids to new words. Singing nursery rhymes is a great way to introduce words they might not hear during an ordinary day.
• They teach toddlers where words begin and end in sentences. They also help children recognise the sounds in words.
• They can help boost fine and gross motor skills, e.g. when learning the actions that go along with the nursery rhymes!
• They’re great for developing other life skills, such as counting (e.g. one, two, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive). Singing around routines (e.g. bath time) can also help with processing these too.
• They can help build emotional awareness – we often exaggerate our facial expressions and gestures when singing, and this can help improve understanding.
They strengthen the bond between you and your child!

03/02/2026

Here are some quick ideas for boosting your little one’s mood, shared by BBC’s Tiny Happy People!

- Pull funny faces at each other
- Singing a silly rhyme with actions
- Ripping up scrap paper
- Who can make the silliest noise?
- Shake everything out
- Pretend to be something cool, like a superhero or your favourite animal!

Give them a follow on Instagram - , or visit their website https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people

01/02/2026

It’s February! Happy 1st February from all of us at Milton Keynes Speech and Language Therapy 😊

31/01/2026

January is coming to an end… Why not wrap up warm and take your little one out for a walk in the cold winter weather this weekend?

Being outside has so many benefits, including improved physical health, enhanced mental well-being, boosted cognitive skills, richer social development, imaginative play and supporting overall growth and resilience.

Whilst outside this weekend, talk about what you can see, hear and smell…
I can hear the birds…
I can hear a dog barking…
I can feel my soft gloves…
I can feel the crunchy frosty ground…
I can see the ice on the window…
I can see a big bus...

29/01/2026

Have a look at this information from Speech and Language UK about the benefits of sharing books with your child

Sharing books with your child - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

28/01/2026

28/01/2026

Did you know… the number of books in the home is positively linked with children’s language development?

You can find lots of books in charity shops, libraries, or why not start a book swap with your friends and family?

26/01/2026

Today it’s Australia Day!

Why not spend some time talking with your children about life ‘Down Under’ today! What things can you find in Australia, that we don’t have here in the UK…

Here are some ideas…
- Koala bears
- The Great Barrier Reef
- Kangaroos
- Boomerangs
- Didgeridoos
- Hot weather!