11/15/2024
Pop the Pig is a fan favorite at Gift of Gab, and this week, it’s been our trusty companion in helping kids strengthen their speech and language skills! One of our little friends was working on answering wh- questions with Mr. Pig as his sidekick when they noticed something… 🙊
Mr. Pig, it turns out, has a minor tummy injury that’s piqued the curiosity of many of our kiddos. While some may want to "fix" him right away, we’re choosing to embrace the opportunity to expand language and communication skills! Here are just a few strategies we've been using in therapy this week:
1. Modeling Single Words & Two-Word Phrases: For our early communicators, we’ve been modeling and encouraging imitations of words and phrases like: uh oh, ouch, tummy hurts, fix boo-boo, need bandaid, what happened?, need help, help pig!
These simple phrases are great for vocabulary expansion and sentence building.
2. Wh- Questions:
Who helps sick or injured animals?
Where is his cut?
3. Problem-Solving:
How can we fix his tummy? What supplies would we need?
Problem-solving questions get our kids thinking about cause and effect, as well as how to sequence steps for a solution.
4. Sequencing:
If we wanted to fix his boo-boo, what would we do first, next, and last?
Sequencing tasks help kids learn to organize ideas and steps in the right order, a critical skill in both storytelling and day-to-day life.
5. Inferencing:
How do we think Mr. Pig’s injury happened?
If Mr. Pig were real, what do you think would happen after he got hurt?
Encouraging children to infer details based on context helps build critical thinking and reasoning skills.
6. Expanding Play Skills & Joint Attention:
Grab the doctor kit and let’s get to work with the bandaids and scalpel!
Using the injury as a springboard for pretend play not only engages kids in imaginative scenarios, but also encourages shared attention and social interaction.
That’s just one way (or six) to turn a minor mishap into a fun, language-rich learning experience. Who knew Mr. Pig could provide so many opportunities for speech and language practice? We’re all hoping he makes it to the vet soon…🗣️❤️🍋🐷