Bee's Knees Speech Therapy

23/07/2025

✋ OT Focus: Crossing Midline

Is your child struggling with writing, dressing, or using both hands together? They may need support with crossing the midline—a key OT skill!

🌀Here are some great activities that you can try at home!

1. Clapping Games!
From Miss Mary Mack to Patty Cake, these games are not only fun but strengthen the connection between the left and right sides of the brain. Here is a great list of clapping games, with videos, that you can teach your kids! https://www.todaysparent.com/family/10-classic-hand-clapping-games-to-teach-your-kid/

2. Stretching Activities!
- Windmill Touches: Stand with feet apart, touch right hand to left foot, then switch.
- Seated Cross Crawls: Sit and touch right elbow to left knee, then switch.
- Twist and Reach: Try seated twists or reaching across the body.

3. Get Creative!
- Stickers: Place stickers on a vertical surface, like a wall or easel, and have the child reach across their body to stick them on a piece of paper or another surface
- Drawing a Rainbow: Get a large piece of paper and have your child paint or draw a rainbow, crossing from one side of the body over to the other.
- Beads: String beads onto a string or pipe cleaner, reaching across the body to pick up beads with one hand and thread them with the other.

Need more ideas? Let us know and we've love to help!

18/07/2025

Supporting your child’s language development doesn’t have to be complicated — it can be fun, simple, and part of your daily routine! 💛

Here are 4 easy tips to encourage speech and language at home!

16/07/2025

Toys everywhere? Perfect! 🙃✨

Cleaning up doesn’t have to be just a chore — it can be a learning moment too!
By turning toy pick-up time into a fun routine, you can sneak in speech and OT practice without your child even realizing it. 🧠💬💪

✅ Practice following directions
✅ Build vocabulary and sequencing skills
✅ Strengthen motor coordination and planning

Swipe through for simple, effective ways to boost your child’s development while tackling the mess. Win-win! 💛🧸🧺

15/07/2025

We're halfway there! Tip #10 for making therapy routines stronger at home this summer: Try to reduce background noise.

When there are fewer distractions, it’s easier for your child to focus and engage in therapy. This could mean turning off the TV or choosing a quieter spot.

Small changes like these can make a big difference in helping your child concentrate and get the most out of their practice!

11/07/2025

🎉 We’re celebrating ALL the little moments that make a big impact — and we want to hear yours!

👉 What’s your child’s latest therapy win?
Speech or OT — everything counts!

💬 Maybe they:
🗣️ Used a new word
✋ Zipped their coat on their own
💛 Asked for help instead of melting down
✏️ Held a crayon with confidence
🚶 Took turns during play

✨ Progress is progress, and we’d love to cheer with you. Drop your proud moment in the comments below! 👇

09/07/2025

🔍 “I spy with my little eye…”
A fun way to build big language skills!

‘I Spy’ games are more than just playful distractions — they’re powerful tools for boosting vocabulary, descriptive language, and observation skills. Whether you’re in the car, at the park, or hanging out at home, this simple game helps children practice identifying objects, using adjectives, and forming complete thoughts.

Try giving clues like:
🐝 “I spy something soft and blue…”
🐝 “I spy something that starts with the sound /s/...”

Play. Spot. Speak. Strengthen! 💬✨

07/07/2025

🍝 Cheers to National Macaroni Day!
Time for a sensory-motor speech spin:

🥣 Pour dry macaroni (or cooked!) into bowls

🟡 Describe shapes & colors: “yellow,” “curly,” “smooth”

👍 Practice fine motor: scoop, pour, sort, or string to make a necklace!

😀 Build sentences: “The macaroni is soft and yellow.” "The macaroni is hard and crunchy."

🎯 A fun way to support speech and strengthening hands!

02/07/2025

🎆 With Independence Day just around the corner, we’re celebrating a different kind of freedom…
🗣️ The freedom to express yourself.
Whether it’s a big emotion, a small request, or a loud “NO THANK YOU!” — communication is power. And every child deserves access to it.

At Bee’s Knees Speech Therapy, we work on the skills that help kids find and use their voice confidently — at home, in school, and beyond.

Here’s how speech therapy supports true independence:

🔹 Expressing needs clearly
🔹 Naming emotions without meltdowns
🔹 Making choices with confidence
🔹 Asking for help when things feel hard
🔹 Setting healthy boundaries with their words

🎇 Just like fireworks light up the sky, our goal is to help your child’s voice shine bright!🐝

29/06/2025

The standards that guide our profession may be changing — and not for the better. Let’s talk about it.

ASHA, the national organization responsible for certifying speech-language pathologists and audiologists, is proposing the removal of language related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural competence from our professional standards.

This isn’t just a quiet policy change — it’s a loud step backward.

The CCC (Certificate of Clinical Competence) we proudly carry reflects a commitment to excellence. A few years ago, ASHA rightly began to recognize that cultural and linguistic competence is essential to ethical and effective care.

Now, citing legal pressure and executive orders, they are preparing to eliminate this language from our core standards.

⚠️ This proposed change is dangerous.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not political ideals — they are human values.
They are the heart of ethical, client-centered care.
They are essential in education and healthcare.
And they are absolutely necessary in a field that serves individuals from every background, identity, and walk of life.

As a speech-language pathologist, my ethical obligation is to show up for my clients — all of them — with cultural humility, awareness, and respect.

At Bee’s Knees Speech Therapy, we refuse to be silent.
We will always advocate with and for the diverse children and families we serve.

🗣️ Without DEI:
• We lose our connection to the very people who trust us with their care.
• We lose our ability to listen, to adapt, and to do good work.
• We lose what makes this field meaningful.

We won’t let that happen.

26/06/2025

🎆 Happy National Bomb Pop Day! 🇺🇸
Did you know this colorful treat can be a great tool for Speech and OT practice? Here’s how to make it fun and functional:

👅 Speech Skills:
🍧 Practice licking up and down the popsicle to build tongue strength and movement.
🗣️ Name the colors you see — “red,” “white,” and “blue” — to work on naming and vocabulary.
🎵 Make silly sounds as you enjoy the popsicle (like “mmm” or “zzzz”!) to practice sound production.

🤚 OT Skills:
✊ Let your child practice their grasp by holding the popsicle stick.
✋ Build bilateral coordination by using both hands — one to hold the popsicle and one to wipe their chin!
☀️ Talk about the temperature and texture (“cold,” “smooth,” “sticky”) to build sensory awareness.

Bomb pops are a delicious way to sneak in a little therapy practice — and beat the summer heat! 🌞🍧

23/06/2025

👋 Tip #8: Use Gestures & Simple Signs!

Words aren’t the only way to “talk”! 🐝 Try adding simple signs like “more,” “all done,” or “help” to play and daily routines. It’s a fun and easy way to help your little one understand language and express themselves — long before the words come! 🌟

08/05/2024

🥳🥳🥳

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2340ceaf-66ca-4b7e-b922-31fcde9a352b

Join Bee's Knees Speech Therapy and Park Pals WI for a sensory friendly version of our program! We will meet in 2 weeks at the Hales Corners Library!
Click the link to register and learn more about what Sensory Friendly means to us!