Spring into Speech: Fun Outdoor Activities to Boost Communication Skills
As the weather warms up, so do our spirits! Kids love going outdoors and there are so many opportunities for language growth and development outdoors! This blog post will serve as a guide for ideas to boost your little ones communication skills while playing outside!
Outdoor Play
Have you ever thought about outdoor play and how great it is for speech development? There are endless opportunities available to encourage language! Playing outside encourages children’s conversation and social interaction. Children’s sensory experiences are stimulated while outside which in turn enhances learning. While you’re outside with your little one, there are opportunities for language growth. Here are some ideas:
Following Directions: “Run to the BIG tree then come back and give me a high 5!” “Take FIVE steps BACKWARD, THEN run the to SMALL tree”. These directions embed concepts, big and small, forward and backward as well as temporal concepts, first and then. A lot of children with a language delay struggle with concepts like these and these activities are an excellent way to target these skills!
Expanding Vocabulary: Playing outside is an excellent way to boost vocabulary. While playing, describe the things you see. For example, go on a “rock hunt” and find big rocks, little rocks, bumpy/smooth rocks. You can observe your surroundings and choose something in nature, like a flower. Describe it in detail, noting each part—the stem, leaves, and petals. Talk about how it looks and feels, from the softness of the petals to the sturdiness of the stem.
Open Ended Conversations: Take a nature walk. Ask open ended questions such as “How does this tree feel?” “Where do you think that bird is going?” This allows children to practice answering open ended questions in a fun and engaging environment.
Spring-Themed Activities
One of our favorite things to do are scavenger hunts! The kids love the excitement of finding the items and we, speech therapists, love the language building opportunities! Here are some ways to incorporate language into a scavenger hunt:
Find and name objects
Describe the texture of objects
Describe the size of objects
Rhyme Hunt: Find objects that rhyme!
Themed Hunt: Pick a theme such as the color red. Find as many things as you can that are that color! Or pick a letter. Find things that start with “B”!
Storytelling Hunt: Collect items in a bag from outdoors and create a fun and engaging story about them!
Encouraging Year-Round Speech Progress
Consistency is key! Kids learn best through play and in their natural environment. Everyday moments are a language opportunity. Narrate your day and daily activities.
Spring/Summer: Go on nature walks and describe what you see, hear, and smell. Play “I Spy” with descriptive words.
Fall: Use leaves, pumpkins, and apples for sorting and naming games. Practice storytelling with a fall theme.
Winter: Describe textures (soft snow, crunchy leaves), tell winter stories, or make hot cocoa and discuss the steps.
We have more tips in our Strategies for encouraging communication blog post.
Contact a Speech Therapist
If you’re looking for additional help in growing your little one’s language skills, reach out to a local speech-language pathologist. Berry Speech Academy offers a family centered, child-led approach to therapy. By using a child led approach, children’s language will grow in a more naturalistic way and carryover better into everyday life. We have two offices in the greater Pittsburgh area. Our offices are located in Wexford and Upper St. Clair. We welcome new families to reach out!
