Totsy's Place

It's snowing! How Snow Can Boost Communication Skills

 

For most of us, snow loses its appeal somewhere around the time when we have to pay for central heating and commute to jobs in the morning. When it snows in Britain - even the lightest flurry - the trains are cancelled, the motorways grind to a halt and the house becomes impossible to keep warm.

But seeing snow through the eyes of your children can melt even the frostiest of hearts. Waking up this morning on the Fylde Coast, our kids were disappointed that the snow seemed to be more like sleet - but our fingers are crossed for a late afternoon flurry - just so there's enough snow for a quick snowball fight.  One of the great things about helping develop children's communication is that it doesn't have to be about sitting in classrooms or looking at books. It's possible to use fun, outdoor activities to help children's communication. So, here are our top 5 tips for making the most of the snow with your little chatterboxes:     
1. Play 'cold snowball'. This amended version of hot potato is simple for even young children, and helps develop waiting, turn-taking and listening skills. Everyone sits in a circle except for the 'caller'. The group passes a snowball from player to player, until the caller shouts "STOP". The person holding the snowball is eliminated.  The winner is the last person left holding the snowball.   
2. Hide a small object inside a snowball. Let the kids play 20 questions to try and guess what's inside the snowball (for older kids, limit the questions to 'yes' or 'no' questions). This is a great way to learn about taking turns.   
3. Build a snowman. Then a snowlady. Then a snowdog. Give your snow family names and take turns in telling a story about them. A great way to build communication skills and imagination.   
4. Make home-made snow paint using water and food colouring. Fill some empty spray bottles with your coloured mixture and encourage hte kids to create masterpieces in the snow. For older children, encourage them to draw specific shapes and images. Little ones should be encouraged to take a more 'abstract' approach.   
5. Turn a snowball fight into a game of Simon Says. If someone takes a step before "simon says" then they should have to dodge a snowball. This is great for attention skills, and kids will love it if Mum or Dad keep forgetting to wait for Simon says. Just wear your warmest hat and gloves!
Enjoy!

We have a winner - £250 of toys for Christmas.

We are delighted to announce that Amanda McCloud of Farnham is the lucky winner of our Christmas competition. Amanda attends classes in Farnham with her son and she was thrilled to be selected as the winner from the hundreds of entries we received - congratulations Amanda!

Kirsty, class leader in East Hampshire & Hart said " It's great news that a Mum from one of my classes has won; Amanda and her son thoroughly enjoy all the fun activities & Talking Tots games. As a former speech & language therapist and Mum to two lively boys, I am a passionate believer in the importance of early communication skills."

Visit our main site to find a class near you. Class leaders are now taking bookings for January.

Look out for more exciting competitions coming in the New Year!

Talking Tots Toy Awards 2009 - The winners

 At Talking Tots, we understand how children learn and how to nurture this through play. The Talking Tots Toy Awards have been designed to help parents and carers find great toys that spark children’s imaginations and encourage them to make new discoveries.

We are now thrilled to announce the winners in the five categories of the annual Talking Tots Toy Awards – designed to spark children’s imaginations and encourage them to make new discoveries.

The Talking Tots Toy Awards panel will be looking for toys that excel in developing skills in the following categories:

• Communication: toys that promote language skills,  nurturing social confidence.
• Motor Skills: toys that develop fine and gross motor skills, helping  young   children become more confident and co-ordinated.
• Creativity: toys that encourage children to explore colour, texture, shape and form.
• Social Skills: toys that allow children to mimic the world  around  them and develop imagination.
• Pre-literacy: toys that introduce children to words, sounds, rhymes and rhythm  in an age-appropriate way, helping to build the skills   that will be required for subsequent reading and writing.

And the winners are:

·      Storyshaping set – Communications category

·      PlayMais natural modelling material – Creativity category

·      Janod Magnetic 3D Wooden Rocket Puzzle – Motor Skills category

·      Fridge Phonics – Pre-literacy category

·      Rose Petal Cottage – Social Skills category

Winners and highly commended toys were chosen after a rigorous judging process by a panel of experienced early years professionals, mums and a team of determined toddlers. A full list and details of all winners and highly commended toys can be found by visiting http://toyguide.talkingtots.info

We also worked closely with www.whatson4littleones.co.uk where parents using the website reviewed the toys to help decide on the winners. To celebrate the Talking Tots Toy Awards 2009, Talking Tots have given WO4LO £250 worth of toys to give away in a fantastic competition http://www.mumandworking.co.uk/Talking-Tots-Competiton

To find out more about Talking Tots in your area, please contact Talking Tots on 01253 735 355. You can also visit our website at www.talkingtots.info .

The nation's favourite bedtime story

This Autumn, The  BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show set out to find out the nation's favourite bedtime story. Today Jeremy announced that the winner of his Bedtime Stories vote was The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. 

Last summer, Talking Tots asked 1,500 parents around the UK about their children's favourite bedtime stories and their number one choice was also The Gruffalo. So it seems it's still the nation's favourite!

The Gruffalo is a perfect bedtime book, with colourful illustrations and lots of humour. The right story can give early communication skills a real boost, and research shows that children who regularly read bedtime stories have better communication, emotional and social skills.

Julia Donaldson responded: "I am absolutely chuffed that The Gruffalo came out tops in the Talking Tots Bedtime Story survey. I loved reading bedtime stories with my children, particularly the Frog and the Toad stories by Arnold Lobel, which are ideal bedtime reading."

To help parents make the most of every bedtime, Talking Tots has put together a guide for parents with advice on choosing appropriate stories for toddlers, and using bedtime stories to help stimulate communication and language skills.

Enjoy!

  

Does the dummy suck?

 
New research led by Clarita Barbosa, from the University of Washington, suggests that children who use dummies after three are more likely to have speech & language problems. Read about the research here

As paediatric speech & language therapists, here are our thoughts on the use of dummies.

Most babies have a strong sucking reflex and a dummy can, in many cases, help to settle a baby in the early months. So if your baby needs to suck ... it's fine. 

However, try not to let a dummy become a habit.  Use it at specific times, such as when settling baby down to sleep or when upset. Then take the dummy away.

Wait until your child needs the dummy rather than automatically giving it to them. Most importantly try to wean your baby off the dummy as soon as you can, preferably by 12 months.

However using a dummy too much or as a plug can lead to the following problems: 

Mouth breathing - your child may tend to breathe through their mouth rather than their nose which can contribute to long-term dribbling.

Speech and language problems - your child may not use the full range of tongue movements that are necessary for making all the speech sounds. If a dummy is in a lot, your child has fewer opportunities to babble and  to communicate with you.

Teeth problems - incorrect positioning of teeth so that the  top teeth at the front don't meet properly with the bottom teeth. If a dummy is dipped into sweet things, tooth decay can set in.

Here are our top tips if you child uses a dummy:

• Flat orthodontic teats are better than traditional cherry teats, as they are less likely to affect the shape of the still soft upper jaw.
• ALWAYS remove the dummy when your child is trying to talk/make sounds.
• Try to get rid of the dummy around 12 months or sooner.
• Choose the right time to give up and once you have decided to give up the dummy,  don't be tempted to go back.

A Big Cheer for Play Based Learning!

We were really interested to read the reports in today's papers about the Cambridge Primary Review, which says that children should start more formal learning later than at present. It also says that children respond better to a 'play based' curriculum.

Here at Talking Tots, we understand that children learn best through play, so we’ve created a programme that combines games, songs, rhymes and fun activities to gently boost children’s communication and social skills.

We’ve used our experience as paediatric speech and language therapists to create a fun, rich programme that can benefit all children. Our classes are carefully designed and structured to build on each stage of your child’s natural language and communication development, providing just the right combination of fun, excitement and learning.

So, a big cheer from Talking Tots for play based learning!

Talking Tots Communication Clinic - Our replies

Do you have a question about your child's communication?

 Would you like to know more about your child's communication? Do you ever wonder if your child's development is normal, or wish you knew how best to support your child's early language and communication skills?  Whatever your question, we're here to help. Tracey and Lisa (the founders of Talking Tots) are experienced paediatric speech and language therapists, and have many years of experience working with children with all kinds of communication problems. Whether you're just concerned your child is a bit shy, or you suspect a more serious speech and language problem, we'll provide you with practical advice and information.

 If you'd like to ask us a question, just leave a comment on this post (with your question), and we'll answer them  in our next children's communication clinic.

Here at Talking Tots we LOVE nursery rhymes!

And that’s why we’re fighting to keep them alive and kicking, despite a report today that reveals many parents believe nursery rhymes are old fashioned and of no educational value.

 Nursery rhymes can:

• Build and expand vocabulary
• Develop good listening and attention skills
• Give children important one-to-one bonding time with parents/carers
• Introduce word play to develop language skills
• Encourage good memory skills though repetition
• Help children communicate through gesture as well as words
• Lay the foundation for future learning by building concentration levels
• Allow children to explore language in a fun and playful way
• Inspire imagination and creativity

 

A poll of 2,500 people for National Bookstart Day (Friday 9^th October) showed parents believed traditional rhymes such as ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ and ‘Mary Mary Quite Contrary’ were old fashioned and of little educational value.

But nursery rhymes can play a hugely important role in a child’s development – and what’s more they’re lots of fun!

It’s sad that parents are choosing not to teach their little ones these rhymes. Taking time each day to say or sing nursery rhymes with actions can really benefit children.”  

However, it was not all bad news for nursery rhymes, with the poll showing that Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Incey Wincey Spider are still firm family favourites.

Here are some of our favourites at Talking Tots:

• Baa Baa Black Sheep
• Doctor Foster
• Little Miss Muffett
• Pat-a-cake pat-a-cake
• Ride a Cock Horse

If you want to enjoy lots of fun educational activities – including rhymes – then why not come along to Talking Tots!

Here Comes Halloween!

One of the first events that always makes us feel that winter is here is Halloween. The shops are full of all kinds of fabulous outfits and ghoulish treats.

Whilst trick or treating isn’t for us (well it’s far too cold!), we do love a good Halloween party.

Toddlers will love the dressing up aspect of Halloween and we’ve found loads of great reasonably priced outfits in lots of high street chain stores/supermarkets. However, if you’re on a tight budget, here are a few of our ideas to make your own costumes for your little ones:

Mummy
Wrap your child in white bandages. Use white face paint to finish off the scary look.  The stiff-legged walk helps to complete the effect.

Ghost: Use an old white sheet. Cut to length so that it’s short enough not to trip a little one up and cut eye holes.  Cutting armholes will help keep the sheet in place.

Skeleton
Use an old black tracksuit or black leggings & t-shirt. Cut out ‘bones’ from a white plastic bag and attach with craft glue. Use some face paints in black and white to complete the look.

So once your child looks the part ... it’s time to start some party games!

Lots of Halloween games can be adapted for preschoolers, they just need to be not too scary and age appropriate. We particularly love the following games as they encourage good listening & great co -operation.

Monster ‘Stop & Go’
 
Play Halloween music and have the children dance around like monsters & zombies.
When the music stops the children have to stop dancing and freeze.

With older preschoolers, the first child to move is out, and the game continues until only one child is left. With younger children – it’s almost impossible to have children who are ‘out’ – so just have lots of ‘winners’.

 

Pin The Face On The Pumpkin

Toddlers may not like to be blindfolded so try just putting your hands over their eyes.

Using a large piece of orange paper draw a big pumpkin. Draw triangle eyes and nose with a black marker, an X where the mouth should be and pin to the wall.

Cut separate pumpkin mouth/ teeth templates (one for each child) and get the children to decorate their pumpkin mouths. Put some blu tac on each child’s pumpkin mouth. Then, in turn, spin each child around, making sure that he/she is facing the pumpkin at the end. Cover their eyes and have them try to stick the mouth onto the pumpkin where they think it should be.
The child with the mouth closest to the X is the winner.

Wrap The Mummy

This one is a favourite Halloween game that’s easy to prepare. Ideally you need 2 teams and 2 grown ups. The object of the game is to see which team can wrap their grown up with toilet paper the fastest. At the end of the game, the grown up breaks out of the toilet paper making appropriate zombie noises etc…

We’d love to hear your suggestions of  more Halloween themed games for toddlers .

In a couple of weeks, lots of our little Talking Tots will be coming along to class in their finest Halloween costumes – why don’t you join us? Click here to find a class near you.

 

 

 

And the winner is......

A big congratulations to Sonya Brady of Birmingham who is the lucky winner of the Andrex® & Talking Tots fabulous prize of 2 nights for 2 adults and 2 Children at the 4* Best Western in Stoke-on-Trent and a 1 day family pass to Alton towers for a family of 4.

We have more exciting competitions coming soon. In the meantime, why not find out if there's a Talking Tots class near you!

 

Prize draw rules

1. No purchase necessary.
2. Entries must be received by 12pm on 30^th September 2009. The winner will be notified on or before 14th October 2009 by the email address they provide.
3. Entry is strictly limited to one entry per household. Entry to the Prize Draw can only  be made by completing the form online at http://www.talkingtots.info
4. Prize draw winner's name and general location will be published on the main Talking Tots website and blog site..
5. The prize will consist of 2 nights for 2 adults and 2 Children at the 4* Best Western in Stoke-on-Trent and a 1 day family pass to Alton towers for a family of 4. Total prize value £300.00.
6. There is no cash alternative to the stated prize. We reserve the right to offer a similar prize, or a prize of equal or greater value, if the stated prize is unavailable.
7. The promoter  of the Prize Draw is Talking Tots Ltd, 108 Warton Street, Lytham, FY8 5HA.