Do you have a question about your child's communication?
Do you have a question about your child's communication?
Posted at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
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!
Posted at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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:
Posted at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
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.Posted at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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.
A poll of 2,500 people for
National Bookstart Day (Friday 9th 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
Here are some of our
favourites at Talking Tots:
If you want to enjoy lots of
fun educational activities – including rhymes – then why not come along to
Talking Tots!
Posted at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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!
Posted at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Here the skies are grey and the central
heating is on. It's a great time to be at home spending time with your little
one, playing, baking & painting but it's also lovely to get out and meet
other Mums and children.
Activity classes are a fantastic opportunity to do this, where children
have fun, make new friends and boost their development but the crucial thing to
remember is quality matters more than quantity. If your child is always haring
off to one class or another, they will probably be too tired and demotivated to
get the best out of any of those activities.
You should feel happy and confident that your activity class leader is able to deliver the class effectively, while bringing out the best in each child. A good leader knows how to nurture shy children while also capturing the attention of livelier toddlers! You should feel confident that these are people who will bring out the best in your child. With that in mind, Talking Tots spoke to the marvellous Sue Atkins, parenting coach and author of Raising Happy Children, to see what advice she has on choosing the right toddler activity class for your child.
She says: "Well run and well designed classes represent more than just an opportunity to entertain your kids for an hour! They can make a long-lasting and profound contribution to life long learning and help develop important social skills. As a teacher, I could always tell when children had been to a well-run toddler class. But don't think you have to spend a fortune - choose carefully and don't forget that you are your child's best teacher."
So why not come along and try a Talking Tots class? Talking Tots
unique classes, which follow the developmental stages of language, are bursting
with fun ideas and games! Watch your child’s language skills blossom, as they
enjoy a variety of exciting and exclusive Talking Tots activities!
Sprinters…
building confident communication At Sprinters, children take part in games and interactive
activities that will build their social confidence and listening skills. Our
exclusively-designed, vibrant pictures and props also help to develop your
child’s narrative ability and build their vocabulary. Sparklers… paving the way for school In this pre-school year, children may
enjoy playing with sounds, and will begin to join in with word games such as
finding rhyming words and identifying the beginnings of common names and
objects. Sparklers builds on this natural interest in words and sounds to boost
a child’s pre-literacy skills and help prepare them for the classroom. At the
same time, our friendly, supportive classes promote vital social skills such as
listening, turn-taking and sharing. Visit us here and see if there's a class near you!
Posted at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
As a parent we play so many roles, usually juggling them all at once! But how can we get the balance right?
We are the Nurturer.
We want to make everything ok for our children, to make it easier and safer. It's hard to stop that natural instinct to 'do it' or 'fix it' for our children, but by doing this, we sometimes might deprive fabulously curious and inquisitive minds that are still so open. It's a tough call.
We are the Organiser.
We all know what's it's like. Whether it be through a high tech Joggler, Post It notes or a good old fashioned calendar ... we need to plan and schedule. Life is busy with day to day demands. The problem is that sometimes it's not easy to find time to spend 1:1 time with your little one.
We are the Teacher.
At Talking Tots we truly believe that you are your child's best teacher. We have much to share with our children and lots to tell them. It's so exciting... but it's also important to remember to give your child time to respond. The power of the pause - allow your child time to respond.
These are just a few of our roles (not mentioning cook, cleaner, nurse ... we could go on).
Our point here:
. where possible and practical, allow your child to sometimes take the initiative and follow their lead
. do give a 'voice over' for your child and comment throughout the day - but do allow time for a response of any kind
. do reward any attempts at communication.
You really can make the difference.
Posted at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Lots of children can't wait to start
school, but even for the most confident of four year olds, it can be a bit
daunting. Here are some of our ideas to help your child through the first day.
These are some of our ideas. We’d
love to hear more from you!
Posted at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Reading bedtime stories with your
children is a great way to bond, but did you know it's also one of the best
ways of boosting your little one's communication skills?
Research shows that children who
regularly read bedtime stories tend to perform better at school, have wider
vocabularies and better imaginations. Yet almost a quarter of parents admit
they struggle with the bedtime story routine.
Sadly, we can't offer any magic
way to get your children to agree to go to bed quietly, but here are some tips
on how to make the most of bedtime stories with your little ones:
1. Reading is a journey of exploration for babies.
Curved corners are ideal for nibbling, while flaps and textures are
irresistible to little fingers.
2. Animal stories are perfect for encouraging children
to communicate before they can form words - encourage your baby to join in with
animal sounds as you read the story.
3. At this age, reading is a visual experience, so
look for books with bright, simple illustrations. Place your baby’s hands on
objects as you read the words – this helps him to associate the object he sees
with the spoken word.
4. Bedtime stories are a great way to teach children
that words and language are fun! Lose your inhibitions and join in with silly
voices, sound effects and funny faces.
5. As your baby gets older, he will love “naming”
objects and pointing to pictures when prompted.
6. Toddlers are independent, so be sure to let them
choose the story and take charge of turning pages.
7. When you’re reading, pause every so often to let
your child guess the next word or line. This will be easier if the book has
simple language with lots of rhyme and repetition. With a little practice, your
child may even learn a favourite story by heart.
8. Look for books with rhymes. Learning about rhyming
sounds is an important building block of literacy, and it helps children to
guess what's coming next. As she gets older, your toddler will love catching
you out when you get the words wrong. This game helps to develop memory and
attention skills, as well as boosting self-esteem.
9. At some point, you'll probably find yourself
reading the same book every night for a month. Don't worry - repetition is a
great memory-building tool, and a familiar book can be a great comfort to a
tired toddler.
10. Younger toddlers tend to enjoy stories about everyday
experiences they can relate to, but from the age of three, children begin to
realise that things aren't always what they seem. This makes it the perfect
time to introduce stories with jokes and tricks - the sillier the better!
11. Always discuss stories with your children. In the early
days, this might mean asking them to point to objects on the pages. As they get
older, talk about what might happen next, or whether the characters in the
story were happy or brave.
12. As your child nears school age, begin tracing words with
your finger as you read. Ask your child to identify the sound that words start
with, or words on the page that rhyme. These activities help develop
pre-literacy skills, which are vital in helping children learn to read and
write.
Posted at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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