Water Play Ideas to Build Your Child’s Speech & Language Skills This Summer
When it's this hot, a great way to cool off is water play. But did you know water play can be more than for fun? It’s a perfect way to build your child’s language skills while keeping them cool this summer.
We share therapist-recommended activities for families. Water play involves multiple senses: visual, auditory, and tactile. Kids are often more motivated and pay attention longer when they play this way. It's a great time to model and practice speech and language skills.
Pouring Station
Use cups, pitchers, and funnels. Model action words like: pour, fill, dump. Descriptive words build a child's vocabulary. Model fast/slow pouring, big/little cups. Encourage requesting, "Help me pour." It can be fun to make sound effects with the water coming out.
Toy Wash
Bring out the toys or even get a free car wash during this activity. Model action words like: rinse, wash, squeeze (with a sponge), dry. Describe the objects: clean, dirty, wet, dry. Encourage requesting, "Turn on the hose."
Water Painting
Use paintbrushes or sponges to "paint" the sidewalk. This may be even more fun with chalk. Model action words like: paint, wet, dry. If you use chalk, talk about the colors and label the paintings. Encourage requesting, "I want more chalk."
Splash Games
Fill a small pool or storage container with water and have fun splashing. Encourage your child to complete phrases by leaving out the last word. For example, say "ready, set......" Encourage your child to say "go!" Use fun words to describe what they want, like "big splash" or "little splash." Encourage turn-taking with "My turn" and "Your turn."
Ice Play
Ice can be fun on days that are very hot. Watch the ice melt and use words like cold, melt, and hot. Count out loud how many seconds it takes for the ice to melt. Have your child guess how long it will take for different sizes of ice to melt.
What are some of your favorite water activities? Remember, have fun and follow your child's lead. They may come up with some creative ways to play in water. Praise your child for their efforts and expand on what they say. Use simple language and give your child time to respond. Contact us if you want more ideas to support their communication at home.