The best speech therapy extends outside of the therapy room! Here are some practical tips for supporting speech development at home.
1. Incorporate Your Child’s Interests
When practicing speech exercises at home, try to integrate activities that align with your child’s interests. Whether it’s video games, online books, or favorite cartoons, using content that your child enjoys can make speech practice feel more like playtime than a chore. This approach not only keeps them engaged but also helps achieve therapy goals in a fun and interactive way. By turning practice into a game, children are more likely to participate willingly, reinforcing their progress.
2. Stay Involved in the Process
Parental involvement is crucial for a child’s speech development journey. Research consistently shows that when parents are actively engaged in their child’s speech therapy, progress accelerates. A study by Vanderbilt University highlights that parents trained to implement speech strategies at home significantly enhance their child’s communication skills. The study found that parents were able to improve their child’s vocabulary, grammar, and overall language understanding, often matching or even surpassing the effectiveness of therapists in some areas, especially in familiar home environments.3 Staying engaged and providing positive reinforcement at home can make a significant difference in their progress.
3. Encourage Continuous Practice
Incorporating speech exercises into everyday activities like mealtime, playtime, or even trips to the store makes practice more natural and less forced. This relaxed setting not only reduces anxiety but also ensures children have frequent opportunities to practice newly acquired skills. Research from the Crane Center highlights that 60% of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide homework activities regularly to encourage practice at home, but less than half follow up with parents on homework completion. This demonstrates the importance of consistent parental engagement and integrating speech exercises into daily routines to ensure children practice frequently and comfortably.1,2
4. Utilize Personalized Support
Every child is unique, and so is their speech development journey. Research from the Crane Center shows that tailoring speech activities to a child’s interests, combined with tools that track progress, leads to better outcomes in children with speech delays.1 Look for methods and tools that offer personalized support tailored to your child’s specific needs. Personalization ensures that therapy is effective and that the child is consistently working on the right areas to achieve the best outcomes.
5. Empower Your Child’s Speech Therapy Team
Speech therapists are an essential part of the journey. To maximize the effectiveness of your child’s therapy, consider collaborating closely with their therapist and utilizing any tools that streamline the therapy process. Efficient management of therapy sessions, along with accurate data tracking and performance metrics, allows therapists to focus more on what truly matters—helping the child. This collaborative effort ensures a cohesive and targeted approach to your child’s speech development.
By incorporating these tips into your child’s daily routine, you can help turn speech practice into an engaging, consistent, and effective process, ultimately supporting their path toward better communication skills. SpeechBuddy provides the ideal solution for your child’s speech therapy needs outside of the therapy room. With tools that empower parents to take an active role, track progress, and collaborate closely with therapists, SpeechBuddy ensures that your child can make steady, meaningful progress from the comfort of home. By making speech therapy more accessible, engaging, and effective, SpeechBuddy is the perfect partner in your child’s communication journey.
References
Kruythoff-Broekman, Anne, et al. “The Effects of a Parent-Implemented Language Intervention on Late-Talkers’ Expressive Skills: The Mediational Role of Parental Speech Contingency and Dialogic Reading Abilities.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, 2021. frontiersin.org
Tambyraja, Sherine, et al. “Facilitating Parental Involvement in Children’s Speech Therapy.” Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, Ohio State University, 2021.
crane.osu.edu/our-work/research-highlight-facilitating-parental-involvement-in-childrens-speech-therapy/
Sherred, Leanne. “The Importance of Parental Involvement in Speech Therapy.” Expressable, 2021, expressable.com/learning-center/tips-and-resources/the-importance-of-parental-involvement-in-speech-therapy.
Tags: speech therapy tips, home speech exercises, parental involvement in speech therapy, engaging speech therapy activities, SpeechBuddy speech support, personalized speech therapy tools, speech development strategies, child speech improvement, interactive speech therapy, effective speech therapy practices.
