Summer and the swimming go hand in hand for many families with young children. The opportunity for maximizingListening and Spoken Language (LSL) learning is immense and cumulative for water-loving families over an entire summer. Early in June, I often coach parents/caregivers and we brainstorm and plan together LSL goals to target while they are enjoying the pool and related routines. The child’s age and goals dictate the activities and strategies. I help families understand and take advantage of water-resistant hearing technology and related gear/equipment.
For home-based LSL auditory verbal intervention the backyard plastic pool is equally as effective as play-based clinic therapy with a container of water and pool themed manipulatives or in my case, I am fortunate to have a Fisher Price Little People pool.
A few of the pool related LSL vocabulary themed areas I’ve targeted with families involve:
- Packing a bag to go to the pool or grabbing a suit, towel, and toys for the backyard
- What’s goes in the bag or what do we need for our pool? (Towels, sunscreen, hats, shovels… )
- Putting on a swimsuit or dressing a doll (The straps go over your shoulders.)
- Rubbing sunscreen on your toes vs. nose. Body parts vocabulary expansion - forehead, cheeks…
- The weather –> sunny, too hot, cloudy, bright, humid, breezy
- The water–> warm/cool; deep/shallow; sink/float; above, below or under
- Pool/ sand toys –> and related activities (splashing, digging, castles…)
- Pool snacks or a picnic lunch –> popsicles, ice cream sandwiches...
- Swimsuit, bathing suit, bikini, trunks…
- Barefoot –> shoes, sandals, flipflops, water shoes
- Pool related words/phrases that sound similar to little listeners such as – sun, sunny, sunscreen, sunburn, suntan, sunglasses…
- Old MacDonald had a pool E I E I O. And in that pool her had a toy boat.. with a ppppp…
- Motor Boat, Motor Boat Song ( goes so fast, slow, goes around and around…)
Maisy’s Pool and Maisy Goes Swimming by Lucy Cousins
Fisher Price Little People Pool/Mattel Barbie Pool
Dave Sindrey’s pool/beach themed murals, games, and materials in The Listening Room
Pool fun is great entries in an Experience Book
What summer LSL ideas can you share?
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