Favorite items speech therapists love!
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Best books for 1-3 year olds to promote language development:
How Does Bunjee Feel? by Josie C. Mott MS, CCC-SLP
Interactive: lift flaps, opportunities to be actively involved- uniquely encourages participation by providing a turn to tell the character something and imitate Bunjee's action on each page
Appealing: high contrast with bright colors, simple images with familiar situations that evoke emotions, element of surprise to see Bunjee change color and her reaction, short, relatable story scenes for easier attending
Promotes Language Development: Written by a speech therapist, Models single words and phrases in a repetitive pattern, uses pauses to build anticipation and allow time for responses
Teaches: recognize situations that evoke emotions, identify and label emotions, imitate and express actions related to emotions, labels of action verbs, identify and label colors, identify and label body parts, responding to questions
Can Simplify: Use gestures such as waving to the character, yawning, point to picture, use hand and body movements to act it out such as swinging on the swing and going up, up, up the slide then moving down, model responses and facial expressions related to the emotion, model simple words and sounds such as "Hi/Bye" "Whee!" "Yay!" "Go!" "Uh-Oh!" "Plop!" and "Open/Close" lift flaps etc.
Can Expand: Provide other models of responses and actions that can be ways to react in each situation such as clapping hands, pretending to clean up the fallen ice cream cone "uh-oh!" "big mess!" "clean up!" "wipe wipe wipe!" etc., Ask, "What else can you do when you're mad?" Use a mirror to practice feeling each emotion. Talk about other situations that evoke emotions.
Extension Activities: Activity sheets and book related items provided on website Lift flap children's book toddler preschool learning The Speech Therapist's Way (thespeechtherapistsway.com)
Circle Time: Works well individually and in groups- imitation of Bunjee's actions gets everyone up and moving while following directions, stay engaged as each child can hold up the matching Bunjee emotion face as Bunjee changes color
Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? Slide and Find by Bill Martin Jr.
Interactive: slide flaps, opportunities to be actively involved- move flaps, find the animal
Appealing: high contrast with bright colors, simple images of animals with element of surprise to find animal
Promotes Language Development: Models single words and phrases in a repetitive pattern, need to insert your own pauses to build anticipation and allow time for responses
Teaches: identify and label animals and colors
Can Simplify: Sing to a tune, Use gestures such as motioning to yourself while modeling "me", point to picture, model responses of animal sounds and overemphasize single words
Can Expand: Pause before a two- or three- word phrase to facilitate production of longer utterance
Extension Activities: Print, color, velcro two sets of pictures of same animals then have child stick on to match while singing words
Circle Time: Works well individually and in groups- children can sing along, each child can hold up the matching color and then the matching animal picture
Dear Zoo: A lift the flap book by Rod Campbell
Interactive: lift flaps, opportunities to be actively involved- open flaps, find the animal
Appealing: high contrast with bright colors, simple images of animals with element of surprise to find animal
Promotes Language Development: Models single words and phrases in a repetitive pattern, need to insert your own pauses to build anticipation and allow time for responses
Teaches: identify and label animals, descriptor words
Can Simplify: Use gestures and facial expressions to emphasize descriptor words such as motioning too big, shaking your head, and showing surprise etc., point to picture, model responses of animal sounds and overemphasize single words
Can Expand: Pause before a two- or three- word phrase to facilitate production of longer utterance
Extension Activities: Have child find the same animal toy figure and match to the picture
Circle Time: Works well individually and in groups - each child can hold up matching animal picture as it is revealed in book then have children get up and put it in a box to send it back
Where's Spot? Lift flap by Eric Hill
Interactive: lift flaps, opportunities to be actively involved- open flaps, find the animal
Appealing: high contrast with bright colors, simple images with element of surprise to find animal
Promotes Language Development: Simple scenes allow for your own models of single words and phrases in a repetitive pattern "Where did he go?" "in the __?" "Where are you?", need to insert your own pauses to build anticipation and allow time for responses "No, its a... SNAKE!"
Teaches: labels of household items, you need to point and model responses to identify and label animals, animal sounds
Can Simplify: Use gestures and facial expressions to emphasize your reactions to the animals such as shaking your head, and showing surprise etc., point to picture, model responses of animal sounds and overemphasize single words
Can Expand: Add a word to model two-word phrases "Bye snake!"
Extension Activities: Have child find the same animal toy figure and match to the picture
Circle Time: Works well individually and in groups - each child can hold up matching animal picture as it is revealed in book then have children tell it to "Go home!" insert it in a tissue box decorated like a forest
Sesame Street Board Books Ultimate Bundle Set For Kids Toddlers -- Pack of 4 Board Books (Bath Time, Bedtime, Zoo Animals, Body)
Bubbles Bubbles and Eyes, Nose, Fingers and Toes (Sesame Beginnings) are the two favorites from this set.
Appealing: high contrast with bright colors, simple images
Promotes Language Development: Simple scenes with rhythmic patterns of simple words, need to insert your own pauses to build anticipation and allow time for responses
Teaches: identify and label body parts
Can Simplify: point to picture, pretend to pop bubbles, overemphasize single words, point to child's body parts
Extension Activities: Sing the words in the book during activity of blowing bubbles, sing other body part songs such as "Daddy finger" and "Head, shoulders"
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For: At The Zoo- Simplify by pointing to each animal and waving "Hi giraffe" then wave bye to each at the end
For: Nighty Night- Simplify by pretending to yawn and say, "Oh so... tired." Wave to each character "Go night night" Repeat for each page.
Shake a leg! (Sesame Street) by Constance Allen
Interactive: Directs and demonstrates movements/actions that can be imitated
Appealing: high contrast with bright colors, simple images with actions
Promotes Language Development: Simple action scenes with directions help with understanding of language, following directions and imitation of actions, insert a pause before naming body part to allow time for a response
Teaches: identify and label body parts, action verbs
Can Simplify: point to picture and their body part, model the response, overemphasize single words, make simpler- "run," "jump"
Can Expand: Add another body part for each action - shake a leg, shake your head, pat your head, pat your tummy etc.
Extension Activities: Have child tell you what action to do or which body part by providing a choice- "Should we touch head or feet?" "Should we dance or jump?"
Circle Time: Works well individually and in groups - gets kids up and moving while following directions
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
Appealing: high contrast with bright colors, simple images with actions
Promotes Language Development: Can be a sing-along, Models single words and phrases in a repetitive pattern, need to insert your own pauses to build anticipation and allow time for responses
Teaches: identify and label colors
Can Simplify: point to picture, use facial expressions and simple sounds and words to show reaction "oops!" "uh-oh!" etc., model the response, overemphasize single words
Can Expand: Pause before a two- or three- word phrase to facilitate production of longer utterance
Extension Activities: print out pictures of shoes, have child color to match in story
Circle Time: Works well individually and in groups - kids can sing along and hold up picture of same color shoes in story
Noisy First Words (My FirstTouch and Feel Sound Book) by Libby Walden
Interactive: touch and sounds, opportunities to be actively involved- feel image and push to hear sound
Appealing: high contrast with bright colors, simple images with element of surprise to feel and hear sound
Promotes Language Development: Real life pictures of various categories of items allow for your own models of single words and phrases in a repetitive pattern "There's __" "I see a __", need to insert your own pauses to build anticipation and allow time for responses, imitation of sound, can turn off sound and ask, "Where'd it go?"
Teaches: identify and label items, you need to point and model responses, sounds
Can Simplify: overemphasize single words, use single words to model what child does and attends to
Can Expand: Add a word to model two-word phrases "Bye cat!" "Car go"
5 Little Monkeys jumping on the bed by Eileen Christelow
Appealing: simple images and scenes
Promotes Language Development: Can be a sing-along, Models single words and phrases in a repetitive pattern, need to insert your own pauses to build anticipation and allow time for responses
Teaches: imitation of single words and phrases, identify and label items
Can Simplify: Sing to a tune, Use gestures such as motioning jumping, falling, rubbing head etc., point to picture, model monkey sounds, overemphasize single words
Can Expand: Pause before a two- or three- word phrase to facilitate production of longer utterance
Extension Activities: Print monkeys, velcro onto picture scene with bed, have child pull "off" as monkey falls
Circle Time: Works well individually and in groups- children can sing along and imitate actions/gestures
Melissa & Doug Children's Book - Poke-a-Dot: Old MacDonald’s Farm (Board Book with Buttons to Pop)
Interactive: poke buttons, opportunities to be actively involved- push buttons
Appealing: high contrast with bright colors, simple images
Promotes Language Development: Farm animals allow for your own models of animal sounds, single words and phrases in a repetitive pattern "There's __" "I see a __", "Cow says __", "Push _", need to insert your own pauses to build anticipation and allow time for responses, sing parts of "Old McDonald" song
Teaches: identify and label animals and sounds, you need to point and model responses
Can Simplify: overemphasize sounds and single words, use single words to model what child does and attends to
Can Expand: Add a word to model two-word phrases "Dirty pig" "Wash pig"