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To Do Lists. Why are they so great?
To Do Lists:
aid memory load
support language processing and understanding of big tasks by breaking them down into smaller steps
help develop routine and habits
aid productivity and organisation
provide a visual aid and reminder
can be very beneficial for supporting individuals with ADHD, Autism, DLD and more.
To do Lists can be created in writing, drawing, symbols or pictures. Encourage your child to check off each step independently. Or encourage your child to make their own to do list for what they need to do in the morning before school to increase independence.
To Do Lists:
aid memory load
support language processing and understanding of big tasks by breaking them down into smaller steps
help develop routine and habits
aid productivity and organisation
provide a visual aid and reminder
can be very beneficial for supporting individuals with ADHD, Autism, DLD and more.
To do Lists can be created in writing, drawing, symbols or pictures. Encourage your child to check off each step independently. Or encourage your child to make their own to do list for what they need to do in the morning before school to increase independence.
Sometimes less is more!
When trying to teach toddlers new words, sometimes using too many words can be confusing for the child to pick out what word they need. Think about if your child doesn't know the word for milk yet. Your child needs to hear the word milk in context to first, understand it and then, be able to say it. Using too many words in a sentence could be confusing to figure out which is the key word for the thing the child wants.
When using longer sentences and teaching new words like milk, you can join to the milk, you can point to the milk, emphasise the word and say it more than once to help learning too.
Be mindful not to use too much telegraphic speech all the time though! It's really helpful for your child to hear lots of different language to be able to to extend their vocabulary and start combining words or making sentences. You could even use sign or gesture. This will help with understanding.
Try this out next time you're having breakfast or snack with your little one!
When trying to teach toddlers new words, sometimes using too many words can be confusing for the child to pick out what word they need. Think about if your child doesn't know the word for milk yet. Your child needs to hear the word milk in context to first, understand it and then, be able to say it. Using too many words in a sentence could be confusing to figure out which is the key word for the thing the child wants.
When using longer sentences and teaching new words like milk, you can join to the milk, you can point to the milk, emphasise the word and say it more than once to help learning too.
Be mindful not to use too much telegraphic speech all the time though! It's really helpful for your child to hear lots of different language to be able to to extend their vocabulary and start combining words or making sentences. You could even use sign or gesture. This will help with understanding.
Try this out next time you're having breakfast or snack with your little one!
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Here’s some tips on how you can support your child on their return or transition to school.
1. Look at pictures together. Some schools provide transition packs. Look through these together and talk about the pictures. If not, can you find some pictures on the school website. School websites tend to have galleries too, see if you can find pictures of sports day for example for a child who loves sport, or music pictures and talk about what instruments they might like to learn.
2. Involve your child in buying and choosing uniform and equipment. Let your child be independent where possible and choose their style. Create choices between pencil cases. For the older ones, Give them a budget and a list of equipment and see if they can gather it themselves in budget.
3. For children transitioning to school, practice the school route together. Make it a fun experience. Have a chat on the way. Talk about the things you notice. If you want to step it up, allow your child to walk slightly ahead and give directions for them to follow instead of leading them.
4. Making snacks and lunchboxes together can be a really language enriching opportunity and counts towards special time between you and your child. Try turning off distractions and hiding your phone away for a while if possible. Make homemade snacks together, make a list of favourite snacks or go shopping together and pick out some lunchtime bits.
For the older children, have them plan a lunch, make a list and buy it or follow instructions in making it.
5. Finally, give your child the opportunity to talk about how they’re feeling about school. Try to just listen rather than responding straight away. It’s natural for us to want to respond with a positive, however just listening and letting them know you’re there for them will help your child feel validated.
Good luck everyone going back to school next week!
1. Look at pictures together. Some schools provide transition packs. Look through these together and talk about the pictures. If not, can you find some pictures on the school website. School websites tend to have galleries too, see if you can find pictures of sports day for example for a child who loves sport, or music pictures and talk about what instruments they might like to learn.
2. Involve your child in buying and choosing uniform and equipment. Let your child be independent where possible and choose their style. Create choices between pencil cases. For the older ones, Give them a budget and a list of equipment and see if they can gather it themselves in budget.
3. For children transitioning to school, practice the school route together. Make it a fun experience. Have a chat on the way. Talk about the things you notice. If you want to step it up, allow your child to walk slightly ahead and give directions for them to follow instead of leading them.
4. Making snacks and lunchboxes together can be a really language enriching opportunity and counts towards special time between you and your child. Try turning off distractions and hiding your phone away for a while if possible. Make homemade snacks together, make a list of favourite snacks or go shopping together and pick out some lunchtime bits.
For the older children, have them plan a lunch, make a list and buy it or follow instructions in making it.
5. Finally, give your child the opportunity to talk about how they’re feeling about school. Try to just listen rather than responding straight away. It’s natural for us to want to respond with a positive, however just listening and letting them know you’re there for them will help your child feel validated.
Good luck everyone going back to school next week!