Early Intervention

I talk to so many teachers, preschool teachers, daycare worker and others who don't know speech-language therapy principles. Harsh, but true! Now I am not trying to be mean or critical, but many people I work with have very high, unrealistic expectations for our little guys.

 

First off, we need structure. You need to lay out routines, explain expectations, rules and basically show them the ropes. They need to know what to expect. The more time you spend on this at the beginning of the year, the smoother your class will run! Visuals are a great way to introduce and carry out this goal throughout the year.

Second of all attention span! Some people are expecting 4-year-olds to sit for as long as 20 minutes to practice printing! UGH!! NO! This is not what they should be doing! They need to play, play, play! And if you do want them to practice printing, use fun, hands-on activities that will engage them. Like writing in sand, using a little chalkboard, paints, beads, pom-poms, Q-tips, and foam paint. FUN, make it fun! Then it won't seem like work. They are happy, and so are you!

  
"A normal attention span is 3 to 5 minutes per year of a child's age. Therefore, a 2-year-old should be able to concentrate on a particular task for at least 6 minutes, and a child entering kindergarten should be able to concentrate for at least 15 minutes." according to https://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/library/pediatric_health/pa-hhgbeh_attention/


Last, of all, we need to know how to speak and interact with children that will encourage language development. Many times, as educators, we talk to our children in "testing" manner. "Where is it, what does it do, where do we go, etc.?" Instead of asking questions, make statements. This takes the pressure of the child and the expectation of a right/wrong answer. A good tip is to make 3 comments for every question you ask.


I made an Early Intervention pack that I will be giving to all of the Educators I work with. I am hoping they ready. If you think it would be helpful for anyone you work with, or yourself, you can take a look at it in my TPT store. It is a growing bundle. I have information for educators, and BUS Preschool Activities in it and I will be adding 3 more preschool themes. Its a steal at $5 - soon it will be $20 so grab it now!

 

In this pack are ways to encourage language through play with toys!

 If you are interested in the Preschool Theme, you can find it here!