Helping Your Child Communicate with Family Over the Holidays
The holidays are a special time to catch up with family and friends. But for children in speech therapy, talking with unfamiliar adults can be tough, especially if they have trouble with speech sounds or language.
Here are some easy tips to help make conversations smoother and more fun!
If Your Child has Trouble with Speech Sounds:
- Prep Family Ahead of Time: Let relatives know your child might swap sounds—like saying “w” instead of “r”. For example “Just a heads up, Liam might say “wabbit” instead of ‘rabbit.’”
- Set the Scene: Help your child talk by given family a topic: “tell Aunt Kate about your zoo trip” or “Talk about your new scooter!”
- Rephrase, Don’t Correct: If someone doesn’t understand your child, repeat what they said clearly: “Thanks for telling Grandma about your scooter—he loves riding it fast!”
- Practice at home: Ask your child’s SLP for help practicing names, places, or fun holiday words ahead of time!
If Your Child Has a Language Delay
- Give Family a Heads-Up: Let them know your child might need short sentences or extra time to answer
- Offer Conversation Starters: Suggest simple prompts like: “ask him about his new shoes” or start the story for your child to finish.
- Use pictures: show pictures from a recent trip or event! It helps your child tell the story and gives family some context.
- Talk to your SLP: ask for help choosing topics or practice activities—we’re happy to support you!
Remember, every child is learning how to communicate, and even kids without speech delays can get shy or overwhelmed around new people. Games, music, drawing, or looking at photos are also great ways to connect!
We’re here to help you navigate the holidays. Our award-winning team at Child & Family Development, was recently voted Charlotte’s Best Speech Therapy (Gold)! Schedule a free consultation with one of our pediatric speech therapists using our easy self-scheduling tool.
