Last week of school! What are your plans for summer?

I am so looking forward to summer. I get to cross something off my bucket list - my first ocean scuba dive trip!

I plan to come back next year with a small scrapbook about it to show the kids and talk about concepts like over/under, wet/dry big/little, tall/short, dark/light, and hot/cold.  I can add some vocabulary in there:  fish, water, air, fins, mask, tank, swimming.  I also have plans to hang out quite often at the family cabin, visit the local amusement park, visit the (new to me) museums,  work in the yard, stain or paint the kitchen cabinets (not fun), visit the library, learn French, learn guitar, and read the latest research relevant to early childhood language/articulation.

Miss Julie is going to travel with friends and family, going boating and wave-running, camping, attend baseball games, studying, and sleeping. (Great idea, Julie!)

Miss Jeana is planning on swimming, camping, reading, and going on a zipline tour.

So, what are your plans for the summer?  Consider putting pictures into a small scrapbook so your child can talk about it next fall.  Practice vocabulary words like swimming, hiking, driving, flying, riding, running, sleeping, and eating.  One of our classmates went camping with her family and came back with new words like hiking, walking, and tent. She brought pictures to share with the class and tell them about her adventure.  It was very motivating for her to talk about the fun time she had with her family.

Are you going to visit family?  Practice some names along with titles like Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, Cousins, Friends.

Are there foods or activities that are traditional to your family?  What about culture, ethnicity, or ancestry?  There might be some new vocabulary for your child to learn.

Are you going to an amusement park?  If your kids are like mine and love roller coasters (I don't, but my kids sure do) what a great multi syllable word to practice: roll-er-coast-er.  There are others:  merry-go-round, bumper cars, and (kids favorite) cheesy nachos.

That little scrapbook will be a great motivator for your child to use new vocabulary, ask and answer What and Where questions, label emotions, answer yes/no questions ("Did you like it?"), and start (with a lot of help from you) narration skills.

If you do make a small scrapbook, bring it back to school.  I love using them during therapy.

HAPPY SUMMER!