Speech Games for Children

Types of Speech Disorders

• If your 2- or 3-year-old is not communicating verbally, you should talk to a pediatrician or language therapist to find out if there is an underlying medical condition such as hearing loss or learning disability. There are numerous reasons why a child might not be talking, as well as the types of speech problems that may result. Each type of speech impairment will need a different type of game. For example, a child who stutters will need a different type of speech game than a child who has a lisp. Other speech development problems are an inability to enunciate certain sounds or letters, stammering, dysphonia or a weak voice, tongue thrust, apraxia from brain injury, articulation disorders, slurred speech or expressive disorder.

Normal Speech Development in Toddlers

• Children develop at their own speed; some learn to speak early and some later. Normal speech development in children under the age of 3 can be aided by playing games. Speech games can boost your child's ability to communicate. Playing simple games and singing songs like "Peek-a-Boo," "Pat-a-Cake" and "Ring Around the Rosie" teach children that words communicate actions. Make sure to spend time talking and reading to your child every day. Point out colors and the sounds animals make. Count objects together and explain things as if they can understand you, and soon speech will be achieved.

Speech Games for Young Children

• Speech games for young children will be different from games for older children. Speech games should be motivating and engage the interest of the child. Games for children older than 3 but younger than 7 will depend much more on the type of speech impairment the child has. A simple game that encourages speech is looking through photo albums of family members and asking questions. Or play a silly drawing game in which you draw a picture wrong and ask the child what is wrong with it. For example, draw a picture of a dog with a bird's beak or a person with a bunny head. Ask the child to draw you a picture that is wrong as well and explain it to you. Ask the silly question game to get her to giggle and communicate. For example, ask these silly questions "Are you a birdie?" "Is your name Mary (when you really know her name is Suzy)?" "Can your dog fly?" "Your dog can't fly. How come?" Remember to read to your child every day.

Speech Games for Older Children

• Older children can play more complex games to learn speech. Play the I Spy With My Little Eye game in which you each take turns guessing an object in the room. Play the word tense game Today I Am Riding, Yesterday I (Rode. Teach the child knock-knock jokes. Ask the child to quickly tell you as many animals (or whatever interests him) as he can, as you time him for one minute. Count how many animals he named and see if he can beat it next time. Encourage role-playing games with other children as well. For example, playing house or acting out a scene in a favorite television show or movie are great ways to teach speech. Telling jokes and riddles is a great way to teach speech; encourage this by providing joke books. Remember, reading is one of the best ways to teach speech. If the child can read, you should take turns reading a page of an engaging book together. Older children still enjoy being read to.