ROAD TRIP

Have you ever realized how much time you spend in the car with your children? Driving to and from school, a quick trip to the grocery store, visiting family or friends, or sports activities. Much of our day is in the driver’s seat, and our children in the back seat.  The car is a perfect opportunity to incorporate speech and language into every day life.

I Spy – This classic guessing game can focus on articulation and language. Pick something that contains a targeted sound (“I spy something that starts with a ‘t’”) or utilize vocabulary skills (“I spy something that is red and round”). 

20 Questions – Think of an object, animal, person or place. Have your child ask up to twenty questions to try and guess the targeted word.  For example, “Is it something you eat? Can I hold it in my hand?” Next, switch it up and you ask the questions! Great way to address question formulations and answering questions, vocabulary.

Categories – Pick a category and list as many items as possible. For example, if the category is “restaurants”, name as many restaurants you pass by on your trip.

Alphabet Game – Find things along your route that begin with the letters of the alphabet. Starting with A and ending with Z, see if  you and your child are able to find them all before you arrive at your destination. Another version of this game is finding words on signs that begin with the targeted letters.

Make up a Story – Each person generates a sentence one at a time to create a story. This focuses on sequencing skills, grammar use and vocabulary all at the same time.

Camping Trip – This activity is great for auditory memory, attention and phonemic awareness. Begin by saying, “I’m going on a camping trip and I am going to bring ______” and fill in the blank with something that starts with “A”, such as apple. Your child then repeats the sentence and has to recall your response of “apple” and add another word beginning with “b”,   (“I’m going on a camping trip and I am bringing an apple and a blanket”). Play continues utilizing the letters of the alphabet.

Movie showtime – If it is time to put in a DVD and watch a movie, make it a language activity also. Ask questions (Who was the movie about? Where were they? When did it happen?). Have your child retell the movie in his/her own words. Focus on the sequence of events throughout the movie or problem solve issues that may have happened throughout the story.

With the scenery always changing, traveling can be a perfect time to develop your child’s communication skills. Whether it’s a five minute ride down the street or hours on the highway, talking with your children in the car can make the time fly by!