How does your child spend his or her free time?

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smart kid-o-meter *©2000 Betsy Schreiber M.M.S. speech language pathologist

*a LANGUAGE Development/SOCIALIZATION Assessment TOOL

SPENDING TIME IN A VARIETY OF ENRICHING ACTIVITIES MAY IMPROVE OUR CHILDRENS' LEARNING AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, THEIR ABILITY TO SOCIALIZE , PERFORM IN SCHOOL AND TO ADAPT TO CHANGES IN THE ENVIRONMENT

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question with answer: How do I judge if an activity is a good one for language development?

cue: how much social interaction and imagination does the activity require?

Actually, if you study the table, you will begin to see a pattern. *The activities which are the most enriching, involve all of the child's senses while interacting in a group or with an adult.

For older kids,

the most effective way to develop vocabulary and enriching learning experiences is to minimize the time spent in the activities which limit interaction with others except when reading to oneself!

The best way to build vocabulary is still by reading reading reading!!!

And talking about what they've read.

How do we get kids to to the point that they want to read? Some kids just love to read. Some children find it a relief when their time has been structured to minimize tv and video games. They actually like reading.

Most kids need more encouragement. A nightly reading pattern begins from early childhood, but its never too late to start. The way to get a new behavior started is to make it a positive experience. Sometimes children and even adults need a reward for doing something they really don't love doing.

Talk about time management with your child and agree on a plan:

Step 1- think of how much time kids will read every night (not including class assignments)

Step 2- think of when and stick to that schedule

Step 3- what will the child get if he or she reads every night for 30 minutes (aside from brilliant)?

Step 4- stick to the contract

Step 5- if 30 minutes is too long to start, start with 20 ( set a realistic time duration for the child)

Step 6- gradually increase the terms (length of time for reward)

*This method also works for quitting smoking, avoiding eating after a certain hour, and exercising.

Reading and talking about what you've read with others is still the best way to build general knowledge, vocabulary, language comprehension and writing skills.