Direction Following; Macy's Holiday Window Displays

Now that the crowds from Light Up Night have decreased, I recommend visiting downtown for language exercises for your child.  The Macy's holiday window displays are a perfect thing to capture a child's attention and also work on direction following.  By two years of age, many children can follow two- and three-step directions.

 

Image retrieved from http://www.post-gazette.com/business/businessnews/2012/11/15/Downtown-Macy-s-keeps-tradition-alive-with-holiday-window-display/stories/201211150274.

I recommend looking at the windows, and first allowing your child to process the wonder.  Once she has taken everything in, start by asking her point to various parts of the display.  I like to warm up with one-step directions such as, "Point to the girl," and "Point to the tree."

 

Image retrieved from http://www.post-gazette.com/business/businessnews/2012/11/15/Downtown-Macy-s-keeps-tradition-alive-with-holiday-window-display/stories/201211150274.

Next, move onto two-step directions such as, "Point to the wreath, then point to the wreath," and "Point to girl and wave."

Image retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Macy%27s_Holiday_Windows.JPG.

Finally, end with three-step directions such as, "Point to the girl, then point to the boy, then point to the mailbox," and "Point to the mailbox, tell Santa what you want for Christmas, then wave goodbye."

Being enthusiastic while giving a directions helps, and so does positive praise.  If your child has difficulty following directions, then try repeating the direction.  If that doesn't work, then practice the parts of the direction in isolation; once each one is mastered then your child can try to do them all at once.  If that doesn't work, then model the direction for your child and see if she can imitate it.

Many children respond best to directions that are meaningful.  So, you may also try to incorporate direction following inside of Macy's.  For example, Macy's is famous for having a mailbox at every store for children to submit their letters to Santa.  Thus, a good two-step direction would be, "Take out your letter, and put it in the mailbox."

Note: These Pittsburgh Macy's pictures were taken circa 2012 and 2013.  I couldn't find anything more recent!

More R practice; Steelers/Heinz Field

When I was in graduate school and doing informal screenings for students with trouble pronouncing the "R" sound, I devised a clever way to elicit the sound in natural speech: I asked them to talk about the Steelers!

 

Image retrieved from http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2013/09/05/pittsburgh-steelers-5-players-to-watch-in-week-1/.
 
Not only does the home team have an R in it, but many of the players have names with Rs (e.g. Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Ryan Shazier).  Many positions in football also include an R, like quarterback, strong safety and wide receiver.  So whether you are lucky enough to have tickets to see the Steelers play at Heinz Field, are just driving by the stadium, or are watching them on TV at home, I suggest having a conversation with your child to practice the R sound in a natural way.

If your child is practicing the R sound at the word level, then start out naming players and positions.

If your child is practicing the R sound at the phrase level, then ask her to name the player and position.

If your child is at the simple sentence level, then have a contest to see who can name a player first.  A good sentence starter is, "I see _____."

If your child is at the complex sentence level, then ask her to narrate a play made on the field.  Try to target players and position with R sounds.

To start a conversation, ask your child some questions like, "Why are the Steelers your favorite team?" "What does a quarterback do?  How does Roethlisberger compare to other quarterbacks?" and "What is special about Heinz Field?"

Image retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Field.

If the problem your child is having is that the /r/ sounds more like a /w/ sound, then SLPs would call that "W-colored."  One way to correct that is to remind your child that when she makes the /r/ sound, her lips should not be rounded.  A great way to practice this is in front of a mirror.  Have her look at your lips when you make an /r/ sound, then have her look at her lips; compare the two and highlight how her lips should be spread, not rounded.  Another way to avoid this is to begin by avoiding practice on the "or" sound.  The "or" sound requires that we round our lips, which can exacerbate the problem.  Instead, start by practicing the other vocalic /r/ sounds and remind your child to keep her lips relaxed.  Once you have mastered that, then you can move onto "or."

Please also keep these articulation tips from a previous post in mind when working on /r/: The /r/ sound can be difficult to teach and learn due in part because it is not a sound that can be seen easily on the face, such as the pressing of the lips with the /m/ and /b/ sounds, or the movement of the tongue with /t/ sound.  One way to show your child how to make the /r/ sound is to remind her to raise and curl her tongue.  Demonstrate to your child how a raised, curled tongue looks; then, have her practice this movement.  Some children find it helpful to have the instructor gently push the tongue where it needs to be, either with a gloved finger or a tongue depressor.  This cue is particularly helpful for children that produce an /r/ sound that mimics the /l/ sound.  Another cue is what we call a "touch" cue.  When making the /r/ sound, the sides of the tongue should touch the molars/wisdom teeth.  Thus, remind her to feel this sensation.  I found a link to a site where other SLPs shared their tips for eliciting the sound; here it is: http://www.playingwithwords365.com/2013/05/how-to-elicit-teach-the-r-sound/.