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Over the summer, in speaking with one of my client's parents, I realized how this generation of kids really doesn't play games like my generation did. WAIT! That made me sound really, really old. MOVING ON....quickly! What I mean is, that we have become so used to electronics and "doing things" (which I think are FINE and GREAT) that we forget how important and valuable playing a regular ol' board game can be.  Let me explain...
I'm planning a series of blog posts, as well as an episode or two on my BlogTalk Radio show http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thera, about Executive Functions and how important they are for learning. So, what exactly ARE Executive Function Skills? Basically, they are a set of mental processes that helps connect past experience with present action. We use these skills whenever we do activities involve planning, organizing, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space. Hmmm. Sounds strangely familiar to the "skill set" we need to play a good ol' fashioned board game, doesn't it? This is great news for parents, teachers and therapists because kids LOVE board games and don't realize they are using, and learning, valuable skills when they play them. Woo hoo! Love activities like that. So pull out all of those favorite games or go buy some new ones and GET PLAYING. What are some of your favorites? I love Clue, Monopoly, card games and many, many more! As always, thanks for reading. Jen
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If I could give my clients one idea to help them fit in their "speech practice" over the summer it would be... ROAD TRIP GAMES Some of my fondest memories from childhood were playing games on a seemingly unending road trip. Little did I know that I was learning all the while. My mom and grandma probably did but I was oblivious to that fact...until I became a speech therapist and definitely when I became a parent. 
Some of the BEST language, phonological and articulation games you can play are IN THE CAR! Here is a list of my favorites: *My Father Owns A Grocery Store *I Spy (use colors or sounds) *Travel Bingo (purchase or make your own!) *License Plate Game (see how many states you can find!) *Moving Through The Alphabet (use those road signs and license plates to find each letter of the alphabet) Over the years my family and I have enjoyed each of these on our yearly trips "Up North." What are yours? As always, thank you for reading, Jen *for excellent, downloadable clip art for road trip games, visit   The Olympics sure are fun to watch with the family, aren't they? Continuing our series on Olympic themed activities for our picky eaters, I give you the Food Exploration event(s). First up? Picking Grapes. Bet you didn't know that picking grapes off of the stem was an Olympic event, did you? Here's the bonus...not only is it great for food exploration but also for exercising those hand/finger muscles for coloring, writing and scissor use! So, how do you compete in this event? It's easy...grab a bunch of grapes (still on the stem), get the timer ready and see how many grapes can be removed from the stem in 30, 45 or 60 seconds. 
Next up is the Totally Terrific Tong event. Grab a few different kinds of tongs, sliced apples, grapes, black olives, ice cubes etc...See who can move the most of each food from a plate to a muffin tin, muffin tin to plate, bowl to bowl, plate to plate...you get the idea here! This event is another great way for food exploration AND fine motor skills. 
So there you have it! Two great events for you and your picky eater to learn about foods while exercising their fine motor muscles and celebrating the Olympics.
What other events would be great for food exploration? As always, thanks for reading! Jen  I'm excited! I've been nominated for The Versatile Blogger award by Leslie at Practical Parenting-with a twist! Thank you Leslie!! There are a few things I have to do to make the nomination "stick" though so here goes...
1. Follow the person who gave me the award: DONE. 2. Link back to the blog that nominated me: http://leslie4kids.wordpress.com/ Practical Parenting 3. Include the award image in my post. 4. Give 7 random facts about myself. 5. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award. 6. When nominating, including a link to the blog. 7. Let other bloggers know they've been nominated. Seven random facts... 1. I once met Willie Nelson while golfing in a golf match in high school. He had golf spike cowboy boots, a beautiful Rolex watch and a shirt with an obscenity on it. :) 2. I am a Germaphobe through and through. 3. I can laugh like a wicked witch....and it's REALLY good. My kids (and husband) ask me to do it all the time but I rarely do! Usually just on or near Halloween. 4. I was once driving down the road and "flicked" the snow off of my windshield wiper and it flew off of my car...OOPS! (it was a hot pink wiper-don't judge, it was the 80's!) 5. I would like nothing more than to write a book. 6. When I grow up, I'd love to own a winery or be a Sommelier. 7. I am, in fact, a Green Bay Packer fan (in the middle of Bear country) but I have never lived in Wisconsin. Go Pack go! Here are the 15 blogs I'm nominating for the award: 1. http://www.speechtechie.com/ 2. http://2galsspeechproducts.blogspot.com/ 3. http://meesterc.wordpress.com/ 4. http://lexicallinguist.wordpress.com/ 5. http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/ 6. http://www.playingwithwords365.com/ 7. http://www.pediastaff.com/blog/ 8. http://speechroomnews.blogspot.com/ 9. http://the-speechguy.com/ 10. http://melissaspeech.com/ 11. http://thespeechladies.blogspot.com/ 12. http://beyondtalk.blogspot.com 13. http://all4mychild.com/blog/ 14. http://www.erikxraj.com/blog 15. http://thelittlestories.com/ Share some love with these bloggers, friends! As always, thank you for reading. Jen |
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