Much of our daily living activities or the modern life in general is the main culprit in speech issues and shortened attention spans in this country. Apart from improving speech where children are concerned , there are quite a number of things that can be done to improve their reduced attention span, including turning off the electronic devices, eating better, returning to the very human way of making things, getting outside, playing more, and much more. In a summary, here is what you can do to help improve your kid’s speech and attention span.
Play favorite games with your children
Play gross motor games that require a specific amount of motor planning and coordination with your kids. These games include dodgeball, soccer, touch football, tag, statues, hide and seek, twister, catch, and many more. Not only do these games help to improve coordination and motor planning, they also enhance your kid’s speech. Also make sure to organize some games with other kids in the neighborhood to help improve your kid’s way of interacting with the others, or their social skills.
Encourage your kid to engage in craft activities
Craft activities are an excellent way to encourage a kid to develop his or her attention span, eye hand co-ordination, frustration, speech, problem solving skills, and much more. Give the child items such as painting boards to paint creatively, bark chips and feathers to weave into, puppets or stuffed animals to sew, etc.
Read to your child
Start reading to your kid as early as you can. While a number of children’s books are mind numbingly boring, a good majority of them are not. Good examples of attention catching books for kids include those by Russell Hoban, Crockett Johnson, Beatrice de Regniers, Dr. Seuss, and many more. And if reading becomes boring, why not play a little Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart on the stereo while you are at home with your kids? This way, you will also help to improve the kid’s listening skills, and thereafter his or her speech abilities.
Limit time with battery operated toys
According to the experts, it is a good idea to limit battery operated toys that have a lot of whistles and bells but don’t offer much in a way of interaction. These should be substituted with toys that require the child to use his or her imagination or employ fine motor skills. These kinds of toys are perfect for sparking creativity in young kids. While at it, they will tell endless stories as they manipulate warriors in armor on horseback or modern toy soldiers.
Modify the environment and diet
Environmental settings and diet can contribute to kids having difficult in their speech, and also lowered attention span. Other kids might understand the language in a given environmental setting but find it difficult to communicate effectively as a result of having difficulty with speech. Other times, kids experience challenges in other areas of communication such as facial expressions, hand gestures and the likes.
If the above listed ideas can’t work in your child’s case, why not turn to a sensory and speech therapist for help? Speech therapy in Connecticut can be used to help improve your kid’s attention span, language and speech skills, as well as motor abilities. Best of all, children can be trained to improve their speech to make it clearer, and not forgetting their listening skills. As a result, their attention span is greatly improved so as to make them better functioning human beings in their adult years.
