Communication

We all use communication in different ways. Some of us rely on verbal communication such as speech, Others of us speech that is non verbal. This means that we may use gestures to get the things we want and need from others. Sometimes we can even use pictures for communication. We often do this in Early Childhood Education Programs. We label items with word titles so that we can learn the name and use of the object as we begin speaking and reading. A great tool for enforcing communication with children of all skill levels is “Process Charts” these are pictures demonstrating how the task should be done. They can be either be displayed as already finished in order OR you can number the pictures and give them to the child, as they finish a step the add the picture to the chart to remind themselves of what parts they have already completed. There are tasks that children must master in order to begin creating effective communication.

First they need to understand and use “Eye Contact”  this is a fundamental step because it enforces the second step “Taking Cues”.  Eye Contact allows children to learn and understand the meaning of Facial Expressions and Emotions.  Learning to take cues helps children develop social skills and interactions. They also learn how to use and understand the give and take of social exchanges and conversations. Finally children start to understand that words represent objects this leads to an understanding that the “sounds” mom or the teacher uses stand for a specific action or object leads to the recognition and use of letters and words in speech . Some easy and fun ways to enforce the above steps and skills are Books that Use Repeated words like Brown Bear Brown. This is a great example of words representing pictures in this case that are a specific color. Another one is playing Matching/ Memory games. I suggest using pictures of objects that have several versions of the same object (Crayons, Trees so on). I suggest enforcing the pictures on sturdy paper and then between contact paper for repeated use.  When the child chooses two pictures, talk about what makes them the same and what makes them different. This works on thought process and critical thinking skills. By answering these questions they are also enforcing and using their language development skills. . I hope you enjoyed these concepts and activities and if you want to learn more or are interested in working with me, you can contact me at fragileangel@wowway.com. When you email me mention that you have read my blog I will send you some free information. http://thecreativecampus.weebly.com/programs-products-and-free-content.html