Have you heard of gliding? Gliding is a common error pattern exhibited by English-speaking children. It involves replacing /L/ and /R/ sounds with a /W/ sound. For example, a child may say, “Wing,” instead of, “Ring.” Many children have difficulty pronouncing sounds in words. Some sounds take longer to develop than others; however, it’s best to have a child screened by a speech therapist to determine if these errors are age-appropriate or should be addressed by a professional

Do you know the red flags of an orofacial myofunctional disorder? Many children spend years in speech therapy with little progress outside of therapy. This is sometimes due to an underlying myofunctional disorder that needs to be addressed. Some red flags include: Mouth breathing Snoring Persistent pacifier use or thumb sucking History of tongue ties Feeding difficulties Readers:  Have you noticed these red flags at home? About the Author: Melissa Goff, M.S, CCC-SLP, is the

Have you heard of a speech sound disorder? Many children have difficulty pronouncing certain sounds in words. While some sounds take longer to develop than others, it’s best to have a child screened by a speech therapist if there are concerns. Some of the earliest sounds to develop are B, P, M, while some of the latest sounds are TH and R. Readers:  Are you concerned about speech sounds? About the Author: Melissa Goff, M.S, CCC-SLP, is the owner of Sunflower Speech & Myo Ther

Have you read “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse” by Laura Numeroff? The book follows the beloved mouse from “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.” There are many lessons that can be built off of this book. Below are some ideas: Talk about Valentine’s Day. What are some ways people celebrate? Create your own heart craft! Focus on prepositions and descriptive language. Practice sequencing and story retell - Use a graphic organizer and/or picture cards to help your child sequence and retel

Have you read “Sneezy the Snowman” by Maureen Wright? The book follows a snowman who wants to warm up while out in the snow! There are many lessons that can be built off of this book. Below are some ideas: Learn about snow. What kind of weather do we need? Why does Sneezy the snowman keep melting? Create your own snowman craft! Focus on prepositions and descriptive language. Practice sequencing and story retell - Use a graphic organizer and/or picture cards to help your child

Scavenger hunts are a fun activity to build speech and language skills. During this cold and snowy season, consider bundling up to look around your neighborhood. Create a list of items, such as birds, animal tracks, icicles, and snowflakes. Ask your child questions about what they see, and target prepositions by asking where they found the items. Happy hunting! Readers:  Have you tried a scavenger hunt at home? About the Author: Melissa Goff, M.S, CCC-SLP, is the owner of Sun

Have you read, “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats? The book follows a boy playing outside in the snow, and it’s great for sequencing and story retell. There are many lessons that can be built off of this book. Below are some ideas: Learn about snow. How does it form? What can you do in the snow? Make a craft - Focus on following 1-2 step directions and prepositions while crafting. Create your own snowy diorama! Practice sequencing and story retell - Use a graphic organizer an

Have you read, “In Arctic Waters” by Laura Crawford? The book follows arctic animals and is great for sequencing. It’s also easy to work on speech sounds while reading aloud. There are many lessons that can be built off of this book. Below are some ideas: Learn about arctic animals. How do they adapt to the cold weather? Build vocabulary by naming and describing winter animals. Make a craft - Focus on following 1-2 step directions and prepositions while crafting. Create your

Happy 2026! I love the feeling of starting fresh in January every year. Goals and resolutions can make a great topic of discussion with school-aged children and teens. It’s also worth exploring the various traditions around the world to ring in the new year. Some traditions include: Eating 12 grapes consecutively at midnight in Spain (I’ve tried this–it’s pretty tough!). Smashing plates in Denmark, which is believed to bring good luck. Painting doors red and wearing red in Ch

Are you looking for a fun way to practice speech sounds with a seasonal twist? Below are winter-themed sentences for speech therapy. Happy practicing! Candy cookies and candy canes cause cavorting. Please cook some cakes, cookies, and candy canes. Shiny snow shows snowflakes and ice skates. White winters are wonderful. My sister went sledding and ice skating with a snowman on Saturday. Readers:  Have you tried any tongue twisters at home? About the Author: Melissa Goff, M.S,

Scavenger hunts are a fun activity to build speech and language skills. Consider creating a list with pictures of items your children can find at home or in their neighborhoods, such as a star decoration, candles, and a blow-up decoration. To build language skills, use descriptive words to discuss what you find, or look for items containing your child’s speech sound. Happy hunting! Readers:  Have you tried a scavenger hunt at home? About the Author: Melissa Goff, M.S, CCC-SLP

Winter-themed books are a fun way to target speech and language goals. Families can talk about winter weather, winter activities, and winter traditions. While reading, caregivers can ask comprehension questions about the story and have their child retell the story in their own words. For a fun arts and crafts project, consider making a diorama, which can incorporate following 1-2 step directions, prepositions, and adjectives. Below is a list of winter books for kids. Happy re

If you have a young child at home, I love reading “Bear Snores On” by Karma Wilson at home. The book is about a hibernating bear who is awoken by his animal friends on a snowy evening. The story has wonderful pictures for practicing grammar, vocabulary, and answering recall questions. It’s also easy to work on speech sounds while reading aloud. There are many lessons that can be built off of this book. Below are some ideas: Learn about hibernation. Why do animals hibernate? D

If you have a young child at home, I love reading “Turkey Trouble” by Wendy J. Silvano at home. The book follows a turkey at a farm who tries to disguise himself prior to Thanksgiving. The story has wonderful pictures for descriptive language, vocabulary, and answering recall questions. It’s also easy to work on speech sounds while reading aloud. There are many lessons that can be built off of this book. Below are some ideas: Build vocabulary by naming and describing farm ani

Are you looking for a fun way to practice speech sounds with a seasonal twist? Below are Thanksgiving-themed sentences for speech therapy. Happy practicing! Beth thinks Thanksgiving is always on Thursdays. Patti passes pumpkin pie to Petra. Tina Turkey tries tasty turnips. Pete partakes of pecan pie. Readers:  Have you tried any tongue twisters at home? About the Author: Melissa Goff, M.S, CCC-SLP, is the owner of Sunflower Speech & Myo Therapy, PLLC, in Charlotte, NC.

If you have a preschooler at home, I love reading “Thanksgiving Cats” by Jean Marzollo at home. The book includes a fun description of a family of cats preparing for a Thanksgiving meal. “Thanksgiving Cats” has wonderful pictures for descriptive language, vocabulary, and answering recall questions. It’s also easy to work on speech sounds while reading aloud. There are many lessons that can be built off of this book. Below are some ideas: Learn about Thanksgiving - Explore the

Are you a caregiver wondering how to boost your toddler’s speech and language development? Language can be developed through everyday tasks, such as bath time or grocery shopping. While in the store, label names and colors, and narrate what you are doing. For example, you could say, “I’m going to put these apples in a bag.” During bath time, use words like, “pop,” and “bubbles.” If you have questions or concerns about your toddler’s speech and language development, reach out

Are you a caregiver building your elementary school-aged kids’ interest in reading after school? There are many fantasy-themed early chapter books available at your local library to engage the imagination. Early chapter books often contain some pictures to keep younger readers interested in the story.  Below are suggestions of early chapter books with fantasy themes. Happy reading! “Star Friends,” series by Linda Chapman “Unicorn Academy,” series by Julie Sykes “The Never Gir

Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a Latin American holiday in the fall season. Learning about this cultural tradition is an...

I love the picture book “The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything” for speech therapy. The story is about a woman who takes a...