Sounds activities for toddlers

Who doesn’t like the sweet sound of wind chimes? This time, give it a twist and make your very own wind chimes.

You will need:

• Washers in various sizes;
• Yarn;
• Paints; and
• A sturdy wooden stick.

How to do it:

Step 1: Paint the washers in different colours and let them dry.

Step 2: Cut yarn into equal length according to the number of washers. String yarn through the washers.

Step 3: Tie the loose end of the yarn on the wooden stick.

Step 4: Take yarn and tie its end on each side of the stick. This is the loop to hang your wind chime.

Hang it in your porch for some beautiful music on breezy days.

How do babies learn speech sounds?

It's no secret that the speech of a child of preschool age is only being formed, therefore it is very different from the speech of an adult. Intuitively, we understand that the sounds used in the Russian language differ in the complexity of their pronunciation, which means that they appear in children at different ages. Children's Montessori Center "Constellation" has collected the main facts about the development of sound pronunciation in preschool children.

Why do sounds appear at different ages?

The development of a child's speech requires the active inclusion of a huge number of different processes: the development of hearing and vision, memory, thinking, attention, training the muscles of the tongue and lips. Try pronouncing the sounds [a] and [p] and compare how much more control and skill the second sound requires, while the first is pronounced without complex movements of the tongue and lips. It is not surprising that the sound [p] can appear in a child a few years after the appearance of speech, because it takes a lot of practice for the baby to understand how to pronounce and use such a difficult unit of speech.

Unfortunately, some children may need specialist help to produce complex sounds: anatomical features, slurred speech of the parents themselves and other features of the environment and development of the child may lead to the fact that children need a special exercise program and supervision from a speech therapist and doctors.

The question arises, how to recognize whether a child needs a speech therapist to correct sound pronunciation or just need to read more and learn poetry? To do this, parents need to understand and analyze four things:

• General stages of development of sound pronunciation in children. For example, the sound [c] most likely will not appear before the sound [t], it is excusable for children under three years old to soften consonants, and the sound [p] can only be formed by the age of five or six.

• Environment. The kid in training takes the speech of the people around him as a basis, so if dad “swallows” the endings of words, mom lisps, grandmother burrs, and grandfather lisps, the child has every chance to collect a full bouquet of sound pronunciation disorders. It should also be remembered that babies born in bilingual families tend to mix the sounds of different languages.

• Health and features of the anatomy of the child. Birth injuries, hearing impairments, malocclusion, unusual palate structure, and general susceptibility to disease can be a serious obstacle to the development of speech and often cannot be overcome without the support of specialists.

• Features of education. Toddlers whose speeches are not given enough attention by their parents can get used to pronouncing sounds incorrectly, but those children who receive too many comments tend to simply skip difficult sounds, trying not to run into criticism once again.

If a child has difficulties in one or more categories (for example, the baby is far behind the age norms or is surrounded by adults with speech defects), it is worth consulting with specialists and getting recommendations on the development of speech and sound pronunciation of the baby.

Remember, any developmental disorders are corrected easier and faster if work began immediately after they appeared, so do not delay a visit to a children's speech therapist, psychologist or doctor if something bothers you in the development of the baby.

Calendar of the development of sound pronunciation from birth to school age

From birth to three years: the simplest sounds

Already in the first months of life, the baby begins to walk, that is, to pronounce individual sounds without specific reference to objects and situations. So, the very first sounds become vowels [a], [y], [o], [and], which then begin to mix with the simplest consonants, and we get the well-known [agu], [agi], [aha], [uh ] and similar word precursors.

Approximately in half a year cooing is replaced by baby talk. Parents are very much looking forward to the appearance of babbling, because it is an excellent indicator of the intellectual well-being of the baby and the absence of hearing problems. It is baby talk that is called the pronunciation of chains of syllables: [mamamama], [papapapa], [babababa], [bububu]. This period lasts up to about a year, the first simple words and “substitutes” for compound words appear: woman, mother, am-am (to eat), av-av (dog), etc.

Within a year (from one to two years old), the baby already speaks well in simple words and even makes small phrases, trying not only to name an object, but also to describe actions or states. This practice allows the baby to learn to clearly pronounce vowel sounds and the simplest consonants [k], [n], [b], [t], [d], [g], [m], [n].

From two to three years old, babies are already switching to explanations using simple sentences and learning the simplest grammar rules. Pure sounds [c], [f], [s], [e], [x], [s], [s], [l] appear in their speech.

Remember that before the age of three it becomes completely normal:

• Softening of consonants (demic, not house),

• Omission or replacement of compound consonants (loska or loka instead of spoon).

Never imitate such cute features of the speech of babies and never lisp with children. This will fix the incorrect pronunciation of sounds, which will later be difficult to correct without the participation of a speech therapist.

From three to five: speech sounds more mature

After three years, the softening of sounds, which sounds like lisping, gradually disappears. The baby begins to distinguish between the use of hard and soft sounds: house, ice, cat, honey. Words that begin with iotized vowels (yula, fir tree, berry) also cease to cause difficulties. Active development awaits the sounds [s], [z], [ts]: they first fall and change to simpler ones, but closer to four years these sounds in a soft and hard version are pronounced by the child clearly and at the right moments.

Things are more complicated with the sounds [w], [g], [u], [h], [l], [p], [p']. The kids also find replacements for them or skip them altogether (horse, zouk, peck, kaowa, whitka). It is these sounds that are mastered the most recent.

From five to six: mastering all sounds

The hissing sounds are the first to give up: [w], [g], [u], [h]. Children gradually stop looking for replacements for them and begin to accurately identify these sounds and use them in their own speech. The sound [l] and its soft analogue are mastered next. The most difficult thing to master is the sound [p], which can appear only by the age of six, and before that it can be replaced or completely skipped even at the beginning of a word, creating the famous fish, zebyu, zhilaf and other non-existent animals.

So, even before school, at the age of 6-6.5 years, kids normally master all the sounds of the Russian language, distinguish them and use them correctly in their own speech.

Remember that, unlike substitutions and omissions, distorted analogues of sounds that do not exist in Russian (for example, “French” grass [r] or similar to English nasal [n]) require immediate correction. Such substitutions are incredibly firmly established in children's speech and never go away without corrective exercises. In such cases, we strongly recommend that you contact children's speech therapists.

Recommendations for the development of the correct speech of the child

We have already mentioned that the development of the pronunciation of the child and his speech in general depends on his physical condition and the environment in which he develops, so your actions in relation to the baby directly affect the development of his speech. What points should be taken into account?

Take care of your baby's health

Take good care of your baby's health, monitor his physical activity, keep a diary of your child's observations and make any changes to it: cry more often, eat less, sleep longer than usual, start smiling at parents, etc. d. Share your observations regularly with the pediatrician and try to follow his recommendations. Remember that frequent illnesses and neurological disorders can affect the development of a baby's speech.

Watch the baby's surroundings

Do not let your family distort your speech when communicating with the child, the phrase "Who here is so profaned and looks at folnyfko?" will not benefit either the emotional or speech development of the child. Also, carefully monitor the speech of specialists who work with the baby: do not doubt that in just a month the baby will perfectly master all the features of the speech of his nanny. If there are sound pronunciation disorders in relatives, then you should contact a speech therapist and get recommendations on how to prevent your child from acquiring similar disorders.

Talk to your child

Talking to your child, pronouncing clearly and without distorting words, is necessary from birth. Train yourself to say as much as possible what is happening around while you are with your baby: “A car is driving by. The red car is big, but there is a small yellow one. We go to the bus stop and take the bus. Vanya likes to ride the bus? When the baby asks for something, be sure to talk to him what kind of item he wanted: “Do you want an apple? Look what an apple. Tasty apple. Now mom will cut Vanya an apple. When you name objects, use verbs and adjectives in speech, the child's speech (as well as memory, attention and thinking) is enriched.

Visit interesting places

Interesting events stimulate the child to talk. The kid will be happy to talk if he is interested. Go to museums, parks, visit zoos and botanical gardens together, even watching a train on a railway bridge can become a whole event in a child's life. A change of scenery incredibly develops a child’s vocabulary, because where, if not in a zoo, the baby will understand what a crocodile is and what a stork really looks like.

Spend time developing fine motor skills

The human brain is arranged in such a way that speech does not develop without the development of fine hand movements: modeling, drawing, appliqués, picking cereals and packing small items are just a small part of the activities in which fine motor skills are involved. Try to regularly include such activities in the daily routine of the baby.

Use special speech development games

Tongue twisters (repetitive syllables that rhyme with the next sentence, for example, “Mar-mar-mar, a mosquito on your nose!”), tongue twisters and games to develop phonemic hearing can be used at home and on a walk, in line to the pediatrician and in the train to the country. Repeat syllables with different intonations and voices of different characters, ask the child to do something (clap, stomp, sneeze), when he hears a certain sound in the words you pronounce, invite him to find around an object denoted by a word with the desired sound or syllable.

The development of correct sound pronunciation does not require special and lengthy classes: it is enough to communicate with the baby regularly, be attentive to his health and fill his life with interesting events. In any daily routine, you can also find 5-10 minutes for games for the development of speech and phonemic hearing.

Conclusions

Toddlers learn the sounds of their native language throughout their preschool years. Together with the first words, the simplest sounds are pronounced, and over time, when the articulatory apparatus is already sufficiently developed, the child begins to pronounce complex consonants, for example, [p] or [g]. The whole process of mastering sounds, from infant cooing to fully delivered pronunciation, can take 5-6.5 years. An organized environment and parental attention contribute to the development of the correct speech of the child, and regular consultations with a speech therapist and pediatrician will prevent speech disorders in the baby.

Conclusion

Speech is a unique and incredibly complex invention of mankind, thanks to which our civilization appeared. It is not surprising that the development of speech in children takes more than one year and is associated with a huge number of possible violations. Fortunately, scientists and educators already know a lot about the development of children's speech, so in most cases they are able to effectively prevent speech development disorders.

The extensive experience of domestic speech therapists and psychologists and their foreign colleagues is actively used in their work by specialists from the network of children's Montessori centers "Sozvezdie". With us, you can seek advice and undergo a full speech therapy diagnostics, attend remedial classes with a speech therapist, or sign up for developmental classes in logorhythmics for preschoolers.

Sign up for a consultation with a speech therapist at the Constellation Montessori Center and be sure that your child will speak clearly and competently!

Prepared by a Montessori teacher
Shutova Anastasia

Didactic manual "Sound around" | Interactive education

Educational field: cognitive development.

Age category: preschoolers 5-7 years old.

The development of auditory perception in a child of preschool age ensures the formation of ideas about the sound side of the world, orientation to sound as one of the most important characteristics and properties of objects and phenomena of living and inanimate nature. Mastering the sound characteristics contributes to the integrity of perception, which is important in the process of cognitive development of the child.

Sound is one of the regulators of human behavior and activity. The presence of sound sources in space, the movement of sound objects, the change in volume and timbre of the sound - all this provides the conditions for the most adequate behavior in the external environment. Violation of the activity of the auditory analyzer negatively affects various aspects of the development of the child, and above all, causes severe speech disorders, which creates serious obstacles to communication with others and indirectly affects the entire course of mental development. The perception of music is based on the auditory basis, which contributes to the formation of the emotional and aesthetic side of a child's life, is a means of developing rhythmic ability, and enriches the motor sphere.

Purpose: development of auditory perception of preschoolers.

Tasks:

- to form an idea about the objects of the surrounding world, their sound;

- learn to recognize the source of sound by ear;

- learn to listen, listen, focus on sound;

- learn to highlight the characteristic features of sound;

- develop auditory perception, attention, memory;

- expand passive and active vocabulary;

- to cultivate interest in the sound of the surrounding world.

Equipment for the game:

Multimedia presentation, tokens with numbers, colored tokens, cards - chips for each participant (see appendix).

Variants of didactic games

Game "Guess and name the sound"

Game progress:

The game is based on the principle of the TV game "Guess the melody".

Participants receive points for correctly guessing sounds. (points are displayed on the slide). At the end of the game, points are calculated. The winner is the one with the most points.

The right to move is set by tokens given to children before the game (from 1 to 18). Starting from the first. Sounds start from number 1 and in order.

The condition that all participants must comply with is those whose token is in play. If the participant did not cope, the other participants enter the game and can help.

At the end of the game, the children must determine “what unites all the sounds they hear?” (they are spoken by a person)

For the presenter : SLIDES 4, 5. All slides and pictures start on click; sounds by clicking the corresponding number.

Sound puzzle game

Game progress:

The playing field is divided into 7 fields. Each field is assigned a picture and a certain sound. Guessing the sound, part of the screen opens. Having opened all the fields-cards, an image of a village street appears.

The fields open in the following sequence:

No. 1 Sunny (sound - cow), No. 2 Fox and bun (sound goat),

No. 3 Leopold the cat (sound horse), No. 4 Fox cub (sound pig),

No. 5 Apple (sheep sound), No. 6 Grasshopper (dog sound),

No. 7 Balloons (kitten sound)

Possible questions: What is hidden behind the sun? With whom did Leopold the Cat come? etc.

At the end of the game, having guessed all the sound puzzles, the children should say “why did this picture open?” (because they guessed the sounds that pets make)

For the presenter: SLIDE 7. All slides and pictures start on click; sounds by clicking the corresponding number.

Game "Extra Four"

Game progress:

In turn, the leader starts the sound sequence. Players need to correctly identify "What sounds" and name this item. If the participant answers correctly, then the image of this subject opens. One sound will be different from the previous ones. Sounds run in rows, starting from left to right.

Players need to answer "Which sound is odd and why?"

SLIDE 9 "Birds".

SLIDE 10. The sound is not supported by the image. Players are invited to determine 4 sounds by ear (the first four sounds are started first, guessed, and name the extra one).

An image of an extra object appears on the screen.

Images appear in rows: two rows of 3 items.

When all pictures are revealed, players are asked to determine "Which picture is superfluous and why".

For presenter: SLIDES 9,10. All slides and pictures run on click; sounds by clicking the corresponding number.

Musical Rainbow game

Game progress:

The playing field is divided into colored rectangles, each of which is assigned a number and a sound. The picture is hidden under these rectangles. Guessing the sound correctly, the rectangle disappears, revealing part of the screen. Guessing all the sounds, we will see a beautiful picture.

Sounds are triggered by numbers, in order.

Before the start of the game, each player is given cards with the image (see Appendix) : person, bird, animal, house, street. After listening to the sound, each participant in the game must raise the card that corresponds to this sound, for example, this sound is made by a bird, then a card with the image of a bird, if the sound can be heard in the house (for example, tap water), the card with the image of the house is raised and etc.

The condition that all participants must comply with is silence.

If the participant did not cope, he auditioned again and discussed.

Presenter: SLIDE 12. All slides and pictures are click-started; sounds by clicking the corresponding number.

Deaf Phone game

Game progress:

There are 16 sounds fixed on the playing field.

Learn more

• 
  Adjectives of important
• 
  Dolch sight word games
• 
  Back school tips parents
• 
  Pre school reading games
• 
  Sing the abc
• 
  Long vowel sound rules
• 
  How to teach a 4 year old letters
• 
  The story of red riding hood
• 
  Desserts that start with the letter k
• 
  Song about the color blue
• 
  What's your favorite color