There seems to be a list of life hacks showing up on every other Facebook news feed these days, so why not add our own list for speech-language therapy homework hacks? Rather than give a list of specifics, it may be more helpful to share some of the principles Stillwater Speech Therapy draws upon when planning for successful homework.
Homework Hack #1
Finding snippits of time everyday is WAY better than aiming for longer uninterrupted periods of time (because frankly, they don’t exist…or at least not frequently enough to support daily home practice)
We admit that yes, daily practice is asking a lot. Families are busy and therefore homework needs to fit with your schedule and daily routines. Consider naturally-occurring times in the day when you have one-on-one time with your child – if it is in the car, during bath time, during snack time after school, or if it varies day to day, take advantage of these times when you can give your child undivided attention that is not rushed so that practice becomes a regular routine.
Homework Hack #2
If you think practice is a chore, so will your child, and then no one is having fun. Think about the types of activities your child enjoys. We are big fans of using ‘passwords’ to take turns during play, and all children love to play! Consider your child’s preferences, from ball play, to swinging, to bubbles, to board games/card games, or tag. For older children and youth, trivia/jokes/board games etc. are good options. The possibilities are endless, and speech-language pathologists are pretty darn clever at making any type of game/activity work for home practice. So make a list and share your child’s preferences so an individualized program can be tailored for you!
Homework Hack #3
Shorter IS better. This one is simple in concept but sometimes hard to follow through with. Think short and sweet. Keep practice short and sweet so that your child finishes on a high note, feeling really good about themselves. There is nothing worse than getting too excited that practice is actually happening, then pushing it too far so that your child is bored/tired/frustrated. Daily and steady increases in small amounts are much easier to work with than undoing or recovering from overkill on the first day of practice.
Homework Hack #4
Don’t underestimate the power of sticky notes and check marks. Kids love check marks. They love getting them and they REALLY love making them…on colourful sticky notes. Plus marks (+) work really well too and if you really want to ramp up the excitement, give your child a red pen – red pens are irresistible! Now, if your child’s favourite colour is orange, then give them an orange pen (remember how important individualization is for success…).
In summary, most speech-language pathologists have 598723 + homework ideas/tricks up their sleeves. In our best efforts to keep things fun and easy for you, by sharing your apprehensions and suggestions about what works best for your family, we can quickly pick out the best ideas that will be most successful for you.
Happy Practicing!
