Playing With Purpose: YOUR Daily Routines

Playing With Purpose in

YOUR Daily Routines

Download the handy printable that is pictured by reading to the end of this post.

Are your daily routines suffering a bit lately? That’s no surprise! It is April 2020, as I am writing this blog post. If I counted correctly, we have been sheltering in place for about 28 days due to COVID-19. It has been both a challenging and rewarding month for me. I say rewarding because this time has allowed me to learn quite a bit and grow as a speech-language pathologist. In the span of a few days, I went from seeing my speech therapy clients in-person to providing services via telepractice. It’s also allowed me to be more creative with the kids I treat and in supporting their parents.

One of the families that I provide early intervention-type speech therapy services to (AKA, a consultative model vs. direct one-on-one therapy with the child) asked for ways that they could be supporting their child’s development while also completing your daily routines. And thus, this blog post was born! My husband wanted me to call this post Adulting With Purpose, but I did not have the heart to do it.

Let’s get real, friends. You have many responsibilities in your home AND you also have children to take care of. And for many of you, you cannot leave your children to play independently or mind themselves. These are challenging days.

So what are you to do, when you want to continue to support your child’s language development but also have housework to do?

In the handout you can download below, I provide vocabulary you can highlight when you’re going about your day and completing the jobs you need to get done in your house. You’ll also find some quick tips on ways to build language for each daily routine. I have included ideas for doing the laundry, cooking, taking care of your family pets, cleaning the house, getting dressed (changing from your nighttime to daytime PJs, LOL), and unpacking your groceries.

A few reminders:

• Children need to hear language in context. So when you’re folding the laundry use the vocabulary or words associated with the laundry. This will help them attach meaning which is critical for language development.
• Be a newscaster and talk to your child ALL the time. Parents who talk as they go about their day expose their child to 1,000-2,000 words per HOUR!
• Give yourself some grace. You cannot do everything, for everyone in your house. Playing With Purpose takes time and a little extra effort. Print the handout and hang it on your fridge. It can be a little reminder to add one new word for your child to YOUR daily routine. It will be a win-win. You still clean your bathroom and your child gains some new vocabulary.