Thank you to my friends Ellen Seidman of Love that Max and to Katie Yeh of Playing with Words 365 for teaming up on this terrific post on how to make the most of your summer-time (and any time) car rides.   When I was a kid, car rides were all about language and we played all sorts of word games.   Nowadays it seems that most kids have their heads buried in their iPads and PSPs.    Let’s take it back to basics.  This article is a great start!

[Source:  Love that Max]
by Katie Yeh, M.A. CCC-SLP
It’s SUMMER, the most popular time of year to jump in the car for a day-cation, or better yet, a road trip! If you have children with speech and language delays, long rides can be a great time to play games that target these skills. Most of these activities have a language base but can be used to target speech skills as well. (Wondering what the difference is between speech and language? Check out my post What is the Difference Between Speech and Language?)
1. You Do, I Do
For children who are not yet talking or are just beginning to speak, a very important pre-verbal skill is imitation. Children need to be able to imitate to learn and use language. As your child sits in his car seat making different sounds, words, motor movements and facial expressions, imitate him! This may seem silly at first, but this can teach your little ones the power of imitation. It is always so fun to see a child’s face when you realize you are imitating him. And soon, he will be imitating you!
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