Talk, Play, and Read with Me Daddy: Interactive Activities to Enhance Your Child's Language Development from Birth to Age Five

By Jo Ann Gramlich M.S.

There’s nothing more magical than interacting with a child, especially when you know you’re encouraging them to say their first true words. Starting as early as birth, you can begin to talk, play, and read with your child and become actively involved in the initial stages of communication. Talk, Play, And Read With Me Daddy will not only guide you, but provide you and your child with many stimulating activities and games that are developmentally appropriate and designed to help enhance your child’s speech and language skills. There are many interactive activities for infants (e.g., Making Sounds, Tubby Time, Playful Reading), toddlers (e.g., Sorting Fun, Picnic Time, My Fun Box), and preschoolers (e.g., Listen Up, Story Telling, Searching for Shapes). These fun-filled learning games can be played when you and your child have a few extra minutes during daily routines, playtime, or story time. You can also use this book when you are on the move, so make sure you carry it wherever you go.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728358376

Jo Ann Gramlich M.S.

JO ANN GRAMLICH is an award-winning author and speech-language pathologist who provides evaluation and remediation services for children with communication disorders in early intervention and preschool programs at Pediatric Educational and Diagnostic Services-ECMC, Buffalo, New York. She has worked for the Buffalo Public School District of Western New York where she provided speech-language therapy for elementary and middle school-aged children. She holds a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. Jo Ann Gramlich’s other books include Talk, Play, And Read With Me Mommy and Talk, Play, And Read With Me Mommy Interactive eBook .

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© 2020 Jo Ann Gramlich, M.S. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/16/2020

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5838-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-5837-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020906261

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Developmental Language Milestones

Games for Infants

Birth to 6 Months

Making Sounds

Rattle Time

Gentle Voices

Musical Sing-a-Long

Lots of Sounds

Pat-a-Cake

Tender Tickles

Playful Reading

Merry Melodies

Peek-a-Boo

Just Talk

Tubby Time

7 to 12 Months

So Big

What is It?

Music Time

Pretend Phone Talk

Sit ’n Splash

Pop the Bubble

Five Little Monkeys

Looking at Pictures

Finding Body Parts

Talking Time

Where Did It Go?

It Goes Up and Down

Games for Toddlers

1 to 1 ½ Years

Can You Name It?

Imitate Me and See

Take a Walk with Me

Mirror Games

Animal Sounds

Do You Hear That?

Pretend Play

Photo Pictures

In and Out

Teapot Time

Catch the Ball

Daddy Says

1 ½ to 2 Years

Smile and Say Cheese

Surprise Bag

Flashlight Fun

Time for Breakfast

Something’s Missing

Bear Talk

Look and Tell

Puzzles and Puzzles

Sorting Fun

Count with Me

Jump in the Puddle

Blow and Pop

2 to 2 ½ Years

Let’s Talk

Picnic Time

What Did You Take?

Ask, Ask, Ask

Walk and Talk

Photo Fun

Talk and Play

Shopping for Food

Match It

Washing Up

Take a Ride

Go Fish

2 ½ to 3 Years

Moving Like an Animal

Mealtime Fun

Is It Big or Little?

Memory Game

Counting, Matching, and Stacking

Shopping at Home

I See Something

Color Time

Let’s Make a Book

Reading Time

Furry Friends

My Fun Box

Games for Preschoolers

3 to 4 Years

Nursery Rhyme Time

What Color Did You Eat?

Describe It

Does It Belong?

Game of Opposites

Can You Say It?

Follow the Directions

Listen Up

In the Box

Story Telling

Plant a Garden

Fun in the Sun

4 to 5 Years

What Did You Say?

Let’s Pretend

Hunting for Colors

Searching for Shapes

Do You Know?

So Many Words

Put the Words Together

Walk in the Snow

What’s in the Ocean?

Things I Like

Silly Stories

Talk and Listen

Daddy and Me Bonding Activities

Feeding Time

Around the House

Roll the Ball

Let’s Go Outside

Reading Time

Camping Fun

Puppet Play

Playful Music

What Do You See

Library Time

Strategies for Developing Speech & Language Skills

Introduction

While it is very common for a child to spend a lot of time participating in daily routines and activities with Mom, there is nothing as special as the bond between Dad and his little one. Daddies greatly contribute to their child’s cognitive and social-emotional development along with academic achievement. Studies have shown that a father’s involvement has a positive and direct impact on a child’s well-being in remarkable and crucial ways. Dads also play an essential role in their child’s language development and need to have a thorough understanding of how to enhance their child’s communication skills during the infant, toddler, and preschool years. This book will provide you with stimulating activities and games that are developmentally appropriate as well as offering you and your child opportunities to experience special bonding moments together. There are nursery rhyme games, bubble games, animal games, musical sing-a-long games, bath games, counting and matching games, story time games, color and shape games, listening games, and so much more. Whether you have a few extra minutes at home, on the go, or anytime at all, you can use these hands-on activities to teach your child and simply have fun together.

In addition, you will find developmental language milestones from birth to 5 years because so many language skills are acquired during this important expanding period in your child’s life. A compilation of all the strategies and techniques I was taught and use with children in my workplace are also presented within the assorted activities and games included in this book.

Although children acquire language at a different rate due to individual differences, your child can naturally learn and develop various communication skills from birth to age five. This development can take place within a language rich environment in conjunction with using specific techniques that will help stimulate and strengthen your child’s language growth. This all begins with the understanding that children under the age of five experience the majority of their learning opportunities during regular daily routines and playtime.

Also, this book will feature an extra bonus chapter of Daddy & Me Bonding Activities. These bonding activities include playful and adventurous ways for you to interact with your infant, toddler, or preschooler anytime during the day.

You will find that this book Talk, Play, And Read With Me Daddy along with its counterpart, Talk, Play, And Read With Me Mommy can be used simultaneously by moms, dads, or caregivers when interacting with their little one. The books can also be used individually by anyone who is interested in learning innovative ways to engage children as they offer creative ideas that will help you encourage your child to talk and develop speech and language skills while having fun!

Finally, a special thank you to all the wonderful children that I have had the good fortune of learning from, playing with, and enjoying throughout the years!!

Developmental Language Milestones

Birth to 6 Months

Responds to voice and sound

Is calmed by familiar friendly voices

Repeats same sounds

Makes pleasure sounds, coos, or gurgles

Cries for hunger or other needs

Babbles or coos during vocal play

Smiles happily when spoken to

Recognizes voices

Laughs playfully

Produces /b/, /p/, & /m/ sounds when babbling

Uses sounds or gestures when in need

Vocalizes when engaged in self-initiated sound play

7 to 12 Months

Responds to and understands own name

Listens to new words and imitates sounds

Understands a few new words (e.g., mommy, daddy, & bye bye)

Uses sounds and song-like patterns when babbling

Imitates sounds or intonation patterns produced by others

Listens