Carmen Knight, M.A.T., Early Childhood and Special Education

Effective communication is essential for sharing your wants and needs with others. In the field that we work in, so many of our patients struggle in this area. As therapists, it is important to look for ways to increase a child's receptive and expressive language. I have heard from many parents how much it has meant to them the first time they heard their child ask for something and understand it. The means of communication is a benefit for everyone in the family.

I have found a great toy that allows you and the children you serve to have a great time while working on communication skills, turn taking, and increase meaningful relationships. The Find-It Kids Game allows you to work on communication in the form of a hunt. Take this cool looking tube with small items in it and give it a shake. You and your patient can take turns finding each item. It comes with a list of all the items inside so the Early Interventionist or Therapist can mark off each item found.

The fun begins when you demonstrate the way to use this toy. You may begin by saying you're going to find the fish. Give the tube a spin, shake or twist until the fish is found among all the other items. Once found, describe the item; name, color, where you might find the item, etc. Then, give your patient a turn. Name an item to search for or just let the child shake the beads and name any item that he or she sees. When the child correctly names the item, then you as the EI can praise the child. If the child is struggling, take the opportunity to work on name, sound, and color of the item. The goal is to get that child to communicate!

The sound this toy makes is so cool and will make the hunt so much fun your patient won't even realize that they are developing an important skill. Communication during play increases a child's confidence to experiment with language while having fun. It is imperative that these skills are developed for children to express themselves and begin to show their independence and individual personalities. This activity will aid in this important skill.
The skill of turn taking is important for their social development and will help them adjust as they grow and begin a preschool or school program. The closer the relationship the child develops the greater the confidence the child will have in attempting to communicate. It is a win for everyone.

SmileMakers has developed a page for Early Interventionists and Therapists to help you find what you need to serve your patients. Visit www.SmileMakers.com to see the variety of toys that will assist you in helping your children grow in all areas of development.