Chores are an important right of passage, but did you know that they can also help language skills? I can just see some people thinking, “But it will take three times as long to get everything done!” Yes, probably. Pick and choose which chores you want your child to be a part of. It will be something that you will build into their day or week. I would also pick something where there are less time constraints. That will make the chores more successful. Also, to see a list of chores that may be appropriate for your child/client from WebMD (click here) Here are the benefits of building language through chores.
Chores are Routines
Chores are basically routines. You do the same or similar things in the same way, every time. Because routines are great ways to develop language, chores can also be a great way to build language skills in a more natural setting. This allows the child lots of opportunities to learn. You could work on different language goals as the child becomes more familiar with the chore. You could also give the child more responsibility.
Teach Language in a natural setting.
In the last few years, particularly for young children, there has been a real drive in the speech world to work on language in more natural contexts and to use less sit-down and look at these flashcards. Children understand and use the language targets functionally when the learning is embedded in a situation where they may use that language. Chores are the perfect naturalistic activities.
A bonus is that there is evidence that doing chores can help a child develop their executive functioning skills (Tepper, Howell, & Bennett, 2022). Children with language disorders often have weak executive functioning skills, which is one way we support the development of those skills. If you are looking for specific examples of how to build language by doing the laundry (click here)or by grocery shopping (click here). For a free parent handout on laundry and language (click here). Let me know how your use chores to build language skills.
2 Comments