August Edition | 5-Minute Speech Spark by Let's Talk

🌟 Attention Toddler Parents: The Say More System Just Launched!

Do you have a toddler with fewer than 50 words and want to start supporting their speech right now?  The Say More System is a brand-new mini course that shows parents how to boost their child’s speech using the routines already built into your day. It’s the perfect way to jumpstart progress (if you're waiting for services to begin) or fast-track therapy (if your child is already receiving services), by knowing exactly what to do at home for better carryover. 
🎥 Watch quick parent lessons
🖼️ Print helpful visuals
🎮 Show your child SLP-led “Play & Say” videos to model core words (and use them as a demo to learn what to do!)

All for just $27 - click here to start now!

📅 Fall Scheduling Reminder
If you’re a current client and need to change your fall session time, please reach out as soon as possible so that we can make arrangements to find your child a new slot.
Email us at: [email protected]

☀️ Summer Speech Tip: “Name It to Frame It”
Summer is full of open-ended, unstructured moments—which means tons of natural chances to build language! Help your child understand and express what’s happening around them by simply narrating the moment.

Try this:
🗣 “You’re filling the bucket. Wow—it’s getting heavy!”
🗣 “You jumped off the step. That was a big jump!”

✨ Why it helps: Short, clear narration helps kids attach words to actions, ideas, and feelings—without pressure to talk back.

🐾 Ralphie’s Reminder

“Speech blooms in play!”
This month, keep repeating short, fun phrases during play routines like:
🎉 “Ready, set... GO!”
🌊 “Splash splash... all wet!”
Your child might just start filling in the last word—or copying your play sounds as their own.

📚 Literacy Corner

🔤 Early Sprouts (PreK–K Pre-Literacy):
Sound Match Hunt
Pick a letter sound (like /m/) and go on a scavenger hunt around the house or yard. Say each item together, stretching out that first sound.
Bonus: Sort the items into two piles—“starts with /m/” and “doesn’t.”

📖 Reading Quest (1st Grade & Up Literacy Idea):
Book Review Challenge
After finishing a book, ask: “Would you tell a friend to read this?”
Let your child draw a mini poster, give it stars, or write a short review. This builds comprehension, sequencing, and expressive language.

📘 Word Wizards (Advanced Readers):
Synonym Switch
Take a sentence from your child’s book or your daily routine and challenge them to swap one or two words with “fancier” ones.
🧠 “The bug was big.” → “The insect was enormous!”
Builds flexible thinking and vocabulary.

🎨 Speechy + Simple: Activity of the Month

Guess & Grab Game
Write or draw summer-themed items on sticky notes (like popsicle, ball, towel, sunhat) and drop them into a bucket or jar.

🎲 Take turns pulling one out—but don’t show it!
Describe the item out loud so the other person can guess what it is.
🗣 “It’s cold and sweet—you eat it before it melts.”
Guess: “Popsicle!”

💬 Bonus: After the guess, have your child say the word in a full sentence:
“The popsicle is red and drippy!”

✨ Articulation tweak: Choose summer words that include your child’s target sound—like raft or rainbow for /r/ or sand, sun, sandals for /s/.
After guessing, have them use the word in a silly sentence to boost sound practice in a fun way.

📌 Quick Tip from Amy
Language builds in the quiet moments too. Don’t be afraid to just sit, observe, and follow your child’s lead. Sometimes a pause is the most powerful tool we have.

Here’s to small moments with big impact.

With care,
Amy Mello, M.S., CCC-SLP
Let’s Talk Speech & Language / Speech on Your Schedule