Adrian Polidano

Looking for fun ways to work on Speech and Language at home with your child? Grandview Kids Speech-Language Therapy Assistant, Karen, has a favourite activity to do in speech therapy sessions; making volcanoes. Read on to learn how to create your own at home and help work on speech goals with your kiddos.

When something exciting happens, children are usually motivated to use more language. Making volcanoes can be used with a variety of ages to practice a wide range of speech and language skills.

For children who are just beginning to use words, you can work on early vocabulary such as “in, more, pour, go, bubbles.”

When you make several small volcanoes, there are lots of opportunities to repeat, repeat, repeat. Remember to say the words and pause to give your child a chance to imitate. If your child has difficulty with a speech sound, you can pick a word to practice during the activity, for example “spoon, scoop, squeeze” for S-blends, “cup” for the K sound, or “fill” for the F sound.

For older children, you can practice story language like “first, then, next, before, after” and practice telling the story of making volcanoes to friends or family members on the phone or video chat. Take some pictures to help your child remember the steps. No matter which skill you are targeting, remember than FUN and INTERACTION are the building blocks for language. Once your child wants to stay and play, you can work on adding new words.

How to create your own volcanoes:

Step 1: Place several cups or small containers on cookie sheet sheet, in the kitchen sink, in the bathtub, or even out in the backyard if you don’t like messes!

Step 2: Put one or two scoops of baking soda in each cup – enough to cover the bottom of the cup.

Step 3: Squeeze some food colouring into each cup. If your child is too excited this could get messy. You could also use coloured drink crystals, drops of grape juice, or just skip the colour step. The bubbles at the end are the most exciting part.

Step 4: Pour enough vinegar in each cup to make the bubbles spill over.

Step 5: Watch the coloured bubbles until they stop fizzing, notice the colour mixing in the tray, listen to the sounds of the bubbles popping.

Watch video of our volcanoes erupting here!

Like each of you, the team at Grandview is processing the reality of the massive disruption/fear/anxiety COVID-19 has introduced into our lives. We now know that this is going to continue for longer than we initially imagined.

The projections for COVID impacts across Ontario that were shared during the April 3rd Provincial briefing are staggering. We must all do our part to help. In fact, knowing that each of us has the power to make a difference is part of what I am writing to you about today; power and freedom.

I am reflecting on the famous quote from Viktor Frankl,

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

In uncertain times when we feel so out of control, it is difficult to envision ourselves empowered or free. It is important to remember what we are in control of.

I have had the distinct honour of knowing many Grandview families. I want to share what I would say are common and consistent “isms” about them

• They love their kids, I mean LOVE their kids. The “walk through fire” kind of love

• They KNOW their kids better than anyone. Every little nuance that others would take for granted or even miss has clear meaning for you about your child

• They want the absolute BEST for their kids

• They know when to just step back and take a break- when all the therapy and appointments and constant work gets to be too much

• They take nothing for granted- every inch forward is reason to celebrate

• They are not afraid to reach out and ask for help when needed to keep balance in turbulent times

• They sometimes feel lonely, sad, overwhelmed and tired of fighting or advocating for what others easily access and need to dwell there for a bit and then move forward

…the list goes on and on

I mention these “isms” because THAT list of “isms” seems like the current required skill set to manage through this pandemic. The responses you have chosen along your child’s life journey have armed you with the power to thrive during difficult days ahead.

We are here at Grandview, establishing new ways to offer our services to you and working to be sure you can connect with us for support.

We feel that the most important thing for you and your family right now is your own mental and physical health.

We know you will make the best choices for your family in terms of what can be accomplished with school lessons and therapy. Give yourself a huge break. I read a great article the other day that suggested when we look back on these times we won’t remember who got all the lessons completed or who used the time to learn something new (what a privilege!) but rather we will be measured on how we treated each other, how children, seniors and those living with vulnerabilities were cared for and how we reached out (virtually mostly) to stay connected.

We do have the freedom to choose how we control some of this. Grandview families you are POWERFUL!

Please stay connected with us through social media or the online parent support group on Facebook to discover the opportunities emerging to “Go to Grandview” virtually. Your Grandview team is here and will be here as we travel the weeks and months ahead together.

The Grandview staff feels fortunate to have each other and the opportunity and privilege to continue to work for and with Grandview kids and their families. The road ahead is uncertain and answers are not forthcoming in more than a few days at a time. That is our reality. A few things are certain, you have the skills, Grandview is here for you and we will continue to be.

With deep care,
Lorraine

Rolling can be a funny and silly activity for all kids. It also promotes gross motor skills, proprioception awareness and usually provides some giggles.

Here are some great tips from Grandview Kids Physiotherapists, Winnie and Kate.

Start by lying on the floor. If you are up on a bed you will need adult supervision to prevent anyone from rolling off. Start your child on their back and practice rolling over either side. Encourage your child to try and stay straight like a pencil and figure out rolling to both sides as the warm-up. If your child needs assist with rolling, start by bending one of their hips and knees and bring it across their body. Next assist your child to complete the roll onto their stomach. Then assist them to roll back onto their back. Rolling can be whatever speed works for your child.

Here are some fun ways to make rolling into a cooperative game, but make sure there is space free from obstacles on the floor:

Side by side rolling –

Have 2 children, or adult and child, lie on their back, shoulder-to-shoulder. Rolling beside each other can be a lot of fun and the rollers have to slow down and work together to make this work. Try rolling one direction and then back the other direction so each person has a chance to lead and a chance to follow.

Head to head rolling –

Once again, have 2 people lie on the floor facing the ceiling, with the top of the head facing each other, but with feet in the opposite direction to the other person. There should be a small gap between the top of their heads. Everyone keep their arms overhead holding onto a soft toy or piece of fabric. This activity encourages kids figuring out how to roll without using their arms, which requires additional strength and coordination, as well as team work so they do not lose their grip. This is more challenging as they cannot see each other so it requires more concentration, communication, and effort to work with their partner.

If you have more than 2 people available, you can try playing Conveyor Belt –

The children and adults lie shoulder to shoulder with a soft toy such as a teddy bear on the belly of the first person. Each person has to move the teddy bear from the first to the last person only by rolling, without using their hands to help.

While you are playing these fun rolling games, put on some music, like Proud Mary by Tina Turner or Rolling in The Deep by Adele to Roll along with!

A young child playing with an orange toy vacuum clearner.

Heavy work provides calming and organizing sensory input for homebound kids that may or may not be bouncing off the walls with physical distancing and quarantine practices in place right now. At its core, heavy work is any activity that provides input to the muscles and joints, also known as proprioception, typically through resistance activities – push, pull, and carry.

Below are some activities and ideas to get your kids moving and regulated!

These ideas are great to incorporate throughout the day as the regulating effects last up to 2 hours. See Grandview’s Making a Routine blog post for ideas on how add these activities within a routine.

Outdoor heavy work ideas (while practicing physical distancing):

Pulling a wagon on a walk with a younger sibling inside.
Carry a backpack with some weight inside (e.g., book, food, water). Ensure the backpack is not too heavy (5% body weight is recommended).
Washing windows – your child can draw and practice printing/drawing pictures and shapes then wash if off.
Playing/digging in the sand box in the backyard.

They are never too young to start with Chores! Chores! Chores!

Vacuuming – if your child can tolerate the noise!
Help with yard work and/or gardening. There are lots of leaves outside to be raked!
Carry small baskets of laundry.
Sweeping or mopping floors.
For older kids, bringing the garbage and recycling to the curb. Make sure they wash their hands after!

Family Fun time with Heavy Work!

Get creative with obstacles courses!

Be a spy and use streamers or string as lasers. Try not to get zapped!
Use common household items: jumping off couches onto pillows, climb over/under chairs, walk along a taped line, climb stairs 2 by 2, wheelbarrow walking.
Build forts that can be crawled through using pillows and blankets.
Tug-of-war using thick blankets, or push-a-war using an exercise ball (try not to get steam rolled!).
Kids yoga (https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga)
Squish, knead, and play with Play Doh or silly putty.
Animal walks.

See Occupational Therapist Pamela Lam and her dog Boomer demonstrate some animal walks below:

Mother holding her son while he plays with various toys.

When talking to your kids about COVID-19, it’s okay not to know where to start or be worried about saying the wrong thing. It’s very possible they may have heard about it at this point, and their amazing imaginations may have started to fill in gaps which might be making the information scarier for them. By opening up the conversation however you can, it will help them better understand what’s happening and why. Do your best to describe things in a child friendly and honest way.

Take some time each day to have 1:1 communication with your child. We know that “special time” conversations with your kids are helpful when we: follow their lead, speak at their level face-to-face, use language that is appropriate for their understanding, and provide full attention with our “listening ears” on. Using conversation is an excellent way to be able to connect to our children’s thoughts and feelings, as well as to express our own.

You will want to find a setting and time that is optimal for both of you. Remove any distractions (e.g., background noise, television, toys) and set up the environment so that you can both have undivided attention. It may be easier to have a conversation during a walk, bath time, or snack/meal time. If you have more than one child, you might consider having the conversations 1:1 to check in on each child.

Children constantly see and hear new things in their environment. The “adult” conversations we are having and “news” may not be appropriate for young children. Pay attention to what your children are exposed to and how it affects them.

Some things you may want to talk about:

Ask them what they know or have heard about COVID-19, this can help better understand what they know and clarify any incorrect assumptions or conclusions they have made
Be honest about how you are feeling and describe what those feelings mean
Use words they will understand (e.g. “virus” versus “sick”).
Use a calm and reassuring voice
Talk about their questions and answer honestly if you don’t know the answer, reassuring them that you will let them know when you hear or find the answer
Involve them in any planning (e.g. “Let’s think of what we will make for lunch”, “What movie should we watch together?”). For younger children, it may be easier to give them a choice of two options than an open-ended question.
Validate their feelings and discuss that it’s okay to have fears.
Reassure them of what they can do to take control of themselves and how to reduce the spread of germs
Read the Grandview Kids Social Story about COVID-19 together

You may find your child doesn’t want to talk in depth about COVID-19 or after their questions have been answered they say, “okay” and go back to playing. This is a normal response and how children regulate their emotions. What you have done is now created a safe space for them to come back and talk more if they need to.