FREE Nursery Rhymes with words and makaton signs

Nursery Rhymes to Sing See and Sign are free downloadable, web-based communication resources for all young children.  It includes 14 favorite Nursery Rhymes. Nursery Rhymes to Sing See and Sign provide a particular focus on communication strategies known to help communication and language development in children with communication difficulties. 

Difficulties may include:

• delayed speech
• speech that is hard to understand
• problems with comprehension
• difficulties with concentration and engagement

Being unable to communicate and participate impacts on a child’s overall development, well being and quality of life.  The Nursery Rhymes to Sing See and Sign communication resources include:

• a picture song board using Picture Communication Symbols
• a Key Word Sign poster (Makaton) for each Nursery Rhyme
• a song lyrics sheet highlighting the key signs is also available for each song

Resources

How to Use Nursery Rhymes to Sing See and Sign (PDF 146 KB)

Old MacDonald had a farm (PDF 229 KB)
Wheels on the bus (PDF 349 KB)
Baa Baa Black Sheep (PDF 236 KB)
Der Glumph (PDF 161 KB)
Hey Diddle Diddle (PDF 226 KB)
Miss Polly had a Dolly (PDF 303 KB)
Moo Moo Jersey Cow (PDF 245 KB)
Ten Fat Sausages (PDF 170 KB)
Five Little Ducks (PDF 182 KB)
B.I.N.G.O. (PDF 179 KB)
The Alphabet Song (PDF 252 KB)
Five Cheeky Monkeys (PDF 191 KB)
Three Blind Mice (PDF 165 KB)
The Turtle Song (PDF 273 KB)
Song Choice Cards (PDF 110 KB)

 Happy Singing!

Love,

Vanessa & Lauren

Monday Inspiration

Monday Inspiration

Autumn Leaf Fun + FREE Printable

Autumn is more than upon us, it is almost over. So before we dive head long into winter we thought we should take a minute to have some fun despite the cold mornings and early sundowns. 

The following Autumn leaf activities are all from the wonderful inspiration over at Picklebums.

First of all we have free printable finger puppets with a song to accompany it. Have a look at the full article here,

or Download PDF here.

For a lovely fine motor task for your littles, have a go at this Autumn leaf threading task. 

Click here for the details

Lastly, quench all your crafty cravings with Autumn Leaf Crowns and Autumn Leaf Collage

These tasks all provide ample opportunities to develop both your child's fine motor skills as well as their language content (vocabulary) and language structure (grammar).

Build your child's vocab with less frequent words by having them describe the colour, shape and texture of the different leaves e.g.

- jagged

- smooth

- pointy

- rounded

- sharp

- rough

- flat

- curled

- dry

- scratchy

Or target their concepts and grammar with varying sentence structures e.g.

- before I thread the bead, I will thread the leaf

- after I thread the leaf, I will thread the bead

- the brown leaf is beside the red leaf

- I have 5 gold leaves

- I am threading___, I thread___

- I am sticking___, I stuck___

Have fun, stay warm, and another big thank you to Picklebums for their wonderful inspiration.

love L & V

Monday Inspiration

Happy Friday - FREE Printable Artwork!

Happy Friday everyone!
Here are some free printable artworks to make you smile courtesty of
Feed your soul.  
(for personal use only)

Why not go online and print a few off to brighten a bedroom or study?

We have many free printable artworks on our walls at Small Talk Speech Pathology and will often update them with new artworks.

Print here at Feed your soul

Enjoy!

V & L

Yoga for Kids + FREE Printables

Source

The term "yoga" comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "union." Yoga combines physical exercises, mental meditation, and breathing techniques to strengthen the muscles and relieve stress. 

Top 5 benefits of childhood yoga:

1. Healthy outlet to balance their lives
2. Ideal way to naturally unwind and obtain physical activity at the same time
3. Paves the way for a life-long tradition of health and fitness
4. Children of all ages and sizes and varying degrees of athletic abilities can practice yoga
5. Non-competitive form of exercise

ABCs of Yoga for Kids has developed some beautiful resources such as this poster to assist you in introducing yoga to your children. Click HERE for more information.

Below are an example of the lovely images. Click to enlarge.

Plank Pose

Warrior Pose

Also available are these beautiful yoga pose colouring pages. 

Visit the blog Yoga for Kids for frequent updates and tips.

Free Printables:

Click HERE for more free printable yoga pose colouring pages.

Click HERE for free printable PDF yoga pose cards.

10 Yoga Tips for Parents & Kids

1. Kids (and parents) should not eat right before doing yoga. It is best not to have a full stomach when practicing the postures.

2. Pick a quiet place to do yoga with your child. Preferably practice on a yoga mat or soft carpet. Using a yoga mat helps ground kids and gives them a personal space to do the postures.

3. Do the poses with your child.

4. Enjoy being with your child, and try to be in the moment rather than letting your mind wander to things you need to get done.

5. Start in the Candle pose by kneeling on the floor with your hands in prayer position in front of your heart. Take several breaths in and out through your nose before advancing to other poses.

6. Remember to always breathe in and out of your nose when practicing yoga postures.

7. Keep the tone light and fun, and never push your child to do more than they are capable of.

8. Give your child positive reinforcement to help him or her learn and improve.

9. Your final posture should be the Do Nothing Pose, where you and your child lie on your backs with your arms alongside your body and your palms facing towards the ceiling. If you have an eye pillow or small towel to cover your eyes, it helps to keep the light out.

10. Play a soothing children’s lullaby when doing the Do Nothing Pose. One of my favorite songs is “House at Pooh Corner” by Kenny Loggins. See if you and your child can lie still for the duration of the song. See how relaxed and rejuvenated you both are when you are done!

Yoga Precautions for Children

Children tend to have looser joints and great enthusiasm. As a result, they may be unaware when they are stretching beyond what is safe. Parents without yoga backgrounds who are interested in incorporating yoga should seek proper guidance and instruction. Parents practicing independently with their children should be aware that upside-down poses (such as headstands) pose great risk to children who have limited body awareness. According to yoga instructor Baron Baptiste, only children over 8 should try upside-down poses and only with adult supervision.

Read more here or click here for more safety tips.

Namaste,

Lauren and Vanessa