HORNEPAYNE—Porcupine Health Unit wants to support parents, guardians and caregivers with tips to help toddlers develop language skills while playing with toys.
They offered several helpful ideas for families to use when engaged in play with your child. The Health Unit suggested activities such as:
- Name the toy your child is playing with (e.g., That's a ball.)
- Describe your actions with the toy (e.g., I'm rolling the ball.)
- Describe your child's actions with the toy (e.g., You kicked the ball.)
- Talk about what happened, where the ball went and the actions (e.g., The ball rolled away).
They know that language happens everywhere. Families throughout the Porcupine Health Unit area can access their Preschool Speech and Language Program which provides speech and language support to children from birth to entry into senior kindergarten.
According to the Porcupine Health Unit, “Assessment and a range of treatment services are provided at no cost. No doctor referral is required to access services for your child.”
Interested parents, guardians or caregivers who have any concerns or questions about their child's speech and language development, can call, 705-267-1181 or visit the Porcupine Health Unit website to find out when they should make a referral or how to make a referral. www.porcupinehu.on.ca/en/your-family/speech/
