Lots of the children I meet simply LOVE Lego! Great news for our Speech and Language Therapy sessions, because it gives us the perfect reason to work on some big communication skills: giving instructions, checking comprehension, negotiating communication breakdowns and so much more.

Lego Therapy is a structured approach to using Lego as a foundation for social communication practice. It’s a format that was first created by neuroscientist, Dr Daniel LeGoff. In this video you’ll get an overview of the structure of a Lego Therapy session, the different roles for each person involved and the various skills they’re developing along the way.

In a Lego Therapy session there are three key roles: builder, engineer (sometimes called the architect) and supplier. It’s common to work on one Lego construction over several sessions, so the children can rotate their roles each session and practice different skills. It’s also worth setting out some ground rules when you first set up your group, which can be a great starting point for talking about what it means to work in a group.

Want more information on helping your child take turns in a group? Check out this blog post on how to teach turn-taking.

I will forever love the topic of listening and attention. Sure, it’s something that young children often need help to develop (so we do a lot of it in Speech and Language Therapy sessions), but really, it’s something that we can ALL practise. With so many pulls on our attention in this modern world, taking a moment to tune in and focus on one thing can sometimes be a challenge for us grown-ups too.

I often bring musical instruments to SaLT sessions. They’re fun to explore together and inspire lots of conversation and shared laughter (especially when I have a go at playing the harmonica). In this video I share a simple ‘sound matching’ music listening game that you can play together that boost early attention and listening skills.

Does your child enjoys songs and instruments? Got a favourite song you enjoy singing together? I’d love to know!

When parents ask me for toy suggestions, the first thing I want to say is YOU are your child’s best play thing! In many ways, it doesn’t matter what you choose to play with, as long as you’re showing an interest in what your child is interested in and exploring things together.

That said, I do have a few favourite toys that I often use in Speech and Language Therapy sessions, particularly in sessions with toddlers, where we focus a lot on boosting speech, language and communication skills through informal play.

In this video I share TEN of my top toy suggestions for toddlers who are just learning to talk.

Do you have any toy suggestions? I’d love to know what your toddler enjoys playing with you.

Balloons are a piece of kit that is always in my therapy bag. They are a really fun activity that captures attention and creates a motivating opportunity for children to practise some key words.

With this activity, we’re modelling phrases like “Blow it up” “Ready, steady, go!”, ‘Where’s the balloon?” and some key words like “Again!”

As children become familiar with the routine of this balloon play, we can start to extend it by creating options: “Shall we let it go over there or over there?” “Shall we make big or small?” “Shall we make it loud or quiet?”

This is a simple way to make balloons a fun interactive activity for the two of you to play together whilst building attention and practising some key words. I hope you have fun trying it out!