Book Corner: Poke-A-Dot! Old Macdonald’s Farm

ByLondon Speech and Feeding
Book Corner: Poke-A-Dot! Old Macdonald’s Farm

Introducing the Poke-A-Dot Series of books by www.innovativekids.com and available on www.amazon.co.uk and many bookstores – I love this book and it is one of the most used books on my book shelf. Since I bought this one some years ago several others have been published including Two other Nursery rhymes: Wheel-on-the-bus and 10 little monkeys.

Different topics: Ocean animals, first words, a ‘good night animals bedtime story” and various others. They are ALL GREAT! I don’t have a preference but since I only own the Farm Animals below I thought I would talk you trough that one.

What it is about:

It centres on the nursery song of “Old Mac Donald has a farm” and goes through 10 farm animals (10 cows, 9 pigs, 8 chickens, 7 sheep, 6 ducks, 5 horses, 4 goats, 3 kittens, 2 dogs and 1 rooster). Each page has corresponding Poppers for every animal on the page which invite your child to practice pointing and popping with their index finger. They pop quite loudly which is the whole point after all and thus they provide a much better pop than, say, a bubble-wrap pop.

What I love about this book apart from the obvious pop-pop-popping are the very sturdy, thick hard board pages it is made up of. This book is pretty indestructible and believe me some have tried!! The down side is that it’s quite heavy and not one to have in your travelling toy bag – though if you are taking your little one on a long-haul flight you might just find it invaluable and worth the extra kilo it weighs (I did actually put it on my kitchen scales and it does weigh a hefty 1.1 kg! Something to consider).

But at home, on your book shelf, it’s a really good find and of course you might want to opt for any of the other editions depending on what your little one is into – or have them all! Why not!

What this book is great for:

Developmental Age

2-6 years. It says 3-6 yrs. on the cover but I have shown it to younger children with developmental and speech delays and it has never not been at least looked at with interest – the popping with child’s finger might come a little later, but until then an adult can pop and poke with good effect!

Explore these themes:

  • Nursery song of Old Mac Donalds
  • Farm animals
  • Actions: poke/pop/push/turn/eat/roll/play/swim/run/bark/pull/peck
  • Words/sounds: animal noises and animal names plus farmer/mud/water/stable/hay
  • Cause and effect: point and pop
  • Places : farm/lake/meadow/stable/field/mud

Develop Speech Sounds, particularly good for:

  • /b/ – baa
  • /m/ -moo/ meow
  • /p/ – pig, pop/push/pull/peck
  • /sh/ – sheep
  • /k-c/ – cow/ quack/cluck/duck

Concepts:

  • colours
  • numbers
  • prepositions (in/into/on/ inside/outside)

Published By:

Innovative Kids

ISBN: 978-1-60169-024-1

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

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Pip and Posy, The Scary Monster by Axel Scheffler

Book Corner – Pip and Posy by Axel Scheffler

ByLondon Speech and Feeding

Kids Speech Therapist London
Pip and Posy by Axel Scheffler

One of my all time favourite book series, Pip and Posy, oh sooo good.

Before I tell you a bit about this book, just a few tips on reading aloud to children who are behind with their language and struggle to talk.

It is often assumed that “reading a book” means that we read the text exactly as it stands. We tend to read it quite quickly and, therefore, we also turn the pages quite quickly to match our reading. This may be too quick and not quite the right way of reading to your child, if she/he is struggling with speech and language development.

Instead, perhaps try this:

Sit opposite your child so that she can see you easily – check out my previous post – and start by letting your child open the book.

Now, instead of reading and pointing to everything you see, it can be really helpful to “hang back” and wait for your child to lead. S/he can point to what is interesting and then talk about freely what s/he can see. You can then respond and expand on what your child is pointing to or saying.

So, for example:

Child points to Posy looking out of the window and says: “Posy”.

You can then fill it and reply with : yes! there she is! – now give her some time to reply and take her turn.

If she is struggling to say anything more you might add: She is looking at the rain…. . – take another break and wait and let your child take her turn.

Letting your child take the lead and waiting, allowing your child to fill in and take a turn, is a great way to encourage a two-way conversation and it allows your child to lead the pace of what is being said.

So then, Pip and Posy – the scary Monster:

What’s it about:

Posy is bored indoors as it’s raining. She decides to bake some cupcakes and whilst waiting for her cakes to bake there is a knock at the door…..a big blue monster appears. Posy feels scared and starts to cry. Soon she realises that it’s her friend Pip dressed up in a monster costume and now she feels fine and both end up having fun trying on the monster costume. The sun has now come out and they go and play in the garden. It all finishes with a lovely picnic and those home made cupcakes. Happy end!

All Pip and Posy books are simple in that your child will discover every day situations and they are truly beautifully written and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Age group:

Around 1-6 years

Explore these themes:

  • animals
  • foods and drinks
  • friendships
  • household activities
  • toys and games
  • dress up and monsters
  • places – kitchen, garden
  • what’s a picnic

Develop Speech Sounds, particularly good for:

  • K – kitchen, cupcakes, cases, careful , costume, cry
  • M – monster, mixture, milk
  • P – Pip, Posy, paper, put, popped, open

Concepts:

  • matching
  • labelling
  • describing
  • predicting
  • prepositions (in/into/upstairs/downstairs/inside/outside)

Emotions and Social concepts

  • making friends
  • taking turns
  • feelings: bored/sad/scared/happy/delighted/hungry/ curious

Published by:

Nosy Crow Ltd in the UK in 2013 (ISBN: 9780857632432)

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

Two adults and two children. The man, on the right, holds a book and one child points to it. The woman, on the left, holds up a baby.

Reading Recommendations

ByLondon Speech and Feeding

Using a Core Vocabulary Board

What a lovely picture you are probably thinking, a dad reading to his child, perfect! hmmmm… yes and no! Let me expand.

It is of course lovely reading a book to your toddler and the more often you do, the better! If your child is speaking and listening well, if he/she is asking little questions and can hear dad talking from behind and pointing to things then all is fine, but then I don’t suppose you would be reading this or having any interest in my website or blog.

Since you are reading this, I suspect your little one is perhaps a little behind with their speech and or language; perhaps he does not ask questions or maybe she does not point to anything you say when you are sitting like this with her. Or perhaps you are finding that your toddler/child just flips the pages back and forth whilst you are trying your best to read the text nicely?

If a child is having difficulties attending, listening, understanding and speaking then this positioning as shown in the picture is not the best. The reason is that a child who is having difficulties attending to adult’s speaking, will find it even harder to listen when the speaker is behind the child or very high up so that he/she needs to really look up at their faces.

Often our children with a delay don’t do this: they find it hard to engage jointly with an adult and can often just be focusing on what they are interested in, to the exclusion of everything around them. If this sounds like your little one, then my recommendation is to try and make it as easy as possible for your child to look at your face whilst you are reading to them. It will really help if the adult is positioned opposite the child, or as near as, so that it is quite easy for the child to make eye contact and quickly look up at adult’s face and mouth to see what is being said.

Now that you have re-positioned yourself and you are at roughly the same height to your child and eye-levels are roughly even, you can begin and enjoy the book together.

And since we are talking about reading to your toddler, let me make a few suggestions for good books to get when speech and language is lagging behind a little .

Below is one of my favourite book suggestions as copying animal noises is one of the first and most fun things to be practising with babies and toddlers.

Published by HarperCollins Publishers in 2016 (ISBN: 9781460752234)

This book is great for :

  • copying animal sounds
  • prepositions
  • ‘what’ questions
  • Speech Sounds (see below)

The simple rhyming text, and cheerful illustrations will quickly draw toddlers in. After encountering each animal, the question ‘But what noise comes from a giraffe?’ is repeated.

  • The language in this book is simple but the illustrations are fun and there is lots to talk about and amuse your toddler
  • As the giraffe appears in a variety of locations we can easily weave in early prepositions (in/under/behind)

Which Speech Sounds can be practised:

  • Dj giraffe, joke
  • M moo, meow, tummy
  • N noise, neigh, near, funny, lion
  • R roar, giraffe
  • T cat, hoot
  • Z noise

Enjoy!

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

Sonja's top recommendation: Oi Frog, written by Kes Gray and Jim Field. An exciting book for children to enhance their speech, language and communication.
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Support your child’s communication using books: OI FROG

ByLondon Speech and Feeding
Sonja's top recommendation: Oi Frog, written by Kes Gray and Jim Field. An exciting book for children to enhance their speech, language and communication.
Oi Frog by Kes Gray and Jim Field

Book corner with Oi Frog! by Kes Gray and Jim Field.

Books are an engaging way to support your child’s communication development. Even if your little one dislikes reading in the traditional sense. They will become immersed in this adventure, without realising they are taking in language and developing vital communication skills. This is one of my favourite series for children.

Increase fun and interaction

These books are made for fun and excitement! It may seem silly putting on different voices for different characters, but this is one way in which you can engage your child. Why not try to use different intonation patterns (e.g., you may use a deep voice for the dog, and a higher pitch for the cat)? Make your story interactive: you could ‘rawww’ like a lion and see who can make the loudest noise. Make noises to encourage interaction (e.g., when scratching his chin, make a squeaky sound!). You could also relate the experience back to your child (e.g., ‘can you scratch your chin?’).

Time to talk

Talk about what you can see on the front cover (e.g., There’s a frog on a log, how funny!) You could also ask your child to choose the rhyming words on a page in the book. Can your child tell you what rhymes with certain words (e.g., can you guess what a parrot sits on?)? Make use of every page. You could comment on your favourite frog and see if your child can talk about their favourite. You can support them by giving them an example (“my favourite frog is the one swimming backwards because he looks funny”). Then you could use this scaffold to support their answer. Your favourite is [________________] because [_________________]

If your child is reluctant to use language, the use of commenting can take the pressure of them (“look at all those frogs” or “he’s climbing up the stool”) is a powerful way in which you (as parents) can take the pressure off your child. A top tip I like to give is to make sure you pause regularly, which creates opportunities for your child to use language.

This book uses a subject-verb-object sentence structure (e.g., ‘hares sit on chairs’) which allows your child to hear a good model of a sentence. You could also talk about things in the book that belong in a certain category (e.g., animals, food) or begin with a specific sound. See if your child will name any more.

Reap the reward of repetitive language

Oi Frog uses repetitive rhyming language and puts emphasis on these words. This is important because the more your child hears a word, the more likely they are to remember, understand and use it in the correct context.

Emotions matter

Talk about how the animals feel and why they may feel this emotion (e.g., the cat’s feeling annoyed because…, Lions sit on irons, how does the lion feel?). Reasons can be difficult for children with communication difficulties. Support them by giving an example or by giving them an option (e.g., “does the lion feel happy or sad? I think the lion feels sad because he’s burnt his bottom on the iron! It’s too hot!”)

A collection of books
OI Books

Why not read similar stories? I highly recommend OI CAT, OI DOG and OI DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS.

Need support for your child’s communication? Contact me here.

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

1
Story Time

Story Time

ByLondon Speech and Feeding
Kids Speech Therapist London
Published by: Ladybird – ISBN: 978-0-72327-169-7

Here’s another great little find – I use this book a lot. Whether or not your little one is a Peppa fan, this is a delightful find for any toddler or younger child trying to get to grips with the clock and time in general. It is hard back, so nice and sturdy with extra thick pages so that repeated clock moving, as well as going back and forth figuring out at what time Peppa or George did what, is not going to ruin the day.

What’s it about:

Peppa, George, Mummy and Daddy Pig are taking you through their day from 7am in the morning to bed time at 8pm at night. Your little one can move the clock hands to the next hour and then see what is happening at 9am, 10am, 12noon, and through the afternoon until bedtime. Other characters of Peppa’s family and circle of friends come along too: Madame Gazelle invites the children to a picnic and Rebecca Rabbit makes an appearance in the park. At the end of the day, you can talk about toothbrushing and then snuggling up in bed. This might be a really nice book to have alongside an evening ‘bath-teeth-story-bed’ routine where you can go over the day’s events and move the clock hand as you go. (there is a satisfying clicking sound when you move the clock hands). It’s also really great for counting. All events are easy daily life routines that your little one will definitely know!

Peppa’s busy day is nicely written in the familiar Peppa-style, you can almost hear the ‘snort snort’ sound as you go!

Age group:

2-6 years

Explore these themes:

  • daily routines
  • food/drink – what’s a picnic
  • friendships
  • time of day
  • toys
  • daily activities
  • places – school, home, park

Develop Speech Sounds, particularly good for:

  • /p/ and /k/ – peppa, picnic, play, playground, pancakes
  • /b/ – busy, big, bed,
  • /f/- favourite, fun, fast
  • /br/ – brush

Concepts:

  • big and little
  • labelling
  • describing
  • predicting
  • prepositions (in/into/upstairs/downstairs/inside/outside)
  • time: now and next, morning, midday and evening

Emotions and Social concepts:

  • friendship
  • taking turns
  • feelings: sleepy, excited, happy, hungry

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

Practical tips for speech and language development
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Practical tips for speech and language development

ByLondon Speech and Feeding
Image by Racool_studio on Freepik

As parents, we all want our children to develop strong communication skills. This starts early, with the simple sounds and babbles of a new-born baby. Here are some practical tips to help you encourage your baby or toddler’s speech and language development through play and everyday activities.

General tips for creating a language-rich environment

  • Talk to your child frequently throughout the day: Even when they’re young, they’re absorbing information. Describe what you’re doing, name objects around the house, and respond to their babbling.
  • Read aloud regularly: Books are a great way to introduce new words and concepts. Choose books with simple language, bright pictures, and repetitive phrases.
  • Sing songs and nursery rhymes: These provide a fun way to practise pronunciation and rhythm.
  • Label objects: Put labels on toys, furniture, and everyday items to help your child associate words with objects.

Engage with your child in their play activities

  • Pretend play: Encourage imaginative play by pretending to be different characters or animals.
  • Build and create: Use blocks, Legos, or playdough to build and create different structures.
  • Outdoor activities: Explore the world around you. Talk about different plants, animals, and weather conditions.

Tips for effective communication

  • Get down to their level: When talking to your child, get down on their level to make eye contact and show that you’re listening.
  • Use simple language: Avoid using too many complex words or long sentences. In the early years (0–3 years) try and make things concrete, stay in the ‘here and now’ — point and gesture lots to help your child understand what you say
  • Be patient: Give your child time to respond and don’t rush them.
  • Model good language: Use clear and correct language yourself.
  • Speak in your native, natural Language: If English is your second language try and speak to your child in your native language: it is more natural and your will probably know better how to speak and sing to young children in your own native language.

Reading to your child

Reading to your child is a powerful way to boost their language skills and create lasting memories.

Reading to your child is more than just a bedtime ritual; it’s a powerful tool for fostering their language and literacy skills. Studies have shown that children who are read to regularly develop larger vocabularies, stronger comprehension skills, and a greater love of learning.

Why is reading so important?

  • Vocabulary expansion: When you read to your child, you expose them to new words and concepts. This helps them build a strong vocabulary, which is essential for effective communication and learning.
  • Improved comprehension: Reading aloud helps children understand the meaning of words and sentences. This improves their comprehension skills, making it easier for them to learn and understand new information.
  • Enhanced cognitive development: Reading stimulates a child’s brain and helps them develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and imagination.
  • Stronger emotional bonds: Reading together creates a special bond between you and your child. It’s a time for cuddling, bonding, and sharing stories.
  • The Reach Out and Read Foundation found that children who are read to regularly have significantly larger vocabularies and better language skills than those who are not.
  • A study published in the journal Paediatrics revealed that reading to children can have a positive impact on their academic achievement, even years later.

By making reading a regular part of your child’s life, you are investing in their future success. So, grab a book, get cozy, and enjoy the wonderful world of stories together!

Here are some great books I love using in my Speech Therapy sessions:

Books for 6 months to 2 years

Touch and Feel Books

  • Touchy-Feely Farm by DK Books: This book features different textures to explore, such as soft fur, rough bark, and squishy mud.
  • Baby Touch: Animals by DK Books: This book introduces various animals and their textures, like soft feathers, scaly skin, and furry coats.

Lift-the-Flap Books

  • Peek-a-Boo! Animals by DK Books: This book has flaps to lift revealing different animals hiding underneath.
  • Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill: A classic lift-the-flap book that encourages spatial awareness and vocabulary.

Pop-Up Books

  • Pop-Up Farm by DK Books: This book features fun pop-up elements that bring the farm to life.
  • Pop-Up Jungle by DK Books: Explore a vibrant jungle with this interactive pop-up book.

Sound Books

  • Sound Books: Farm by DK Books: This book features sounds that correspond to different farm animals.
  • Sound Books: Safari by DK Books: Listen to the sounds of various safari animals in this interactive book.

Interactive Books

  • That’s Not My… Series by Usborne: These interactive books feature tactile elements that encourage exploration and vocabulary.
  • Peek-a-Boo! I Spy by DK Books: This board book with flaps encourages visual tracking and vocabulary.

These books are designed to engage young children through their senses and encourage exploration. The repetitive nature of these books helps toddlers learn new words and concepts while having fun.

Books for 2 years ++

Classic favourites

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: This colourful and interactive book is a classic for a reason. It introduces simple words, colours, and days of the week.
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle: This repetitive story helps children learn colours and animals.
  • Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill: A simple hide-and-seek book that encourages vocabulary and spatial awareness.

Modern classics for children 3 years – 6 years

  • The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: A fun and imaginative story that introduces more complex vocabulary and rhyming.
  • Room on a Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: Another rhyming story that encourages counting and vocabulary.
  • The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr: A playful and imaginative story that introduces various foods and social skills.

Books for children 6 years ++

  • The Adventures of the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: A philosophical tale that introduces complex vocabulary and themes.
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl: A whimsical and imaginative story that introduces a variety of characters and settings.
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling: A classic fantasy series that introduces a wide range of vocabulary and concepts.

Remember: The best books for your child are the ones they enjoy. Encourage them to explore different genres and find stories that spark their imagination.

Please feel free to contact me.

Sonja McGeachie

Early Intervention Speech and Language Therapist

Feeding and Dysphagia (Swallowing) Specialist The London Speech and Feeding Practice

The London Speech and Feeding Practice

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.

1
Book Corner: You Can’t Let An Elephant On The Bus

Book Corner: You Can’t Let An Elephant On The Bus

ByLondon Speech and Feeding
Book Corner: You Can’t Let An Elephant On The Bus
Book Corner: You Can’t Let An Elephant On The Bus

Let me introduce you to another one of my favourite books I have been using A LOT of late:

Written in RHYME – extra BONUS if you ask me, as we can use it for our speech delayed children as well and/or with our children who struggle to create grammatical sentences, or even just any old sentences will sometimes do, let’s be honest.

What’s it about:

An array of animals, starting with the Elephant who wants to get on a bus of course then onto some Monkeys rioting about in a supermarket, next a Tiger reading the paper on a train, a crazy Seal driving a tax round Buckingham Palace, a Camel on a boat, a Giraffe on a plane and numerous other mad ideas involving unsuitable passengers on the wrong vehicle (or any vehicle come to think of it) until finally on the last page a solution (of sorts) is found for them all…. I leave you to find out what happens

What I love about this book is the mad rhyming that goes on and the super funny illustrations which have even my most inattentive and “ants in pants’ kind of children spellbound and actually looking and listening to the story. Many of my little learners absolutely delight in the mad ideas in this book and I have had some pretty crazy story telling which made us fall about laughing (I always have to laugh when my kids laugh in the session it’s too cute). It’s a great read for thinking about problem solving and WHY something is not a good idea, and what could possibly go wrong – well quite a lot actually!

ENJOY!

Developmental age:

4– approximately 8 years.

Explore these themes:

  • Rhymes
  • Vehicles
  • Actions: poke / push / throw / snore / sleep / read / grasp / float / fly/ ride
  • Animals
  • Cause and Effect
  • Places – bus stop/on a train/in the supermarket

Develop Speech Sounds, particularly good for:

  • /f/- elephant. fuss, fat, flat, flipper, feet, roof, giraffe
  • /b/ – bus, bottom, bizarre, boots, boat, bony, bike, balloon, basket, bear
  • /m/ – monkey, camel, mistake
  • /p/ – pig, panic, pain, centipede, plane, pedal, hippo,
  • /k/g/ – can’t, tiger, monkey, camel, curve, sink, capsize,

Concepts:

  • Sizes
  • labelling
  • describing
  • predicting
  • prepositions (in/into/on/ inside/outside)

Emotions

  • feelings: determined/bored/scared/naughty/lonely

Published by:

Patricia Cleveland-Peck – From the illustrator of the Mr GUM books. ISBN: 978-1-4088-4982-8.

Find a speech and language therapist for your child in London. Are you concerned about your child’s speech, feeding or communication skills and don’t know where to turn? Please contact me and we can discuss how I can help you or visit my services page.