Petting zoos and farms are great opportunities for your child to observe and interact with friendly animals. Animal sounds can be imitated or requested for the very young child such as, “What does the pig say? Oink oink.” Older children working on language and categorizing can describe animals by where they live, what they eat, and how they move. A compare and contrast game can be created such as, “A cow and sheep both live on a farm and eat grass and have four legs, but a cow has hair and a sheep has wool.” Let your child pet the animal or feed them and describe what they feel or how the animal picks up the food by pecking, licking, or nibbling, etc. Actions words with following directions will be used in a functional way such as “walk slowly, touch gently, stop, back up, come here.” Exposing children to the sights and smells and outdoors as well as other people or children who have come to visit are great opportunities for learning, listening, and asking and answering any questions. Enjoy exploring at your local farm and engage in the learning process with your child. For more information, ideas, or questions, visit hopespeechtherapy.net
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