Gift of Gab
Gift of Gab
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other book retail locations!
Encourage your child’s speech development with this fun collection of easy games and activities from veteran speech pathologist Francine Davids.
From babbling babies to kids getting ready for kindergarten, this fun, engaging collection of games and activities can help your child’s language development at any stage. Organized by skill to make it easy to find appropriate games for your child and cross-indexed by type, The Gift of Gab provides all the tools parents need to help children practice language in a low-pressure way. And, with the calm reassurance of a lifelong educator, author Francine Davids offers background on the basics of language development, a range of milestones, and some easy ways to tell if your child is on the right track.
As the age for entering preschool creeps lower, and parents become more aware of the usefulness of early intervention for developmental delays, they are looking for tools and support for their children’s learning wherever they can. The Gift of Gab not only takes the stress out of language development (for both the parent and the child), but also offers an accessible, play-based way to connect with your child every day so they’ll be speaking in no time!
A Look Inside…
Chapter 1: Growing Together
An overview of what average human development looks like in terms of motor, language, and social skills.
Chapter 2: Saying It - Speech Sound Production, Articulation, and… Tweety Bird?
A look at the development of speech sound production (articulation).
Chapter 3: Toys
A guide to commercially manufactured toys and how to choose the right toy for your child - including video games!
Chapter 4: Nothing Up My Sleeve - Games and Activities That Do Not Need Materials
These are games and activities played with common household objects, or no materials at all. Easy to play in the spur of the moment.
Chapter 5: In the Toy Box - Games That Use What You Already Have
These games and activities maximize speech and language development by using things you find around the house that your child probably already plays with -- bath toys, children’s books, pots and pans.
Chapter 6: I Can Do It Myself! - Games and Activities Using Homemade Materials
You can create your own materials together with your child. Introduce your kids to Cootie Catchers and edible play dough. Recipes and patterns are provided. These homemade materials work alone or in combination in a variety of games and activities that support speech and language growth.
Chapter 7: Who Goes First? - Taking Turns and Cooperation
Avoid those inevitable discussions about fairness with games that teach children language, speech, and social skills they can take to the school playground.
Chapter 8: A Full Deck - Card Games for Every Occasion
Card games are fun, portable, and the basis of an infinite number of games and activities. Download a full set of cards you can use with this book here. You and your child will soon be creating your own personalized card decks. Great for nonreaders and advanced readers alike.
Chapter 9: At Home and On the Road - Games to Play Wherever You Go
You can take game play, and language development, with you everywhere you go. These are games to play with your child as you go about the chores of daily life, like grocery shopping and laundry.
Chapter 10: Let’s Party! - Games for Larger Groups of All Ages
These games and activities allow you to bring game play to larger groups and cross-generational gatherings like birthday parties and family get-togethers - situations that can be challenging for children with developing speech, language, and social skills. The structure of these well-defined games and activities helps ensure that your time together is well spent.