Helping Your Preschooler Thrive: Speech & Language Skills to Practice at Home

Strong speech and language skills are the foundation for your child’s success. From learning to read and write to building friendships and expressing emotions, communication plays a key role in your child’s early development of these lifelong skills. This May, we’re recognizing Speech and Language Month and highlighting some things you can do at home to help set up your child for success with these critical skills.

Here are five essential communication skills you can start practicing with your child around age three.

Following Directions

Learning to follow directions helps children succeed in both classroom and home routines.

Make it part of your daily life:

Break tasks into simple steps like getting dressed or brushing teeth
Use visual charts or picture lists for routines
Play games like “Simon Says” or “Red Light, Green Light”
Try a scavenger hunt with clues and a checklist

Learning Songs and Rhymes

Songs and nursery rhymes build early literacy skills by helping children hear patterns in language.

Sing classics like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” or “Wheels on the Bus”
Repeat favorite songs often
Encourage your child to sing along and fill in missing words

Rhyming and rhythm are key stepping stones toward reading.

Building Vocabulary & Describing

The more words children hear, the more they learn to use.

Try this throughout your day:

Talk during everyday routines. Ex: car rides, bath time, errands
Describe objects, actions, and feelings
Ask open-ended questions like “What do you see?” or “Tell me more”

Fun activities include:

Puzzles: Talk about shapes, colors, and themes
Arts & crafts: Describe textures, colors, and ideas
Nature walks: Explore sights, sounds, and smells together

Telling Stories

Storytelling boosts imagination and helps children organize their thoughts.

Create silly stories together using a character, place, and activity
Look at pictures in books or magazines and make up stories
Act out characters using costumes or pretend play

Remember, there’s no “right” way to tell a story or pretend!

Describing Emotions

Understanding and expressing emotions is a big part of communication.

Help your child:

Talk about feelings during everyday situations
Look at photos and discuss how people might feel
Use dolls or puppets to act out emotions
Share their thoughts about their own artwork or experiences

This builds empathy and emotional awareness.

Supporting Your Child Every Day

Parents, you play such a special role in your child’s development. You are your child’s first and most important teacher! The best ways to support their communication skills are simple:

Talk, read, and play together every day
Limit passive screen time and prioritize interactive play
Encourage curiosity and conversation

If you ever have concerns about your child’s speech or language development, don’t hesitate to reach out. We will be happy to go over developmental milestones with you and measure appropriate progress for your child.

For questions, to book an appointment, or any other concerns, Augusta Pediatrics can be reached at (706) 868-0389. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only.