At Nature Talking we 💚rock hopping! 🪨🐸 It’s such great activity to target lots of different language and speech goals. Here’s how I use it for teaching prepositions of location. Prepositions of location are essential vocabulary for following and giving instructions, and they develop across a pretty wide age window. Simple ones like in, on and under emerge from around 18 months More complex ones like across, around and in between come in closer to 3 to 4 years (Internicola & Weist, 2003). The first step is letting the child hear the preposition repeated lots of times. This can be through narrating what they’re doing as they move, or having them follow you while you narrate what’s happening. From there, you can flip it and give them the chance to be the teacher- they give you the instructions and you follow along. A fun n silly addition here is making deliberate mistakes. If they say “go behind the rock” and you climb on top of it instead, you’re giving them the chance to notice and correct you, which is a more complex language task. You can also combine two instructions once they’ve got the hang of it, something like “go around that rock and then on top of the next one.” Don’t worry if they need a lot of modelling before the words start coming independently. That’s just the process 🧡 Happy rock hopping!! — Internicola, R. F., & Weist, R. M. (2003). The acquisition of simple and complex spatial locatives in English: A longitudinal investigation. *First Language, 23*(2), 239–264.

If your child or isn’t into books, a focus on shared reading can actually backfire (Yiiiiiikessss!!) Research shows that around 10% of kids don’t enjoy being read to- This jumps to 40% for kids with a language disorder. Pushing a reluctant reader can create what’s called a “broccoli effect,” where kids end up avoiding books for even longer. So what can be done instead? Focus on creating fun experiences around books, whether that includes “reading” or just playing! You can offer books with sensory elements e.g noisy buttons, textures, flaps to make things fun. Also remember there’s no wrong way to engage with a book. Let your child lead, They don’t have to read the words or follow the story. Maybe they just flip pages. Maybe they just point at pictures. Try to keep it playful and low pressure 💛 Reference: This post is based on The Informed SLP’s article “Shared book reading: Start here” (December 02, 2025), which references: Garcia-Salas, M., Torres-Chavarro, M., & Wood, C. (2025). Exploring shared book reading perspectives and practices in migratory and unhoused families: A strengths-based analysis. Communication Disorders Quarterly.http://doi.org/10.1177/15257401251363970 Kaderavek, J., & Justice, L. M. (2002). Shared storybook reading as an intervention context. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. http://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2002/043) [available to ASHA members] Myrberg, K., Fältman, N., & Lundeborg Hammarström, I. (2025). Assessment of joint book reading: Development of an observational checklist. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.http://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2025.2579044 [open access] Steed, E. A., Cuevas Dias, R., Baik, C., & Fettig, A. (2025). Family-implemented shared book reading with children with disabilities: A systematic literature review. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education.http://doi.org/10.1177/02711214251381529 Towson, J. A., Akemoglu, Y., Watkins, L., & Zeng, S. (2021). Shared interactive book reading interventions for young children with disabilities: A systematic review. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.http://doi.org/10.1044/2021_ajslp-20-00401 [available to ASHA members]

Sharing one of my favourite nature-based tools for the therapy kit shells! (I love love love them) They are unique, nature based and visually captivating. Also a perfect way for clinicians to integrate some nature into a more typical therapy setting. A few ideas of how to use them… Phonological awareness and phoneme manipulation — great as tactile manipulatives to represent individual phonemes Teaching the “sh” sound — perfect for getting lots of meaningful, engaging repetitions Adjectives and descriptive language — every shell looks different, making them ideal for descriptive language tasks I am yet to meet a child who isn’t super interested in shells and their intricate details. Also so good when paired with a magnifying glass for the little scientists out there. 🐚💚

New research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows the first evidence of learned syntax in a non human animal! And the animal is….Magpies!! In a project led by Dr Stephanie Mason at the Centre for Evolutionary Biology at The University of Western Australia, researchers followed 11 fledgling Western Australian magpies and found that, like children, they can learn new sound units over time and combine them into increasingly complex and meaningful communication. Even more fascinating, social connection plays a major role in how quickly and accurately young magpies develop their calls. Birds within the same social group learned at different rates depending on how often and how long they interacted with others, highlighting the importance of social experience in communication development (which holds true for humans as well!) So interesting!!! And yet another reason to love Magpies 💕 Reference The University of Western Australia. Young magpies learn complex sentences just like humans. 11 March 2026. Media contact Tamara Hunter, UWA Media and PR Adviser.

creating a collaborative and respectful atmosphere is a SUPER important step for supporting child language development Here are ideas to help you do this! Use “we”, try “I wonder” statements, react with lotsa curiosity rather than correction, pause often, go slow and be a SiLLy BillY. It is not only fun but will help language grow!! I found these tips and research in the latest informed SLP research release- definitely recommend reading the full articles for a more in depth overview! References Bloem, M. (2026, March 2). Turn “serve and return” into a game of “keepy-uppy.” Informed SLP. Houen, S., Staton, S., Mulvihill, A., & Thorpe, K. (2026). Serve-return-rally-learn: Extending the serve and return metaphor in adult–child interactions. Child Development Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdpers/aadaf005

My therapy kit might not look like you would expect!! No single-purpose toys and yes, that includes Pop the Pig. (That might turn a few heads.) Most of my kit is loose parts. Open-ended resources that follow the child’s lead. I love showing the families I work with that you don’t need to buy the latest toy to capture your child’s interest. If you lean into their imagination and follow their lead, the things you already have around the house can play a perfect supporting role. A cardboard box. Plastic tubes. Rope. Pots, pans, and bowls. All great supports for play. A 2025 systematic review links loose parts directly to language development, including improved vocabulary and comprehension. A toy with one function gives a child one topic to talk about. And if they’re not interested in that topic, you can get a bit stuck…. But a loose part becomes whatever the child needs it to be. A tube can be a pipe at a chocolate factory, a ramp for a ball, something to yell into, or a telescope on a pirate ship. Language thrives when children are having fun. Loose parts follow a child’s interests, which means fun is just so much more likely. 📖 Cankaya, O., Martin, M., & Haugen, D. (2025). The Relationship Between Children’s Indoor Loose Parts Play and Cognitive Development: A Systematic Review. Journal of Intelligence.

Targeting Speech and Language goals with a little Fern! (Don’t worry, it had fallen on the ground. I didn’t pick it from the plant) 🌿✨

We’re still teaching kids to read emotions from flashcards. 😢😊🙁😡😨 But the problem is, emotions don’t look the same on every face, especially across neuro types!! So what we can do instead: Teach kids to read the room.( Think about what has happened and potential ways this could have made the person involved feel) Then we teach them to ask and check their assumptions with the person involved. E.g “ That seemed a bit scary… How are you feeling?” That’s a skill that works for everyone and avoids making assumptions that might not be correct 🩵 I learned this different approach through training with @socialstencil If you want more effective tools to think about inclusive and neurodiversity affirming social emotional learning I would really recommend!! Reference: Milton, D., Heasman, B., & Sheppard, E. (2018). Double empathy. Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Social Stencil. (n.d.). Emotions module [Self-paced training]. Social Stencil.

Targeting speech and language goals with a STiCK! 💚

Not all outdoor time is created equal. Studies found that kids with ADHD got more calming benefits just from seeing green, natural environments than from being outside in spaces without any greenery. Nature specifically is the ✨magic✨ ingredient. 🪨🍃🌳 (Yet another reason to hate on astroturf if you needed one) Based on: Taylor, Kuo & Sullivan’s research, as referenced in Hanscom, A.J. (2016). Balanced and Barefoot. New Harbinger Publications