Parents, it's time to grab those hula hoops and get ready for a summer full of laughter, learning, and language development! Whether you use traditional hula hoops or smaller hoops, it’s the perfect game to use with your children, inside or outside.
Using hula hoops isn't just about physical play—it's a fantastic way to boost your child's speech and language skills such as turn-taking skills, vocabulary development, sentence building and other developmental skills (gross motor, fine motor, coordination, thinking skills, etc.). Here are a few ideas to grow your child’s communication skills while playing:
Spin into new words:
- Name and label the hoops by colour or size like “the big hoop, the small hoop, the red hoop, the yellow hoop, the big yellow hoop”.
- Use common action words or verbs like “run, turn, throw” or introduce new verbs like “hop, skip, toss”
- Encourage your child to describe their actions. Are they spinning, twirling, or rolling the hoop?
- Talk about how the hoops are the same or different. Sort the hoops by size, colour or by your child’s preference.
Jump into listening skills:
- Talk about spatial concepts as you play games with your child. Describe using words like “jumping over the hoop, “crawling under”, and “going through it” as you play different games with your kids.
- Talk about sequence concepts. Use the “first/then” to explain the game. Talk about who will go “first, 2 nd , last”. Using sequential words like "first," "then," and "last" helps preschool children understand and follow the order of events, which is crucial for developing clear communication skills.
- Get your child to follow directions to promote listening skills. Engage your kids in new ways to play hoops that require responding to instructions. For example, give simple commands like "step inside the hoop," "spin the hoop around your waist," or "jump over the hoop." Following directions with hula hoops not only enhances their listening skills but also improves their motor coordination and spatial awareness.
Expand their languages with rhythms and rhymes:
- Create fun, rhythmic chants or songs to sing while you and your child play. This helps your child develop memory and attention skills.
- Put on their favourite songs and have them walk, skip or hop around the hoops. When the music stops, have your child follow a direction like “Hop to the red hoop and touch your nose.” or “Before running to the red hoop, go touch the yellow hoop”. These activities help your child pay attention to verbal information, process language and execute actions accordingly.
Sometimes, the simplest toy can turn out to be the greatest language activity to do with your child. skills. Talk to your child when you are playing with your child. Playing with your child can open a world of words and help your child grow their communication skills. So, let's get those hoops spinning and make this summer one of growth and giggles!
Learn more:
- Visit the First Words website at www.firstwords.ca.
- Follow us on Instagram at @firstwords_psl
- If you are concerned about your child's communication development, complete our First Words Communication Checkup online screening tool. It is free, quick and easy to use. You can screen, get results and refer if needed in one single visit to the website.
