How Sippy Cups Can Impact Speech & Development

Today we are pleased to feature a guest post by Speech and Language Pathologist, Chelsea Roberts, M.S. SLP/CCC. Chelsea is sharing with us the impact sippy cups have on oral motor development.

Let’s talk sippy cups.  There are so many to choose from so how do you know which one is right for your child and their development?  While most of the variations among sippy cups are a personal preference, there is one variation that can affect your child’s speech and language development.  The oral portion of the sippy cup can actually be detrimental to your child’s oral motor development. 

First, what does oral motor mean and how does it affect your child?  Oral motor refers to the strength, range of motion and coordination of the structures around and inside your mouth: lips, cheeks, tongue, soft and hard palate.  If these structures develop poor posture or general weakness it can affect feeding, swallowing and speech production (articulation). 

As a licensed Speech and Language Pathologist, I highly recommend you avoid traditional sippy cups secondary to their negative affects to the oral structures.  The traditional sippy does not promote proper lip closure and actually encourages continued suckling-like movement of the tongue which should no longer be the primary method for nutrition.  To encourage adequate oral motor strength and posture, parents can introduce cup drinking or straw drinking between six and 12 months of age.  If you decide to use spill-proof straw cups, continue encouraging open cup drinking, as that is the ultimate goal. 

Another step for developing strong oral motor skills is to stop the use of bottles by 12 months of age. 

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s speech and language development, please contact our office for a free consultation.  Red flags to watch for include slurred speech development/poor articulation, open mouth breathing, drooling, and food frequently spilling out of the mouth. 

Reimaginespeech.com  -   chelsea@reimaginespeech.com  -  (214) 994-7920

Chelsea Roberts is a mother of two, ages 1 ½ and 3 years, and a licensed Speech and Language Pathologist.  She loves to reach out to moms who have questions or concerns about their child’s development.  Her practice, ReImagine Speech and Language Therapy, PLLC stands above other companies through unique accessing to services through in-home, on-site and telepractice delivery.  Her team specializes in treating patients with a variety of speech, language, feeding, swallowing, and cognitive disorders across the age spectrum.  Contact her to schedule a speech therapy evaluation.   info@reimaginespeech.com 

Sorting Seashells, Sorting Seashells, Sorting Seashells!

We have been having a ton of fun in the Our Time class with the Going to the Ocean curriculum! Here is an activity for you to do at home with your child:

Seashell Sorting

If you have seashells available to you, you may wish to play a sorting game. Although seashells come in many shapes, sizes and colors and have many descriptive names, to your child a seashell may just be a seashell. Help him learn to sort and find commonalities by looking closely at individual shells. Decide on ways to group them: color, shape, size. Also, allow your child to discover his own groupings, thus enriching the experience by making it more personal to him. 

Reminder: Tomorrow is Our FREE Event in McKinney!

Tomorrow is our FREE Bubble Play Party in McKinney. Get all the details here! See you tomorrow!

Pinterest Pairings

Did you know? We create boards on Pinterest to coincide with our current curriculum. The boards have educational activities for you to do at home! If you'd like to follow us on Pinterest, click here! We also have sensory bin suggestions, mom-approved recipes and more!

Here is my son Lucas experimenting with a Pinterest project!

Motor Skill Development: Easter Edition

We love to hear from our Kindermusik Moms what you're doing to simulate and educate your children at home! Kindermusik Mom Shara recently shared an idea with us to capitalize on Easter, that allows you to get more use out of those plastic eggs!

Shara took a few eggs and filled them with healthy snacks for her adorable daughter Elaina. Inside the eggs were items such as pretzels and fruit. Elaina loved the novelty of seeing the eggs, and it is very beneficial for toddlers around Elaina's age (12-24 months) to practice opening the eggs and trying to fit the halves back together! Easy motor skill practice at home!

Here is sweet Elaina in action:

Courtesy: Shara Sulkov

Courtesy: Shara Sulkov

Courtesy: Shara Sulkov

As always, we encourage you to email us to share what activities you're doing at home! You could be featured on our blog!

FREE Gift In Classes This Week: Heart Shakers

We were very busy this weekend in my house preparing a special free gift to be handed out in this week's classes. To celebrate Valentine's Day, I made heart shakers! Students will be receiving them in all cities: Allen, McKinney and Garland!

It's fun to make instruments at home, and this sweet version of a maraca is entertaining and easy! My staff and I are excited to play and learn with you this week!

Love and Grow Crafts: Vinegar and Baking Soda

Given the odd weather of late, I have been searching high and low for suitable indoor crafts and experiments. The former Chemistry teacher inside me just loves anything science-related so this craft was right up my alley.

The original source for this idea came from Two Big Two Little. This is literally the easiest craft yet, and you will always have the supplies on hand.

Here is what you need:

Vinegar
Baking soda
Food coloring

Here's what to do:

Pour the baking soda onto a tray. Fill small cups with vinegar, coloring each cup a different color with the food coloring. Then, show your kids how to drop the food coloring onto the baking soda for a cool "reaction."   When they run out of food coloring, they can smush the final product in their hands for a great sensory experience!

Here's my sweet Lucas experimenting!

The Importance of Sensory Bins

In Our Time classes last week we explored Fall-themed sensory bins. Children learn about their world by using all of their senses!  Babies and toddlers touch everything and put things in their mouths.  They make funny noises and experiment with how the world sounds with their finger stuck in their ear.  They laugh at the feeling of spinning or swinging. 

As a parent, providing your child with sensory stimulating opportunities allows them to learn how to use all of their senses and make sense of and organize various stimuli.

Other areas of brain development are stimulated during sensory play, including:

-Labeling the consistencies/tastes/sounds with new words to develop language

-Sorting and separating strengthens fine motor skills

-Sensory play provides a calming experience for a child

-New textures and sounds allow opportunity for imaginative play

Sensory play is a key component of Kindermusik classes at each age level.  A few of the regular sensory activities woven into the Kindermusik curriculum include:

-Village- Intentional touch, Hammocking

-Our Time- Rocking, Fingerplays, Active Listening and Lots of Movement!

-Imagine That! & Young Child- We identify and explore musical concepts using a variety of sensory experiences. 

Even at a young age, your child will show preferences for certain sensory activities over others.  For instance, while some toddlers are constantly squirming and moving about, others are more content to sit and quietly observe from mom’s lap.  Take some time to explore different sensory activities with your child, and discover what his or her preferences are!  From finger-painting and exploring “sensory bins” to swinging and rocking, to lifting and pushing heavy objects, there are a myriad of ways to expose your child to sensory experiences.  And these experiences make for stronger and healthier brain development in multiple areas.

In the bin:

Corn Feed
Fall colored leaves
Small gourds
Jewels
Foam animal shapes

We explored the bins using our hands, cups, shovels, scoops and sifters. Implementing this learning technique at home is easy: take items you already have on hand such as rice, oats or beans. Then, simply hide some small toys for your child to discover using measuring cups and spoons! You can also try hiding marbles or M&Ms to develop fine motor skills.

For a great resource to learn more about incorporating this type of learning into your home routine, check out Growing an In-Sync Child.