“I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about
I feel good, in a special way
I'm in love and it's a sunny day
Good day sunshine”

The Beatles couldn’t have said it any better. It’s spring and beautiful outside. Let’s take advantage of this feel-good time of the year by doing something so simple, yet so effective for our children……GOING ON WALKS!

Just like any “life” activity or experience, going on walks with your child creates endless language learning opportunities AND will get your child moving and outside. How do you feel when you are outside? How do you feel when you are taking a leisurely stroll? For many it’s calming. For many it’s stimulating. For many, it’s a nice balance. This is the same for your child. At KidSpeak, many of our kids talk more and have better joint attention when they are moving their bodies. Some people are kinesthetic learners. Going on a walk is a great way to capitalize on these skills and to set your child up to succeed.

You may live in a busy area where there is a lot going on including traffic, construction or busy roads. If this is the case, safety and sensory sensitivities may be something to think about. If you feel your child will not be safe or may be over-stimulated or uncomfortable sensory-wise, try driving to a quieter, safer area and then going on a walk. Remember, not only do you want to set your child up to succeed, but you also want to create the least amount of stress for yourself as well. You may need an extra hand when taking your child on a walk to ensure their safety. Ask a neighbor, family member or friend to accompany you.

A great tip when going on a walk is to use a visual schedule. This may be in the form of visual symbols and/or in the form of a check list with stick figure drawings as visuals. A schedule will allow your child to see what is happening and what will happen next. It can be as simple as “walk, stroller, home” or however your walk will occur. This way, your child will be able to internally plan when it is time for the walk, when it is time for the stroller and when it is time to head back home. It is also a good idea to take your child’s visual core vocabulary with you. Most of our families have found that having the cut out picture symbols on a binder ring is the handiest when going on a walk. This way, you can keep it in your pocket and have easy access when you are out and about. Each child’s core vocabulary will be different but some good symbols to include are: home, walk, park, stroller/wagon, time for, finished, hold hands, wait, help, no, mad, sad, happy, dangerous and look.

For some families, going on walks may be difficult. Your child may be very active and not understand or enjoy the restrictions involved in order to stay safe. This is okay! This key here is to set your child up to succeed and to start small. Your first walk may be from your house, to your neighbor’s house and back. This is a great start! If your child has a favorite stroller or wagon, work on “sit” and “in”. Sing songs while you are pushing/pulling your child in their stroller/wagon (“this is the way we sit in the stroller, sit in the stroller, sit in the stroller….on our walk”). Be sure to praise when they are doing good listening and good sitting (“good sitting!”). Your child may be able to walk with you but you may need to work on “holding hands”. A visual like a sidewalk is a great tool to help your child understand their physical boundaries “on sidewalk…..uh oh, off sidewalk…..dangerous……on sidewalk!”). When you work on “hold hands” sing a “hold my hand” song while you are doing so and simple phrases (“hold mommy’s hand”).

There are many other excellent social language-enriched activities you can work on when walking. Some include:

-Greetings: Work on waving, saying, “hi” and/or “bye” to other people you see on your walk.

-“Look”: Going on a walk is a perfect time to practice “look” for the purpose of directing one’s attention.

-Securing attention: Have your child practice calling your name “Look Mommy !” to work on securing attention.

-Commenting about what you see: “Look, Mommy! Pink flowers! Pretty!”

-Commenting about what you are doing: “Walking fast!” “Walking down the street!”
-Talk about what you like and don’t like: “Ben likes big trees!” “Ben does not like dogs.” “Mommy likes red flowers.”

-Describing: You can work on great descriptor words about the things you see (“leaf is big, pointy and green!”).

-Seasons and clothing awareness: Talk about the season and the appropriate clothing you are wearing (“It is spring. Weather is warm. Mommy wearing shorts, short sleeves and sandals because it is warm. No coat!”).

-Collect things from your walk like leaves, flowers, sticks and rocks. You can then use these things to work on talking about the past and/or showing others (“Today Ben and Mommy went on a walk. It was fun. Ben and Mommy saw pretty flowers”; “Look Daddy! Big rock!”, etc.). You can also make art projects out of the things from nature that you brought home. You can make a “Going on a Walk Collage” or a “Going on a Walk Jar”. You can then use these art projects to talk about the past, show others, to work on describing the objects and more.

-Take a digital camera with you and take pictures when you are on a walk. You can later use these pictures to make art projects, talk about the past and to show others as described above. You can also use these photos to make a “Going on a Walk Book”. Make a book describing what happens when you go on a walk (“I go on walks with Grandma. I walk on the sidewalk. I hold Grandma’s hand. I walk slowly. I find sticks, leaves, and flowers. I then walk home. Going on walks is fun!”). You can then use this book to talk about the past, show others and to prepare your child for their next walk.

-You can also go on a scavenger hunt! Make a “Going on a Walk Scavenger Hunt List” before your walk. Make a list of flowers, leaves, bugs, people, animals, other things in nature, etc. that you want to “find” on your walk. With your list, include a visual next to the words like a picture symbol, photo, stick figure drawing or clip art. Work with your child finding the items and “checking them off”. As you do so, you can work on securing attention, directing attention, commenting, describing, talking about what you like and don’t like, describing and even talking about science if your child is starting to learn science in school. Try taking a magnify glass with you! Later you can then use your completed scavenger hunt list to talk about the past, show others, etc.

Once your child is successful going on walks with one familiar adult, try adding another adult to your routine. Once your child is successful with adults, you can add a child/peer and work on safety and social language with that child/peer. Have fun being creative, enjoying the wonderful weather and building on your child’s relationships when going on walks. Remember, any “life” activity or experience such as going on walks with your child is therapeutic and creates endless language learning opportunities. Enjoy!

~Laura & Amanda
KidSpeak, LLC
www.kidspeakdallas.com