Just as your garden needs constant care and
efforts to produce a bountiful bloom, your little one’s speech development also
requires constant tending. Yes, you are reading it right! Plants can actually
help in the speech and development of your children.
Whether or not your child is facing issues
with speech, you need to start early for the perfect speech development. The
therapists of speech therapy for kids in Dubai and elsewhere also suggest spending time with plants and incorporate
horticulture therapy, to aim at the confident speech of your kid.
Well, are you confused? All this might seem
like a new world to you. Think no further, and read this to get an overview –
What
is horticulture therapy?
Horticulture therapy is a form of therapy
that utilizes horticultural actions and plants to heal and rehabilitate
children with educational, psychological, and social skills. Although it works
the best when used with children, it can be used for people with different age
groups.
Spending time outside is refreshing and
seeing plants bloom and grow can make a person mentally healthy by lifting
their spirits. Horticulture therapy benefits are mental, physical, and social.
How
will it benefit your child?
Firstly, you can practice horticulture
therapy even in your home, in your small gardens. Having said that, it is very
convenient and easy and can be added as an activity in your daily routine.
Horticulture activities prove beneficial in
engaging the children and improve their body, mind, and spirit. Children learn new
skills, have fun, and develop the oh-so-essential confidence, by spending time
in the outdoors. All things considered, it fosters good speech habits and helps
in developing their language and speech.
But, how do you use this horticulture
therapy? Well, here are four simple tips to use plants for the speech
development of your kid –
1. Vocabulary building
Gardening will help introduce your kid to
new words. Additionally, it will help him remember these words by giving him a
hands-on experience of the same actions. It is a good practice to make your
little one recites the steps you are performing while doing the gardening
activities. make sure that you help him out while he is actually performing
these steps.
2. Helps to sequence
As the previous point insisted on naming
the steps as you performed them, this also fosters the values of sequencing and
valuing each step while doing gardening. To give an illustration, children
learn sequencing as they dig a hole, add mud, then the seed, and so on. Having
said that, they learn what comes first and how does it proceed.
All in all, this fosters inquisitiveness
inside them and encourages them to ask questions and indulge in a conversation.
3. Fosters articulation
As mentioned earlier, gardening gives the
children the power to question. Having said that, they form questions and
sentences and look forward to engaging in conversations. This also builds up
their self-confidence and social skills. Make sure that your little one shares
his knowledge about gardening with his friends and family. This will make sure
that you are motivating him enough to talk and shrug off his fears.
All things considered, plants and gardening
help your children grow in all the verticals. They help in developing speech
and language and keep your child happy!
Conclusion
So, what are you waiting for? Start this simple
practice today and see the magical efforts. Give a green thumb and make the
most of it!