When a child has had speech therapy or has been practicing the language for a long time, it is time to connect everything back to find out whether the child can process everything properly. That is why this article contains the exercise: linking back sentences.
Why feedback?
We can teach a child all kinds of words, and later also sentences. But it is important that the child can also process what he hears and transform it into an image. Language is not just talking, but also listening. Especially during conversations, the sentences are longer and often a lot more difficult for the child. By practicing this, the child learns to listen carefully and process everything.
Getting started with sentences
Start very simple and short, a child must grow in language development. First, make sure the child can understand at least 75 percent of the spoken language. A sentence like ,father chops the tree into measly pieces, can often be translated to a child as: ,father chops the tree into pieces., A younger child makes it, “father chops the tree.” It is clear to both children that father is chopping down a tree.
Use a lot of pictures in the beginning. Ideal books are those by Jip and Janneke, Miffy, Woezel and Pip, for example. Also start with one sentence and expand on it later. The idea is to say a sentence, possibly show the picture, and ask the child a question about it. This should make the child think about what he or she has heard. Good sentences are:
- Jos fastens the buttons on his blouse. Question: what makes Jos close?
- Miffy waves to Grandma Fluffy. Question: who is Miffy waving to?
- Kaatje pets the black cat. Question: what color is the cat?
- A gnome lives in the forest. Question: Who lives in the forest?
Ask questions like who, what and where, but don’t make it difficult. A question like: ,why does the gnome live in the forest?, is too difficult for a child, because he also has to use his imagination. Once the child understands what the intention is and the exercise is performed without any problems, you can expand: make one sentence, two sentences, and three sentences. The questions may also be expanded. For example:
Kaatje sees a cat. The cat is black. Kaatje pets the cat.
Question: What does Kaatje see? What color is the cat?
Telling stories
Again, use one or more pictures at the beginning. Create an exciting story or invent one. The questions may eventually become more difficult. For example: Pim lives in the forest. Pim is a gnome. Pim is very small. Even smaller than a dog. Pim is wearing a red hat. Pim never takes off that hat. When Pim sleeps, Pim also wears the hat. Do you think that’s crazy? A bit, yes. But Pim is never cold. That’s because of that hat. That red hat.
- Question: do you know where Pim lives?
- What is bigger, a dog or Pim?
- Does a dog say Wow or Meow?
- What color is Pim’s hat?
You see that there is now 1 question that the child has to think about, because it is not mentioned in the story. Or a dog says woof or meow. This way we can check whether a child can also think more deeply. The other questions are intended to see whether the child has actually understood the story.
Create your own story
The following exercise is intended to see whether the child can describe an event himself. Show the child a picture that shows an event. For example: a girl slides on the slide and a little boy sits on a skippy ball. Try to see if the child can make sentences such as: the girl slides down the slide, the boy plays with his skippy ball. Let the child look closely at the picture. For example, ask: Is the door in the picture open or closed?
An older child also enjoys being able to tell a story based on a picture and then ask you questions. Answer the questions correctly, but secretly make a mistake by saying, for example, that the door is closed. See if the child is paying attention.