7 Things I’ve Learned From Working With Children
7. A need for flexibility…
I can go into a therapy session with a masterpiece of a lesson plan…and within 5 minutes I might as well flip my plan over and take data on the back because my client has taken us in a whole different direction! So much of an SLPs job is reading our kiddos’ needs and responding appropriately in the moment. Kids teach us the importance of finding fun in flexible thinking.
6. Simplicity is key…
Sometimes, kids like us to keep things simple! I had a professor tell me once that she could do effective therapy with only a cotton ball and a pen. I remember thinking she was kidding but now as an older and wiser therapist, I get it. Speech and language skills can be targeted with anything as long as it is fun for our kiddos! Give an SLP a Mr. Potato Head and we can teach speech sounds, directions, categories, concepts, pretend play skills, etc. If we make any activity exciting, even a cotton ball and a pen, kids will participate and learn.
5. It’s okay to ask for help…
There is something very humbling about asking for help. Admitting you don’t understand something is hard but kids do it all the time! Working with kids has made me understand that there is NO shame in asking for help.
4. Emotions are temporary…
It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a kiddo’s new favorite game or in the midst of navigating a full blown meltdown— eventually those strong emotions, good or bad, will pass and the child will move on! We as adults need to be able to move on too.
3. Play is powerful…
Play is as essential to a child as eating and sleeping. A child learns something from every play experience. If we try to teach a child by talking at them, they don’t experience anything. Allowing them to discover the world around them through play is where connections are made and children learn.
2. Tape is a necessity…
We use tape for EVERYTHING in my therapy room. Kids have taught me that tape can be used as a racetrack, support the base of a tower, work as a finish line, and of course hold a worksheet down on a desk!
1. Change your view…
Have you ever seen that sparkle in the eyes of a child? The way they look at the adults in their little lives like they are super heroes? Kids see everyone through an innocent and beautiful lens. They see everybody as special and helpful and kind. We could learn so much from viewing the world as they do…
