7 Free Activities that Sharpen and Strengthen Language Skills

 Welcome to our exploration of language processing, a topic that deeply influences how we learn, communicate, and connect with others. In this blog, we will  investigate language processing, uncover the signs of difficulties in this area, and share engaging, practical activities to strengthen language skills. Whether you're here to gain insights for yourself, to help a student or child, or simply out of curiosity, I hope you find this topic both informative and useful.

What is Language Processing? Language processing involves how people interpret and understand incoming information through sensory stimuli, as well as how they use words to express ideas and feelings. This encompasses two primary aspects:

1. Receptive Language: How the brain comprehends language, including listening and reading.
2. Expressive Language: How the brain produces language, involving speaking and writing.

Signs of Language Processing Difficulties Individuals with language processing difficulties may exhibit signs such as:

• Difficulty following oral instructions.
• Challenges in expressing thoughts and ideas verbally.
• Problems with reading comprehension.
• Struggles in expressing ideas in writing.
• Trouble understanding humor, jokes, and sarcasm.
• Difficulties in finding the right words during conversation.

7 Fun, Free Activities to Enhance Language Skills

1. Inferential Thinking: Examine ads in magazines, on TV, or billboards to deduce hidden messages or inferences about the product advertised.
2. Verbal Reasoning with Anagrams: Create new words from a 6-letter word within 5 minutes by rearranging its letters.
3. Understanding Main Ideas and Details: Play catch with a ball (football, baseball, beach ball), calling out a main idea (e.g., days of the week) and details related to it.
4. Visualizations in Reading: Read a descriptive passage aloud and have the child/student visualize or draw what they imagine.
5. Understanding Jokes: Read and discuss jokes from online sources, exploring their humor and meanings.
6. Developing Listening Skills: Give a series of humorous directives (e.g., “stand on one leg, spin in a circle, wiggle your nose”) and see if they can be followed accurately.
7. Building Writing Skills: Find a picture and practice creating relevant captions or stories.

Purchasable Resources For those interested in additional resources, Dr. Warren offers workbooks focusing on language processing skills. You can explore these by clicking on the provided titles to learn more.

• Higher Order Thinking Bundle
• Reading Games Bundle
• Visualization Bundle
• Following Directions Primary, Beginners, and Intermediate Bundle Digital Download
• Word Shuffle
• Hey, What’s the Big Idea
• The Main I-Deer
• 5 Ws Detectives
• Categorizing, Paragraph Building and Transitional Words Activities
• Making Inferences: A Fun and Easy Way to Understand and Practice Implied Meaning 

Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses.

• Blog: https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news
• YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1
• Executive Function Podcast: https://goodsensorylearning.com/pages/the-personal-brain-trainer-podcast-with-dr-erica-warren
• Store: http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/ 
• Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/
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