Written by: Tara Gray, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Common objects are something that we work with often here at Small Talk. When we say “common objects” we’re typically referring to pictures of things kids see all the time in their daily life. These could be a car, dog, shirt, chair, etc. Many of our kids have goals working on naming these to work on expressive language and some have goals working on identifying them in groups of 2, 3, 4, or more to work on receptive language (comprehension). But they can be used for so much more: following directions, talking about their functions and uses, formulating sentences, answering different types of questions, etc. All the speech-language pathologists here have our own sets of common object cards we use with our kids during sessions. At the bottom of this page, you will find a downloadable copy of common object cards you can print and use at home! Check in with your child’s SLP to see which common object activities would be most useful to practice.
Naming:
Use the cards to work on your child’s ability to name the pictures. You can print two copies and play a matching game or go-fish with the cards or use them before each turn while playing a favorite game.
Identifying:
Place 2 (or more) cards image-side-up in front of your child and ask them to point to the one you name. This game can be expanded to make it more fun, too. You can have your child smash PlayDoh on the one you name, stomp their foot on it, place a toy on it, or anything else your child finds silly or fun.
Functions and Uses:
Much like the naming activity, but instead of naming the object ask your child what its used for. For example, “What do you do with a ball?” “Throw!” “What do you do with an apple?” “Eat!” You can also play with this in similar ways to the naming activity, the key is to do what you can to keep your child’s attention and make it fun.
More Ideas
Stay tuned here, find us on Facebook, and follow @smalltalkspeechmi on Instagram for more ideas and activities you can do with the Common Objects Cards at home!