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It's Um, Like, You Know
Teaching Your Kids to Speak Clearly
By Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP
The children in that classroom made a goal to reduce the number of fillers they used. For them, all it took was for someone to make them aware of the habit in order for them to take practical steps to break it.
What else can you do to help your children reduce the use of fillers?
- Listen to your own speech. Are you using ums and likes frequently? Try to reduce your use of fillers. (This may sound easy, but it can be a difficult habit to break). Remember, you're the best role model for your children.
- Play a game. "Let's see who can use less trash words." Kids love games and competitions and it's a great way to kick the trash word habit. If you find yourself using too many trash words, make it a family challenge!
- Try some homework: Have your children describe their classroom vocabulary and spelling words or retell stories without the use of fillers. "Tell me what this word means. Remember, no ums or likes."
- Reward your children. Positive reinforcement is much stronger then negative comments. "Wow, you did a great job describing that word. I only heard one um!" and "Nice try, I know it's hard to stop using trash words."
Improving your children's ability to intelligently express themselves is a team effort. Parents, teachers and children need to work together to accomplish this goal. Effective communication is a skill that will stay with your children and help them to be successful later on in life. So, let's take the trash out -- and recycle it for the future!
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