Yay! You have made it out to the apple orchard. What do you do now?
- Start talking about what you are seeing around you! You can talk about the colors, sizes, tastes, smells, weather, or anything else you and your child are experiencing. Feel free to repeat yourself so your child hears the words and phrases multiple times.
- If your child is interested in something, stop and talk about it with him. You can let him know you have noticed what he likes and you think it is so cool too! Label it and describe it or provide more information about what it is or what you do with it.
- If your child cannot speak yet, you could point at things and then have imitate you or touch/point to apples, trees, leaves or anything else you see along the way.
- If your child talks about where you are or what he sees, pay attention and respond to his comments or questions.
- You can make a list (either written or just say it out loud for your plans for the day). The list can be as easy or hard as you want to make it. A list could be 1. Pick up apple bags 2. Walk to the apples 3. Pick the apples 4. Buy the apples 5. Go home. The sequence helps your child stay on track and know how far along you are in your outing. As you finish one activity and start another, check it off or announce it and say what is going to happen next.
- Talk to your child about the process of apple growing, picking, and what you can do with them. If your child is able to answer questions, you can ask them questions you think they will be able to answer about anything you are seeing, doing, or will do.
- A list of words or concepts you can talk about why you are there:
- Nouns- apples, trees, leaves, boxes, bags, orchard, wagon, tractor
- Actions- walking, pulling, picking, pushing
- Descriptions- yummy, cold, red, green, brown, heavy, small, big, hard, soft, whole, slices
- What will you do with the apples? – eat, make apple pie, dip them in peanut butter, cut them is slices,
Often, we do not realize it, but many interactions we have with children are opportunities to build and develop language. Apple picking can be great fun with your family and friends, but if you put in a little planning, it can also be a great way to build a child’s language skills!
Happy Picking!