What exactly are basic concepts? Should my child know many of these concepts before kindergarten? According to Susie Loraine, M.A, CCC-SLP, “basic concepts are the foundation of a child’s education”. Basic concepts are commonly used words that aid in speech and language development. The understanding of basic concepts will help your child become successful in many environments (e.g. home, school, playground, etc.) and across situations and people. We will provide you with a list of the most common basic concepts. This list is not complete.
• Basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink
• Quantities - one, one more, less, more, most, few, many, some
• Sequences - first, next, after that, and finally, before, after,
• Shapes - circle, triangle, square, rectangle, diamond, oval, round
• Size - small, large, big, little, huge, tiny
• Social/Emotional States (feelings) - happy, sad, mad, angry, silly, surprised
• Textures - bumpy, rough, smooth, soft, prickly, hard
• Time - morning, afternoon, evening, late, early, today, tomorrow, week, month, year, day
• Spatial Relationships- on, off, in, out, under, in front, behind, top, bottom, up, down,
As a parent, you are, more than likely, modeling many of these concepts during daily routines and play. Basic concepts allow your child to express him/herself in greater detail. It also allows them to understand and give meaning to their world, by following directions and carrying out activities of daily living independently. Around the age of 18 months, your child should have approximately 50 words in his/her vocabulary, typically words with high meaning for them (food items, toys, family members). At this time, children begin combining 2 words (e.g. "mommy go", "more cookie"). This is when a parent can begin modeling and demonstrating basic concepts. Talk about what you are doing, when you are doing it. Add descriptive words to what your child touches, looks at, plays with, smells, etc. This is called direct teaching. Children learn about their world primarily through play and interaction. Emphasize target words by saying it louder, this is referred to as auditory bombardment. For example, “ball”, “BIG ball”. Offer your child a choice of 2. For example, say “BIG ball or LITTLE ball?” Your child might make a verbal or gestural choice. If a gestural choice is made, label the item that was pointed to/reached toward/touched/etc. Repeat, label, and model the target concept many times. Use ‘error-free’ language. If you want your child to choose the BIG ball, have the big ball in closer proximity so you child is successful!
If your child is not combining 2 words, basic concepts should not be taught. Children should have a well-developed core vocabulary before adding basic concepts (descriptive terms). By the time your child is 3, he/she is understanding around 1,000 to 2,0000 words and should be saying around 1,000.
Frequently, basic concepts occur in pairs and have a tendency to be opposites. Teach a variety of concepts, but don’t teach two similar concepts at the same time (e.g. two spatial concepts at the same time, two color concepts). For example, if teaching “big” do not teach “little” at the same time. When your child learns “big” and is consistently identifying the target word correctly, introduce “little”. There are many games that incorporate basic concepts (e.g. Candyland, Mr. Potato, balloons, memory, hide-and-seek, etc.), if not, add your own descriptive words to your daily routines and activities.
Most importantly, PLAY and have fun!
Written by Angie
References:
Chamberlain, C. E. (1990). Best concept workbook ever: Your picture worksheets for teaching
basic concepts (vocabulary, language 4 thru 7 years, preschool thru 2nd grade). Linguisystems.
Wiig, E. H. (2004). Wiig assessment of basic concepts®. Greenville, SC: Super Duper®
Publications.
B
No comments:
Post a Comment