By: Claire Slavik, M.A., CF-SLP
An experience book captures the everyday moments that your child finds important in their daily life. This is a homemade book put together by you and your child to help foster and guide conversation. All you need is some paper, a pen or crayons, and some creativity!
How do we make one?
- Sit down with your child and ask them what they did during the week that was fun! They may say they loved going to the zoo, for example!
- Write down words your child says and draw a simple picture to go with it. Your child can help to draw and color. Make it fun! If you still have the zoo ticket, tape it to the page to remind the child of their experience.
- Talk about the experience! Ask your child questions. If it was about the zoo, ask: “What did we do first?” “What did you like better: the bears or the lions?” “What color were the elephants?”
- Work into your weekly routine! Find a time each week to create a new page.
What are the benefits of creating an experience book? Creating each page with your child will provide opportunities for:
- Answering Wh- questions: As mentioned above, this will foster opportunities for your child to practice answering questions about something they enjoyed.
- Sequencing a story: Help your child put the events in order by asking, “What did we do first? Second? Last?”
- Describing a scene: Help your child add detail to their story! If your child said, “I like the bear,” you could ask: “Was the bear big or little?” “Was he fury or bumpy?”…now, you are able to say, “Oh! You like the big, fury bear.”
- Making predictions: Use “I wonder statements” to help your child predict different scenarios! (ex: “I wonder what would happen if the bear stepped in the water!”