The Let’s Listen and Talk Preschool Programme provides information, advice and tailored guidance for parents and carers supporting deaf preschoolers aged from around 2½ years to 5 years old.
You may have completed our Baby Course and/or our Toddler Course. Now, your little toddler is growing up into a preschooler. They are becoming more curious about their world and eager to explore. They are almost certainly more active and beginning to express their frustrations and opinions in whatever way they can. And they are probably pushing those boundaries!
This is an exciting time when your child’s imagination is leading them to look at the world in a new way. It brings with it fresh opportunities to encourage and extend your child’s ideas and their communication skills.
The later preschool years are also important times for teaching your child many of the skills that will be fundamental to their learning when they start their formal education for the first time. Not least, this is our chance to teach them how to be a curious, questioning person, one who is determined to learn and does not accept any boundaries that might prevent them from doing so.
By working through this Preschool programme you will be able to help your child further develop their listening skills and continue developing their spoken language skills, in preparation for starting at school. You will also receive specialist support from your course leader at The Elizabeth Foundation, who will use your feedback to provide information and advice tailored to your child’s individual needs and stage of development.
Take a look around the sample lesson – Introducing the Preschool programme – by clicking here or on the link on the ‘Course content’ table below. Please note: the website won’t record your progress and you will not be able to access the feedback forms as these facilities only work if you are enrolled on the programme.
We hope you enjoy our sample Preschool Programme lesson. If you would like to join this course, just click on the button below. If you have any questions you would like us to answer before you join please contact us.
**This course is available to join now**
Course Content
2. Understanding the factors affecting your child’s progress- What factors affect your child’s language development?
- Your child’s growing communication skills
- Using the Six Ling Sounds to assess your child’s communication skills
- Introducing the “Factors affecting your child’s progress” activities
- Activity: Listening to the Six Ling Sounds
- Activity: Selecting the Six Ling Sounds
- Activity: Making the Six Ling Sounds
- Activity: A conditioned response to sound
- Activity: Listening to sounds all around you
- Activity: Using everyday routines to extend language
- Activity: Learning your voice can make things happen
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 2
- What factors affect your child’s language development?
- Your child’s growing communication skills
- Using the Six Ling Sounds to assess your child’s communication skills
- Introducing the “Factors affecting your child’s progress” activities
- Activity: Listening to the Six Ling Sounds
- Activity: Selecting the Six Ling Sounds
- Activity: Making the Six Ling Sounds
- Activity: A conditioned response to sound
- Activity: Listening to sounds all around you
- Activity: Using everyday routines to extend language
- Activity: Learning your voice can make things happen
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 2
3. Nourishing your child’s growing communication skills- The 3 stages of language and speech development
- Different ways of learning
- Using experience books to support your child’s language and understanding
- Introducing the ‘growing communication’ activities
- Activity: Cooking together
- Activity: Going on a farm trip
- Activity: Playing with bricks
- Your Feedback on Preschool Lesson 3
- The 3 stages of language and speech development
- Different ways of learning
- Using experience books to support your child’s language and understanding
- Introducing the ‘growing communication’ activities
- Activity: Cooking together
- Activity: Going on a farm trip
- Activity: Playing with bricks
- Your Feedback on Preschool Lesson 3
4. Helping your child make sense of their feelings- Behaviour – a matter of boundaries and limits
- Supporting your child’s behaviour
- Active listening takes considerable effort
- Helping your child maximise their learning opportunities
- Introducing the ‘Making sense of your world’ activities
- Activity: My day in pictures – Part 1
- Activity: My day in pictures – Part 2
- Activity: Me and my emotions – labelling and copying
- Activity: Me and my emotions – Matching emotions cards
- Activity: Me and my emotions – Drawing faces and making masks
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 4
- Behaviour – a matter of boundaries and limits
- Supporting your child’s behaviour
- Active listening takes considerable effort
- Helping your child maximise their learning opportunities
- Introducing the ‘Making sense of your world’ activities
- Activity: My day in pictures – Part 1
- Activity: My day in pictures – Part 2
- Activity: Me and my emotions – labelling and copying
- Activity: Me and my emotions – Matching emotions cards
- Activity: Me and my emotions – Drawing faces and making masks
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 4
5. Helping your child develop their speech skills- Remember the importance of your child’s hearing technology
- Building language skills from day to day
- How speech skills typically develop
- ‘Formal’ and ‘informal’ speech therapy – the best partnership
- What is ‘speech quality’ and how can you improve it?
- Introducing the ‘Developing speech skills’ activities
- Activity: Where do your toys go?
- Activity: Telling a story
- Activity: Brushing your teeth
- Activity: Learning everyday language by making food
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 5
- Remember the importance of your child’s hearing technology
- Building language skills from day to day
- How speech skills typically develop
- ‘Formal’ and ‘informal’ speech therapy – the best partnership
- What is ‘speech quality’ and how can you improve it?
- Introducing the ‘Developing speech skills’ activities
- Activity: Where do your toys go?
- Activity: Telling a story
- Activity: Brushing your teeth
- Activity: Learning everyday language by making food
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 5
6. Using play to develop communication skills- Play is the real business of childhood
- Setting an example for your child with your play language
- Language opportunities during play
- Introducing the ‘Learning through play’ activities
- Activity: Discriminating sounds
- Activity: Making fruit salad
- Activity: Feeding dolly or teddy
- Activity: Growing beans
- Activity: Stringing objects
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 6
- Play is the real business of childhood
- Setting an example for your child with your play language
- Language opportunities during play
- Introducing the ‘Learning through play’ activities
- Activity: Discriminating sounds
- Activity: Making fruit salad
- Activity: Feeding dolly or teddy
- Activity: Growing beans
- Activity: Stringing objects
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 6
7. Learning language all day – every day!- Everyday sounds during everyday routines
- Household chores with a chatty little helper!
- Social development starts at home
- Practising speech sounds during daily life
- Introducing the ‘Language all day, every day’ activities
- Activity: Who’s talking?
- Activity: Measuring and pouring
- Activity: Loud voice, soft voice
- Activity: Making the bed
- Activity: Changing colours
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 7
- Everyday sounds during everyday routines
- Household chores with a chatty little helper!
- Social development starts at home
- Practising speech sounds during daily life
- Introducing the ‘Language all day, every day’ activities
- Activity: Who’s talking?
- Activity: Measuring and pouring
- Activity: Loud voice, soft voice
- Activity: Making the bed
- Activity: Changing colours
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 7
8. Language topics throughout the year- Opportunities for listening throughout the year
- Using experience books throughout the year
- Talking about the weather and the changing seasons
- Preparations help build anticipation
- Keeping track of speech progress
- Introducing the ‘Language topics throughout the year’ activities
- Activity: Selecting songs and singing along
- Activity: Body language
- Activity: Vowels and diphthongs
- Activity: Matching and sequencing objects
- Activity: Using crayons and paper
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 8
- Opportunities for listening throughout the year
- Using experience books throughout the year
- Talking about the weather and the changing seasons
- Preparations help build anticipation
- Keeping track of speech progress
- Introducing the ‘Language topics throughout the year’ activities
- Activity: Selecting songs and singing along
- Activity: Body language
- Activity: Vowels and diphthongs
- Activity: Matching and sequencing objects
- Activity: Using crayons and paper
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 8
9. Reading as a route to language- Nurturing your child’s literacy
- Making story time special
- Introducing the ‘Reading as a route to language’ activities
- Activity: Following simple directions
- Activity: Making picture books
- Activity: Changing pitch
- Activity: Things that float
- Activity: Shadows and light
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 9
- Nurturing your child’s literacy
- Making story time special
- Introducing the ‘Reading as a route to language’ activities
- Activity: Following simple directions
- Activity: Making picture books
- Activity: Changing pitch
- Activity: Things that float
- Activity: Shadows and light
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 9
10. Developing more advanced language skills- Collecting a language sample
- Expanding your child’s expressive language
- Learning about categories
- Practising more advanced language
- Introducing the ‘Developing more advanced language skills’ activities
- Activity: Discriminating single words
- Activity: Learning about sizes
- Activity: Practising consonants – nasals, plosives and fricatives
- Activity: Taking a walk
- Activity: What’s different?
- Activity: Insect hunt
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 10
- Collecting a language sample
- Expanding your child’s expressive language
- Learning about categories
- Practising more advanced language
- Introducing the ‘Developing more advanced language skills’ activities
- Activity: Discriminating single words
- Activity: Learning about sizes
- Activity: Practising consonants – nasals, plosives and fricatives
- Activity: Taking a walk
- Activity: What’s different?
- Activity: Insect hunt
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 10
11. Selecting a school to suit your child’s needs- Identifying a suitable school
- Making the transition
- Introducing the ‘Getting ready for school’ activities
- Activity: Recalling two elements in a message
- Activity: What’s missing?
- Activity: Completing linguistic messages with specific speech goals
- Activity: A trip to the supermarket
- Activity: Animal guessing game
- Activity: Playing with a ball
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 11
- Identifying a suitable school
- Making the transition
- Introducing the ‘Getting ready for school’ activities
- Activity: Recalling two elements in a message
- Activity: What’s missing?
- Activity: Completing linguistic messages with specific speech goals
- Activity: A trip to the supermarket
- Activity: Animal guessing game
- Activity: Playing with a ball
- Your feedback on Preschool Lesson 11