Games for children who stutter: a selection of different exercises

Stuttering is a disturbance in the tempo, rhythm and fluency of speech associated with a pathological condition of the speech muscles. Expressed by frequent repetition of sounds or prolongation, speech interruptions. The causes are often stress, infections, mental retardation.

A speech defect leads to complex problems when interacting with peers, interferes with full communication, and causes considerable discomfort. Correcting the problem is possible in different ways, but with preschool children, the best option is a playful form. We invite you to learn about various exercises and replenish your didactic piggy bank.

Effectiveness of games for stuttering

For children under 7–8 years old, play is study, work, entertainment, simply put, the main form of perception of the world. While playing, the child expresses impressions and emotions from communication, the plots of books, and learns to build relationships with people.

In the case of stuttering, specially selected games and exercises give the following results:

correct speech and behavior skills are consolidated in different life conditions;
new speech skills are more easily transferred from the educational environment to life;
the correct attitude towards oneself and others is formed.

In addition to speech training, classes help broaden your horizons, lift your spirits, and develop determination, organization, and intelligence.

Games and exercises for voice and pauses

The following complex will help develop the strength and purity of your voice:

Sounds A and M. Inhale through the nose, pronounce sounds as you exhale;
Combination of the sound M with vowels. First inhale, then on one exhale: MA, MO, MU, inhale again and another combination: MI, ME, WE. Repeat several times;
N with vowels. Similar to the previous exercise;
At one exit we pronounce ZZZZZZZZ - NNYNNNYN. In this case, Zh is the chest sound, Z is the middle sound, Hb is the upper facial sound;
"True friend". Let the child imagine that his dog ran away. You need to call three times: once as if from afar, then - a little closer and at the end - very close;
"Fragrance." Let the baby smell the scented handkerchief, and as he exhales say the word “good” - calmly, slowly, syllable by syllable. Then we make it more complicated: we say the phrases “very good”, “smells very tasty”. The same can be done with fruits, flowers and come up with any phrases to pronounce while exhaling;
"Lullaby". Invite your baby to lull a baby doll, a doll, a soft toy and sing first quietly and then loudly “A-a-a-a-a”;
"Hurts". We imagine that the tooth hurts and say “O-o-o-o”, alternating the loud and quiet version;
"Cow". We imitate the moo of an animal, making MMMMMOOOO, varying the strength of the voice.

An always relevant and useful exercise for the development of vocal cords is alternating sounds. While exhaling smoothly after inhaling, we draw out the vowels in any order, for example, “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Symptoms of stuttering

Stuttering occurs in different ways, but identifying the disease is not difficult. It manifests itself either in the obsessive repetition of sounds and syllables, or in involuntary stops and delays, often accompanied by convulsions of the speech organs. The spasms affect the vocal cords, muscles of the pharynx, tongue, and lips. The presence of spasms in the speech stream is the main phenomenon of stuttering. They vary in frequency, location and duration. The severity of stuttering depends on the nature of the seizures. The tension in the organs of pronunciation does not allow a person who stutters to conduct a conversation accurately, clearly, and rhythmically. The voice also becomes upset - in people who stutter, it is uncertain, hoarse, and weak.

There is an opinion that the basis of stuttering is blocking (turning off) voice production. Indeed, a number of experiments confirm this idea. When a child stutters, he spends a lot of physical strength. When speaking, his face becomes covered with red spots and sticky cold sweat, and after speaking he often feels tired.

Individual sounds, syllables, words become so difficult that children avoid using them, as a result of which speech becomes impoverished, simplified, becomes inaccurate, and incomprehensible. Particularly great difficulties arise when reproducing coherent stories. And to make their situation easier, kids begin to use sounds, words or even whole phrases that have nothing to do with the subject of the statement. These "alien" sounds and words are called gimmicks. “A”, “e”, “here”, “well”, “and” are used as speech tricks.

In addition to speech, children who stutter also develop motor tricks: children clench their fists, step from foot to foot, wave their arms, shrug their shoulders, sniffle, etc. These auxiliary movements make it easier for the child to speak, and later, when they become established, they become an integral part of the speech. speech act. Extra movements disrupt coordinated motor skills and load the psyche with additional work.

Some preschoolers develop a fear of speaking. Even before starting a conversation, the child begins to worry that he will stutter, that he will not be understood, that he will be judged poorly. Uncertainty in speech, wariness, and suspiciousness appear.

Children are painfully aware of the difference between themselves and their peers. If, in addition, their comrades laugh at them, imitate them, and adults scold them for speaking incorrectly, stuttering children withdraw into themselves, become irritable, fearful, and they develop a feeling of inferiority, which further depresses the psyche and aggravates stuttering.

Psychological layers can be so pronounced that first of all one has to direct efforts to streamline behavior, and only then to fight stuttering.

People who stutter have poor coordination in their movements. Some have motor restlessness and disinhibition, others have angularity and stiffness. This is why people who stutter usually avoid crafts that require fine finger movements. But the signs of stuttering do not end there. People who stutter develop undesirable character traits - irritability, tearfulness, resentment, isolation, distrust, negativism, stubbornness and even aggressiveness.

Preschoolers who stutter are more susceptible to colds than ordinary children; their sleep and appetite are more often disturbed. If we talk about the dynamics of stuttering, it is striking in a number of characteristic features - the variability of the clinical picture, adaptability and variability. Often a more complex form of speech is pronounced more freely than a simplified one.

In the spring-summer period, stuttering smoothes out, in the autumn-winter period it intensifies. In an unfamiliar environment it manifests itself more strongly than in a familiar one. The severity of stuttering is also influenced by the situation in which the child finds himself. In kindergarten it gets worse; when surrounded by friends and family, the child feels freer. In labor classes, speech is much more confident than in native language classes.

Stuttering gets worse as fatigue increases. At the beginning of the day the defect appears less grossly than at the end. Hence the conclusion that classes with stutterers should be conducted in the morning.

When a child is alone, he does not stutter. Children do not stutter when singing, reading poetry, or reciting memorized stories. From the foregoing, we can conclude that in order to correct the defect, it is necessary to influence not only the speech of the stutterer, but also the personality as a whole.

For the development of speech breathing

The following games and exercises are necessary to improve diaphragmatic breathing, correct breathing rate and development of the speech apparatus:

“We breathe well.” The child lies down and places his hand on his upper abdomen. Attention is concentrated on the depth of breathing. We inhale and exhale and notice how the tummy rises and falls;
"Burst tire." We spread it in front of us like a large tire. As you exhale, slowly say SHSHSHH, while crossing your arms: the right one should be placed on the left shoulder and vice versa. The chest contracts easily as you exhale;
"Ball". Similar to the previous one, but as you exhale you need to say FFFF;
"Bug". Your arms should be raised to the sides and slightly pulled back. As you exhale, say ZHZHZH, while lowering your arms;
"Pendulum". We sit down cross-legged, hands on the back of our heads. First, take a calm breath, then pause for 3 seconds, then bend forward and exhale. When returning to the starting position, inhale;
"Harvest". From a standing position, raise your arms straight up, as if taking apples from a tree, inhale and hold your breath for 3 seconds. Lower your arms, lean forward and exhale;
"Harmonic". Starting position: standing straight, hands on your belt. Inhale, then pause for 3 seconds. Tilt to the left - exhale. Repeat on the other side;
"We warm our hands." We suggest inhaling through your nose and exhaling smoothly through your mouth onto your hands, as if warming them.

For classes with several children, the “Teapot” exercise is suitable. Everyone should be given a jar with a narrow neck. At the signal phrase “Masha’s kettle is boiling,” the named student blows into the opening of the jar so that a whistle is produced. To do this, the exhalation must be very intense, with the lower lip touching the edge of the neck.

Overcoming stuttering

Before moving on to specific recommendations for overcoming stuttering, it would be useful to recall some general provisions. The first thing parents should do is consult with a psychoneurologist and speech therapist, together with them, based on the child’s personality characteristics, outline and implement a program of medical and pedagogical influence.

Currently, a comprehensive method of overcoming stuttering has become widespread, in which parents play a prominent role. What is its essence?

Structurally, it consists of two interconnected parts - therapeutic and health-improving and correctional and educational. Each of them, complementing each other, pursues its own goals and objectives: therapeutic and health-improving is aimed at normalizing neuropsychic processes, at improving the nervous system; correctional and educational - to develop and consolidate correct speech skills.

To improve the child’s health, various activities are carried out, sedatives, calcium supplements, and various vitamins are prescribed. Drug therapy is combined with physiotherapy and climatotherapy, sleep, etc.

It is extremely important for parents to create a favorable, calm environment for the baby, instill cheerfulness in him, and distract him from unpleasant thoughts. The speech of adults should be friendly, leisurely, and simple. Jerking, shouting, and punishment are not allowed.

Since the body of a stuttering child is weakened in most cases, he really needs a correct and solid daily routine, a rational alternation of work and rest. A measured rhythm of life helps to normalize the functioning of the body and, in particular, higher nervous activity. In this case, sleep plays an important role. Children who stutter should sleep 10-12 hours at night and 2-3 hours during the day.

The daily routine includes time for games and walks. Moreover, it is important to choose calm games for active children, and fun, active ones for inert ones.

Parents should pay close attention to the child’s nutrition - make it varied, sufficiently high in calories, well fortified with vitamins. People who stutter are recommended to eat four meals a day with regular meal times.

Hardening procedures—rubbing, dousing, bathing—have an exceptionally beneficial effect on a child’s health. Walking, sledding and skiing are required. We should not forget about morning exercises and physical exercises, which contribute to the development of coordination of movements and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The daily routine should also include elements of child labor: the child can bring dishes, remove spoons and pieces of bread from the table, tidy up the children's corner, and prepare items for play. The child is entrusted with caring for plants, etc.

Medical and health activities create a physiological foundation for conducting special speech classes. Corrective and educational measures are aimed at normalizing the tempo, smoothness and rhythm of speech, developing the ability to work purposefully, enhancing speech communication, as well as eliminating defects in sound pronunciation.

The program of correctional and educational activities is implemented in the process of the child’s daily activities, and is as close as possible to his needs, interests, hobbies, in a word, speech correction should take place in natural conditions. Under no circumstances should you force a child to complete certain tasks. He must do everything without much coercion.

Silent games

Such activities are good because they help relieve excessive excitability. In children with stuttering, this helps to remove the habit of rapid and incorrect speech and prepare the nervous system for more complex exercises. Patience and perseverance are cultivated.

Most effective games:

"Watch". We put an hourglass in a prominent place and announce that the tongue is tired and needs to rest. While the sand is being poured, the baby is busy with drawing, puzzles and other things. Children prefer the collective version of the game, when the one who remains silent the longest wins;
"Good Wizard" We imagine that there is a good and generous giant in the city, but now he is sleeping. Therefore, all people remain silent, no one speaks. But you can build houses from cubes, play with construction sets, and sculpt. It's also a great idea to silently draw a sleeping wizard. As an encouragement, you can present a “guard of honor” medal;
"Theater". We suggest you “go” to a performance where you need to sit quietly and not talk. But you can show dolls or soft toys pictures. This exercise has many variations, for example, the library, where you also need to remain silent.

You can invent any options. The main conditions are maintaining silence and an exciting activity for the child, in which he can do without questions and answers for some time.

Causes of stuttering in children

At risk are children whose parents have diseases of the nervous system, infectious or somatic nature. Children who suffer from nightmares, enuresis, as well as those who are anxious, irritable, vulnerable, or with a weak nervous system stutter more often. Bilingual children may also stutter.

The following factors can provoke stuttering in children:

Features of intrauterine development. Difficult pregnancy, fetal asphyxia, injuries during childbirth;
The baby's health status. Injuries, metabolic and trophic disorders, infectious diseases in a newborn;
Physiological factors. Traumatic brain injury, concussion, organic brain disorders, intoxication, as well as diseases that weaken the central apparatus of speech (typhoid, measles, whooping cough, rickets, helminths, diseases of the throat and nose);
Psychosocial factors. Fright, horror, fear in the baby, dysfunctional situation in the family (conflicts, stress), improper upbringing (pampering, punishment, unbalanced upbringing or upbringing of the “correct” child), the predominance of negative emotions and tension, severe mental trauma, affect;
Features of speech formation. Parents did not pay attention to the fact that the baby spoke quickly or while inhaling, pronouncing sounds incorrectly. Excessive speech development activities with a child can also cause stuttering. For example, if parents overloaded the child with learning or used materials intended for older children;
Another factor that provokes stuttering is the fast, nervous speech of the child’s closest relatives. He can imitate them, just like his stuttering relatives. If your baby has a dominant left hand, you should not retrain him, as this can also provoke a violation.

A strict, demanding and inconsistent attitude towards a child from parents, educators and other adults can also become a trigger for the development of stuttering.

Games and exercises to develop speech tempo

The following tasks teach children to recognize fast and slow speech and vary their own tempo. We say at different speeds:

vowels in any sequence: a-u-o-i-s;
syllable rows with alternating soft and hard vowels (example: se-sy-su-sa, ze-zyu-zya-zi");
"Tongue Twisters". For example, “The hedgehog has a hedgehog, the grass snake has a bite,” “The heron, standing on the porch, wrote the letter C.”

Children like fairy tales and tongue twisters and lift their spirits. Choose simpler ones at first, gradually increasing complexity.

To develop a sense of rhythm

Speech therapy rhythms involve motor exercises that pursue different goals.

Warm-up

Includes various marching to music with changing directions. Helps you get ready for future work.

Normalization of muscle tone

Suitable exercises: freely swing your arms back and forth, to the sides, alternating between tensing and relaxing your arms.

Rhythmization of movements

Walking, clapping and tapping to different musical tempos and rhythms, singing words and syllables are used. Example: clap the song “Cockerel, cockerel, golden comb.”

Effectively use active exercises accompanied by music and speaking of speech tasks. For example, students pronounce the text and accompany it with movements: “Above us is a tall oak tree (arms to the sides), above us are pine trees, spruce trees (tilts left and right), their heads rustled (clap).”

Expanding your vocal range

The following games for children who stutter help reinforce what they have learned and teach them to vary the intonation and timbre of their voice, which is very important for full speech:

Count from 1 to 10 at different voice pitches;
"Motor ship". To the sound U we pronounce the sound of the whistle of 3 ships: large, small and medium in any order;
Say the phrase “I order you” with different intonations: angry, friendly, indifferent;
2 people participate. One says “I will punish you!” with a gradual increase in timbre, and the second says “No” with a decrease.

Any exercises where you need to select different intonation, volume, speed of speech and its emotional coloring are suitable.

Speech classes

Speech classes are built in the form of conversations, viewing didactic materials, filmstrips, and working on crafts.
During classes you should use books, toys, and board games. At the same time, parents should monitor their children’s speech, help them express their thoughts correctly, without focusing on the speech defect. Speech classes should be conducted regularly and in accordance with the principle from simple to complex, from familiar to unfamiliar. From the simplest situational forms to a detailed statement - this is the way to overcome stuttering. This is a very difficult task, and success here accompanies those parents who are not stopped by the first failures.

Typically, overcoming stuttering in preschoolers at home takes 3-4 months. All this time you need to be close to the child and “live” with him all the stages of speech re-education. Never give up hope of improving your stuttering. Remember: stuttering is a removable disease.

The course of overcoming stuttering is conventionally divided into three periods: preparatory, training, consolidative.

Preparation period

This period includes medical, recreational and protective measures: visiting a doctor, speech therapist, organizing a work and rest regime. At this time, it is necessary to limit the speech communication of a stuttering child with other children. Family members should carefully ensure that their own speech is clear, expressive and unhurried. It is necessary to draw up a plan for working with your child every day and make notes on its implementation. They have casual conversations with the child about how together (with mom and dad) he will learn to speak correctly and beautifully, and tell interesting fairy tales or stories. At the same time, play a children's record for your child or let him listen to a tape recording of the fairy tales “Teremok”, “Kolobok”, “Three Bears” and others. Games, drawing, and modeling help to prepare him for the upcoming speech work. Practice correct speech while walking and playing outdoors.

During the preparatory period, simple speech classes are organized - three to four times a day, lasting 10-15 minutes each. It is better to start classes with speech exercises. The child is asked to count to five, to ten, and then, following his parents, say short phrases: “I am learning to speak slowly.” "I'm learning to speak loudly."

Excerpts from children's poems can serve as material for speech exercises. The purpose of speech exercises is to prepare the child for the upcoming lesson, to make him feel that he can speak correctly. It is important that during a conversation the child does not tense up, does not raise his shoulders, and breathes silently and calmly.

After exercise, speech classes begin, which consist of special exercises that normalize speech. Speech exercises are built in a certain sequence - from simple forms of speech to complex ones.

Conjugate speech is the easiest for children who stutter. The child and his parents simultaneously name the objects shown in the pictures, the letters of the alphabet, speak short phrases (based on the pictures), and recite poetry. The training method is quite simple. While looking at the picture, at the same time as your child, smoothly and leisurely say: “This is Mishka. The bear is bathing. Mishka has big paws."

You can take any toy and tell what parts it consists of: “This is a Lena doll. Lena has eyes, a mouth, a nose. Lena has a new dress and white shoes.” Seeing objects in front of him, the child expresses his thoughts easier and more confidently.

The lesson can end with playing lotto with pictures or reading a poem. As soon as the child is fluent in conjugate speech, move on to the next form of speech.

Reflected speech is a more complex form that allows storytelling based on objects, pictures, toys. The parents say the phrase, the child repeats: “I have a pencil.” "I'm drawing". “Once upon a time there was a goat, and she had seven kids.” With children it is advisable to recite “Teremok”, “Kolobok”, M. Prishvin’s story “The Brave Hedgehog”, A. Barto’s poems “Bunny”, “Bear”. With older preschoolers you need to learn the alphabet, and you should also teach them to read and write using the ABC.

During this period, exercises for coordinating words with movement are introduced. March in a circle with your child: “We learned to count: one, two, three, four, five.” And so three times. Or another exercise. Give your child a ball and count each time the ball is thrown on the floor. The lesson ends with a speech board game. For example, you can prepare any subject lotto. Show your child the picture and calmly say: “I have a squirrel.” Then you just show the picture and the child names it.

This is a schematic lesson plan for the education of the reflected form of speech, based on which you can create subsequent lessons yourself.

During this period, learn N. Naydenova’s poem “Spring” with your child. Use days of the week, months, seasons of the year as speech exercises. If your child reads, choose folk tales and interesting poems for him.

After two or three lessons, the child himself begins to be active and confidently repeats the text, willingly plays, throws the ball up, hits the floor or wall. The movement is accompanied by words. Counting rhymes, jokes, and riddles are especially convenient for such exercises (they can be found in the magazines “Funny Pictures” and “Murzilka”).

This concludes the preparatory period. Its duration may vary depending on the success of mastering the conjugate-reflective form of speech. Fluency in them provides the basis for the transition to the next period - training. There are often cases when, already at the initial stage, certain forms of stuttering (especially mild ones) are successfully overcome. For preventive purposes, classes should be continued. However, the daily routine and gentle regime should remain the same. After a month, the child can be taken to a regular kindergarten.