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Snapdragon Speech

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Ballarat Central, VIC
Snapdragon Speech

Snapdragon Speech is a private practice located in the Ballarat area

01/12/2025

Parallel talk is when an adult talks about what a child is doing in the moment without asking questions. For example, “You’re building a tall tower with red blocks.”

This simple strategy models new vocabulary and sentence structures in a natural way, helping children hear and learn language without pressure to respond.

28/11/2025

Resource of the Week – Spot It!

Spot It! is a fast-paced, engaging game that supports a wide range of communication goals:

🗣️ Vocabulary building: Kids name and describe the pictures they find, expanding their word knowledge.
👂 Receptive language: Supports understanding of instructions, turn-taking cues, and listening for their turn.
🤝 Social communication: Encourages shared attention, turn-taking, commenting, and flexible communication during fast game play.
🧠 Language processing: The quick pace gives opportunities to practise processing speed, word retrieval, and making connections under time pressure.

Add Spot It! to your sessions for a fun, motivating way to build language and interaction skills!

26/11/2025

Play is at the heart of paediatric speech therapy, and the right activity can make learning feel effortless and fun. We asked Sam, Amelia, and Hannah to share their current favourites – from timeless classics to creative, unexpected moments.

Sam:
It really depends on the kids I’m working with – my favourites are always changing! Right now, I’m loving the claw machine game. It’s a hit with just about every child from 3 to 12! I also love open-ended pretend play – last week I had a tea party with two monster trucks, and it was honestly the highlight of my day.

Amelia:
Honestly, I love the super simple but engaging games like Pop-Up Pirate or Greedy Granny. Playdough and bubbles are also winners in my book!

Hannah:
I have lots of different activities that I like to use in sessions; I think it depends on my client’s likes and interests. My particular favourites include playdough, dolls, toy animals, or anything to do with role playing 🙂

Whether it’s a structured game, a sensory favourite, or a spontaneous burst of imagination, the joy in these activities comes from how they connect with each child – making therapy something they look forward to every week.

24/11/2025

By around 2 years, your toddler is becoming a little language superstar! Here’s what they might be doing:

👂 Understanding simple questions and two-step instructions
🗣 Using 50+ words and starting to combine two words (like “more juice” or “big car”)
🔄 Repeating words and sounds they hear around them
👀 Pointing to body parts and familiar pictures when named
🎭 Engaging in pretend play with toys, using them in simple stories or actions

Tip:
Encourage your child by joining their play and adding new words to their sentences - it helps build their vocabulary and confidence!

What new words or phrases is your little one using? Share your favourites with us!

21/11/2025

Resource of the Week – Origami Paper!

Origami paper brings a calm, engaging activity into sessions and supports a range of communication skills:

🧠 Following directions: Supports understanding of sequential steps, receptive language, and processing.
🗣️ Describing actions: Encourages the use of verbs, prepositions, and sequencing words while talking through each fold.
🎨 Creativity & language expansion: Children can label, describe, and tell stories about their creations, building expressive language skills.

Origami is a peaceful, low-prep way to model rich language while supporting communication development.

19/11/2025

Phonological awareness is the ability to recognise and work with the sounds in words, such as rhyming, clapping syllables, or hearing the first sound in a word.

It’s a key skill for learning to read and spell. Strong phonological awareness skills give children a solid foundation for literacy development at school.

17/11/2025

By around 5 years, your child is becoming a confident communicator and storyteller! Here’s what they might be doing:

👂 Understanding and following complex instructions
🗣 Using longer sentences with more detailed grammar
🔄 Telling stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end
👀 Recognising and talking about letters, numbers, colours, and shapes
🎭 Engaging in imaginative play, often with friends or siblings

Tip:
Encourage your child to share their thoughts and ideas regularly - this supports their language development and confidence in conversation.

What fun stories or new words has your 5-year-old been sharing? Let us know!

14/11/2025

Resource of the Week – The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game!

The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game is a playful and engaging way to target communication goals in therapy or at home:

🐿️ Speech sound practice: Perfect for working on the /s/ sound in words like sneaky, snacky, and squirrel, or when describing actions during play.

💬 Language development: Encourages turn-taking, following directions, and using descriptive language such as colours and quantities.

🧠 Social interaction: Supports waiting, sharing, and celebrating others’ turns — all within a fun, motivating game context.

It’s a great go-to for practising speech and language skills through meaningful play!

12/11/2025

💪 Playing games like tug of war is a great way to work on action words while also promoting physical activity. As your child plays, encourage them to describe their actions and feelings using verbs:

💪“Can you pull really hard?”
💪“How does the rope feel?”
💪“Who is winning?”

This game allows your child to practice action verbs in a playful and interactive way, all while strengthening their motor skills.

10/11/2025

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

AAC includes all the ways we help someone communicate when speech is hard. This might be through pictures, symbols, devices, or signing. It can be used alongside speech to make it easier for someone to share their thoughts and needs.

It’s important to know that AAC does not stop someone from talking — in fact, it can help encourage speech and give children a voice while they are still developing their communication skills.

08/11/2025

Resource of the Week – Doll House!

A doll house is a wonderful resource for imaginative play and social interaction:
🏠 Imaginative play: Encourages role-playing and storytelling, and creativity.
🗣️ Social interaction: Supports communication skills through role-playing and conversation.
🧠 Problem-solving: Children can engage in planning and decision-making as they arrange furniture and characters.

Incorporate a doll house into your play resources for a rich, imaginative learning experience!

06/11/2025

🐾 A fun, rhyming story about a wombat stew with a mix of Aussie animals. Perfect for building rhyming skills and animal vocabulary!

Use these ideas to encourage speech:
🐾Rhyming: Focus on the rhyming words in the book. Can your child find other words that rhyme with “stew,” “roo,” or “koala”?
🐾Animal vocabulary: Discuss the different Australian animals in the book. Can your child name some more Aussie animals?
🐾Story expansion: “What other ingredients could go into the Wombat Stew? Can you make up your own stew with different animals and their special skills?”

What’s your favourite book for talking about Australian animals?

Address

15 Dawson Street South
Ballarat Central, VIC
3350

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://Snapdragonspeech.com.au/, https://events.humanitix.com/speechie-library-talks-2024-ballarat-library

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