Summer Auditory-Oral Practice Tips For Children with Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids

 

☀️ Summer Auditory-Oral Practice Tips

For Children with Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids 

by Urszula Glogowska, M.Ed, CCC-SLP, TSHH

Dear Parents, 

Below are the exersizes designed to help your child continue building listening, speaking, and school readiness skills over summer break in fun, everyday ways. 

Thanks and regards, Urszula Głogowska (Speech Teacher)

🎧 1. Keep Devices On and Listening Ready

• Daily Device Check: Start the day with a listening check (e.g., Ling Six Sounds: ah, ee, oo, sh, s, m).

• Routine Use: Wear devices during all waking hours unless swimming or sleeping.

• Pack Smart for Trips: Bring backup batteries, chargers, drying kits, and accessories.

📚 2. Build Listening and Speaking Skills Every Day

• Narrate Daily Life: Talk through what you're doing—“I’m cutting the apple. Now I’m putting it in the bowl.”

• Use Listening First: Give your child time to listen before showing visuals or gestures.

• Expand Language: When your child says something simple, build on it.
  Child: “Dog!” You: “Yes, the big brown dog is barking!”

🗣 3. Practice Speech & Listening Goals Naturally

• Practice target sounds or sentence patterns during:

• Mealtimes, e.g. /m/: “Mmm, more milk please!” “Can I have some ___?”

• Bath time, e.g. “Shhh! The water is splashing!” “I am washing your hair.”

• Car rides, e.g. /s/: “See the sun!” “Where is the truck?”

• Playtime, e.g. /b/: “Boom! The blocks fell down!” “Look! It’s a big dinosaur!” 

• Use favorite toys or characters to make it playful and engaging.

🔠 4. Letter-Sound Awareness & Phonological Play

• Letter-Sound Practice: Focus on a few letters a week. Emphasize the sound each letter makes.
  “B says /b/ like ball!”

• Find Beginning & Ending Sounds:
  “What sound do you hear at the beginning of ‘sun’?”

• “What sound do you hear at the end of ‘dog’?”

• Use Books & Games: Try alphabet puzzles, foam letters in the bath, or phonics-focused apps.

🧠 5. Academic Readiness Review

Help your child stay school-ready by reviewing:

• Colors: Use crayons, clothes, or outdoor items - “Find something red!”

• Numbers: Count snacks, toys, steps, or claps.

• Shapes: Point out circles, squares, triangles … in the home and outside.

• Opposites: Talk about big/small, hot/cold, fast/slow … while reading or during play.

• Sorting & Matching: Sort laundry by color, group toys by size, or match socks - great for vocabulary and thinking skills.

🎶 6. Use Music, Rhymes & Rhythm

• Sing Together Daily: Songs with repetition support memory and listening (e.g., Wheels on the Bus, If You’re Happy and You Know It, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Days of the Week, Months of The Year).

• Rhyming Practice: Read or make up silly rhymes - “cat, hat, mat.”

• Echo Games: Say a word or phrase and have your child repeat it to build clarity and memory.

🎲 7. Play Listening & Language Games

• “I Spy” with Sounds: “I spy something that starts with /m/.”

• Simon Says: For practicing listening to directions and body part vocabulary.

• What’s That Sound?: Use sound clips or make sounds behind your back and guess together.

🌳 8. Use Everyday Activities for Learning

• Cooking Together: Great for sequencing (first, next, last), following directions, and using descriptive words.

• Outdoor Exploration: Describe what you see and hear—“The leaves are rustling,” “That’s a loud lawnmower!”

📓 9. Create a Summer Listening & Language Journal

• Let your child draw pictures of daily activities or special trips.

• Help them label or dictate what they drew—focus on using full sentences, past tense verbs, and descriptive words.

👂 10. Listening in Noise Practice

• Gently introduce background noise during activities: soft music, fan, or outdoor sounds.

• Encourage your child to focus on your voice, even when there’s other sound.

👨‍⚕️ 11. Stay Connected with Professionals

• Ask your child’s SLP or AVT for summer carryover activities.

• Keep audiology appointments up to date (e.g., mappings or hearing aid checks before school starts).

🔊 Ling Six Sounds & Examples

Sound	Phoneme	Sound Type	Example Word	How to Practice
/a/ (ah)	Low-frequency	Vowel	“father,” “hot,” “mop”	Say “ahhh” in a sustained voice. Have your child repeat or respond (e.g., raise a hand).
/i/ (ee)	High-frequency	Vowel	“beet,” “feet,” “see”	Say “eeeee” like in “cheese.” Emphasize smiling lips and clear vowel sound.
/u/ (oo)	Low-to-mid frequency	Vowel	“boot,” “moon,” “food”	Say “ooooo” like a ghost sound. Round your lips and encourage imitation.
/ʃ/ (sh)	Mid-to-high frequency	Fricative	“shoe,” “shh,” “shark”	Whisper “shhhh” as if quieting someone. Check if your child notices it.
/s/ (s)	High-frequency	Fricative	“snake,” “sun,” “ice”	Say “ssssss” like a snake. This is a very soft and high sound—harder to hear.
/m/ (m)	Low-frequency	Nasal	“mom,” “moo,” “man”	Say “mmmmmm” like you're enjoying food. Touch your nose or lips to show vibration.

👂 How to Use the Ling Sounds

1. Listening Check (Detection):
   Say each sound without the child seeing your mouth (e.g., behind a screen or while covering your mouth). Ask:
   
   “Did you hear that sound?”
   
   

2. Identification:
   Present 2–3 sounds and ask:
   
   “Which one was that—‘ah’ or ‘sh’?”
   
   

3. Imitation:
   Have the child repeat the sound back to you to monitor production.
   
   

4. Daily Routine Tip:
   Use the Ling Six Sounds in the morning as a quick sound check with devices on and functioning.