chatting with CHU

12/08/2025

We’re moving back to Long Beach, NY! If you’re looking for reading, language or writing support for your child, reach out today and schedule your free phone consultation!📱

12/02/2025

We're heading back to Long Beach, NY. Reach out if you'd like to schedule your free phone consultation today!

11/06/2025

08/19/2025

💡 Tip Tuesday | Age 12
By 12, kids often sound grown up, but they still need language support, especially as school demands increase. Try these strategies to foster language-rich environments at home 🏠

🗣️ Talk about real-world topics
Ask open-ended questions like:
• “What would you have done?”
• “Why do you agree or disagree?”
📚 Build vocabulary & academic language
Use and explain words like predict, compare, or analyze in daily convos. Introduce new words naturally:
• “That movie was suspenseful, what do you think suspenseful means?”
🎭 Explore figurative language (see my recent post for more info!) 
Talk about idioms, jokes, and sarcasm. Ask: “What does that really mean?”
🧠 Support organization & thinking
•Practice summarizing (ask child to summarize a show, movie or article, you can even ask them to summarize what they did over the weekend!)
•Outline ideas together before writing
📝 Upgrade homework talk
Instead of “Do you have homework?” ask: “What are you working on in science this week?”

💬 Even if they sound mature, 12-year-olds still need rich conversations and adult modeling to thrive with language!

Reach out if you have any concerns about your child’s receptive/expressive language, writing skills or organization/executive functioning! 📲 Follow for more tips!

08/18/2025

📆 Milestone Monday | Age 12 – Language Skills
This post features my oldest niece, Sarah, who will be turning 12 in October! At 12 years old, your child’s language skills are becoming more advanced and flexible! Here’s what many 12-year-olds can do:

🧠 Understand abstract ideas and more complex/ higher-level language skills such as figurative language (see recent post for more info), idioms, and sarcasm. 
🗣️ Use language to explain, persuade, and debate
📚 Follow more complex, multi-step directions
✍️ Tell detailed stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end
💬 Take turns in conversations and adjust their language based on who they’re talking to (friends vs. teachers vs. parents)
❓ Ask and answer complex questions
🗂️ Use a wide range of vocabulary in different subjects (ex: science, math)
💡 Still developing: understanding tone, sarcasm, or complex figurative language like irony or puns.

📲 Follow for tomorrow’s Tip Tuesday post on how to support your 12-year-old’s language growth at home!

08/12/2025

💡 Tip Tuesday | Figurative Language
Figurative language can be fun, but also tricky! These tips can help your 8–10-year-old build their higher-level language skills:
🎯 Call it out
Listen for figurative language when watching a movie/show, reading a book, or in conversations with others. When you come across an expression like “spill the beans” or “break the ice,” pause and talk about what they really mean. *A good distinction here is teaching your child the literal vs. figurative meaning. Ask: “What do you think they’re trying to say?”  
📚 Play with books
Choose stories or poems with rich figurative language. Ask your child to find examples of idioms, similes, or metaphors.
➡️ Bonus: Make a “figurative language” journal and collect fun phrases!
🎨 Get creative
Make up your own silly similes and metaphors together! 
 • “My dog is like a fuzzy tornado.”
 • “Homework is a mountain I have to climb.”
🎭 Act it out
Have your child act out an idiom like “under the weather” or “walking on sunshine” and guess what phrase they chose. Again, you can have them act out both the literal and figurative meanings to make sure they understand!
📲 Follow for more ways to support speech and language development at home!

08/11/2025

🎭 Figurative Language: What Is It?
Figurative language is when we say something that doesn’t mean exactly what it sounds like. We use words in creative ways to express ideas, feelings, and/or comparisons.

🧠 By age 9️⃣, many children begin to understand and use figurative language in conversation, reading, and writing. ➡️Scroll through to see some common types of figurative language with examples of each.

💭Understanding figurative language helps kids:
✅ Read between the lines
✅ Understand jokes and expressions
✅ Improve writing and storytelling

‼️Children who struggle with language development often struggle with these higher-level language skills (like figurative language). Stay tuned for some tips for how you can support your child’s understanding and use of figurative language at home! 📲 Follow for more tips!

08/05/2025

💡Tip Tuesday | Age 9 Language Skills
Want to boost your 9-year-old’s language skills? Try these simple, effective tips:

📚 Talk about books – Ask your child to summarize a chapter, predict what might happen next, or explain a character’s actions/motives. 
💬 Use new words – Introduce academic or descriptive vocabulary in conversation and encourage your child to use them too. 
🎭 Play with language – Joke around with idioms, puns, or riddles to explore figurative language (Reminder- more info on figurative language coming soon!) 
📝 Encourage writing – Journals, stories, or how-to instructions help kids organize and express ideas clearly.
🎙️Try to go deeper – Ask your child not only what they think but WHY, it builds reasoning and explanation skills.

🎯 Remember: Language is more than just talking- it’s thinking, understanding, connecting, and expressing! 🤔💭🗣️📖 📲Follow for more tips!

08/04/2025

Milestone Monday | Age 9️⃣ 
This week’s post features my nephew, Jacob, who’s turning 9 soon! As you can see, he’s playing chess with my dad in this photo. Fun fact- chess♟️ isn’t just a fun game, it’s a powerful way to build language skills like reasoning, vocabulary, and problem-solving!

By age 9️⃣, kids are using language in more complex and flexible ways, both socially and academically. Here’s what many 9-year-olds can do:

🧠 Understand figurative language like idioms and metaphors (👀 look out for a separate post on this coming soon!)
💬 Tell more detailed stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end
 👍 Follow multi-step directions
📖 Use language to explain, compare, predict, and summarize
🧩 Understand and use subject-specific vocabulary (e.g., science, math)
🗣️ Adjust their language depending on who they’re talking to (peers vs. adults)

⚠️ If your child has trouble following directions, telling a story, or organizing their thoughts, it may be time to check in with a speech-language pathologist.📲 Follow for tomorrow’s Tip Tuesday on how to support your 9-year-old’s language growth at home!

07/30/2025

🗣️ Speech Sound Spotlight | Age 6
Here’s some bonus content for age 6 about children’s speech development at this time! 
By age 6️⃣, most children’s speech should be clear and easy to understand, even by unfamiliar listeners (90-100% of the time!) 
🌟 Reminder, speech is HOW we say sounds and words while language is how we use words to share and understand ideas (👀 my earlier posts about speech/articulation and receptive/expressing language for more info!)

➡️ Swipe through to see which sounds typically develop by age 6.

⚠️ If speech is hard to understand, causes frustration, or certain sounds are avoided, it may be time to consult a speech-language pathologist.
📲 Follow for tips on supporting speech and language at home!

07/29/2025

💡 Tip Tuesday | Age 6
Here are a few simple ways to support your 6-year-old’s language at home:
📖 Storytime Retell
After reading a book, ask your child to retell the story in their own words. Use prompts like “What happened first?” or “Why did that happen?”
💬 Expand and Model
If your child says, “He runned fast,” model it back: “Yes, he ran really fast!” No need to correct, just model the right form naturally.
❓ Ask Open-Ended Questions
Instead of “Did you have fun at school?” try “What was the best part of your day?” This encourages more complex answers and conversation.
🧩 Play Games That Involve Thinking Out Loud
Try puzzles, scavenger hunts, or board games where your child has to explain their thinking or describe steps.
💭 Use Everyday Moments for Word Learning
Talk about what you’re doing and why - whether you’re cooking, driving, or getting ready for bed!
📲 Follow for more milestones and tips to support your child’s speech and language development!

07/28/2025

📆 Milestone Monday | Age 6
At age 6️⃣, your child’s language and communication skills are becoming more advanced! Here’s what many 6-year-olds can do:
🗣️ Often speak in full sentences with correct grammar
📚 Retell a short story in the right order (beginning, middle, end)
🧠 Understand and use time concepts like yesterday, today, tomorrow
📝 Use language to reason, persuade, and describe (ex: We should go inside because it’s raining)
❓ Ask and answer “why” and “how” questions
👂 Follow multi-step directions (ex: Get your shoes and backpack and put them by the door)
🎯 Use language to plan and solve problems
🧒 Be clearly understood by most people, even those outside the family
‼️ Every child develops at their own pace, but if something feels off, trust your instincts. Early support can make a big difference!
📲 Follow for tomorrow’s Tip Tuesday with ways to support your 6-year-old’s growing language skills!