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Valentine’s Day Activities

Written by Gloria Menezes-Furtado, MED, LSLS Cert AVT

It’s time for songs, chocolate and love!  Happy Valentine’s Day. 

Here are a few listening activities you can do with your little one to celebrate:

All kids love singing and being sung to, so it’s time to bring back the classics from Barney: “I love you , You love me….” Singing is a natural partner for building auditory discrimination and memory.  Add movement while singing, and after a few repetitions, stop at a crucial point in the song to allow your child to fill in the blank. This will look different based on your child’s age and listening skills — on the continuum, it will go from non-descript vocalizing to clarity in vowels, to clarity in consonants, to words and phrases.  

Heart stickers can be used to build and reinforce auditory comprehension of family member’s names, vehicles, your child’s favorite toys, and the list goes on.  Pick a sticker and put on different toys or pictures while saying “Happy Valentine’s Day!” This will provide a natural situation to repeat this phrase.  Listening can be further incorporated by going from single elements to multiple embedded elements. (Let’s find the lion…. Let’s put the blue heart on the lion…. Let’s put the small blue heart on the lion…. Let’s put the small blue heart on the lion’s tail).

If you do not have stickers, have no fear! You can make a Valentine’s Day card by tracing your child’s hands together to make the shape of a heart (see picture). Use your imagination, the possibilities are endless like drawing a heart on face.  Create a natural language interaction by narrating while tracing and involving the child in the selection of the colors, facial features, and other details.

Above all, love and enjoy your time with your child!

Lots of NEWs at Chattering Children

Chattering Children has a new logo.
We have a new project on GlobalGiving and will be a featured non-profit on GG’s homepage Thursday, October 18. Be sure to Like us on Facebook!
October is Audiology Awareness month–see The New York Times article below.



Chattering Children 
redesigned its logo with a fresh, clean look and to better align with our partner organization, The River School. Thanks to American Hearing Aid Associates (AHAA) for donating the design services!


New Project for Infants on GlobalGiving

Chattering Children will be featured on GlobalGiving’s homepage on Thursday, October 18. It is a special opportunity to be a featured non-profit so please share the GlobalGiving link with your friends and family so they can learn about our new crowdfunding project to raise funds to become a Diagnostic Center and provide hearing evaluations to at-risk infants in DC. Members of our community know how important it is for infants to receive diagnostics, counseling and intervention as early as possible. Learn more about our new project.

Please help spread the word!
Our new crowdfunding campaign getting started now! GlobalGiving will share our cause with many more potential donors across the country and around the world, but we also need your help spreading the word. Help us make a difference in the lives of many more infants who need diagnostic evaluations.

Here’s how you can help:

  1. Email Chattering Children’s GlobalGiving project to your family, friends, colleagues and anyone who you think might be able to support our project.
  2. Make a gift of $25 or more to help us reach our goal.
  3. Follow and like the Chattering Children Facebook and Instagram pages.
  4. Share our Facebook posts about the project on YOUR Facebook page.

NY Times Article Highlights CI Technology

October is Audiology Awareness Month! The New York Times recently ran an article featuring individuals with hearing loss who starred in The Listening Project documentary, highlighting the incredible impact of cochlear implant technology and auditory training.