When we think about therapy, it’s easy to picture a child sitting on the desk, doing worksheets, or playing with toys. While desk activities and play are important, some of the most powerful learning actually happens during everyday routines.

At Kita Therapy, we often consider what skills your child would need in functional, everyday settings because therapy goals targeted during such moments tend to be naturally motivating and meaningful and relevant for the child and family.

Why Everyday Activities Are So Powerful for Language Learning?

Everyday routines are activities families do daily. This includes having meals, dressing, bath time, play, or reading books. These contexts are rich opportunities to work on therapy goals because they:

• Happens frequently, sometimes multiple times a day
• They are often predictable and structured, which helps a child learns
• Take place in real-life contexts, so the child learns words and skills where they’ll actually use them

This means the child does need to “transfer” skills from therapy to home, they are already practising in meaningful situations!

Different Activities Encourage Different Types of Communication!

Not all activities support communication in the same way. Research looking at children in their homes found that certain routines naturally encouraged certain types of communication:

• Care routines, chores, meals, and transitions often led to more requesting and protesting
  (e.g. asking for food, refusing clothes, wanting help)
• Play without toys (songs, tickles, peek-a-boo) encouraged more social interaction
  (e.g. smiles, laughter, turn-taking)
• Book sharing created more opportunities for joint attention
  (e.g. pointing, commenting, sharing interest)

This helps us be more intentional about where and how we support communication.

What This Means for Therapy?

Using functional settings allows therapy to match a family’s priorities.

For example:

• If a family wants to support requesting or protesting, therapy might focus more on mealtimes, dressing, or chores.
• If the goal is social interaction, activities like songs, games, or face-to-face play may be especially helpful.
• If the focus is joint attention, shared book reading can be a powerful tool.

Finding Opportunities in Everyday Moments

Everyday routines can also be adapted to encourage new types of communication.

For example:

• During a transition like getting into the car, parents can talk about what they see, name objects, and pause to encourage shared attention.
• While doing chores, children can be given small roles to encourage participation and communication.

Even activities that don’t usually involve much interaction can become rich communication opportunities with a little support.

Why Functional Settings Matter

When therapy uses real-life routines:

• Children practise skills in meaningful situations
• Parents feel more confident supporting communication at home
• Skills are more likely to be used across different environments

Although this concept may feel unfamiliar to you, using everyday routines can add huge value to your child’s therapy outcomes.