Every Day with AAC Series (1 of 4): Core Vocabulary at the Park

October is AAC Awareness Month, a time dedicated to celebrating Augmentative and Alternative Communication, the tools, strategies, and systems that help nonspeaking and minimally speaking individuals share their thoughts, needs, and ideas with the world. While we believe in all forms of communication, we'd like to highlight the occasion by publishing a four-part series called Every Day with AAC, exploring how families can weave AAC into the moments that already fill their days. This first post is all about core vocabulary and why the playground might be one of the best places to practice it.

If you're just getting started with AAC, the whole thing can feel a little overwhelming. Which words do you model first? When do you do it? Does it have to be structured? The good news is that one of the best opportunities to practice is already on your weekly schedule: a trip to the park.

This post is written with newer AAC users in mind, but whether you're a few weeks in or a few years in, we hope you find something useful here.

Start With Core Vocabulary

You may have heard the term "core vocabulary" and wondered what it actually means in practice. Core words are the small, high-frequency words that show up across almost every conversation: I, want, like, more, help, go, stop, all done. They're not specific to any one topic or activity, which is exactly what makes them so powerful. A student who knows "want" can use it at the park, at the table, in the car, and everywhere in between.

In our AAC program, the first five weeks focus on exactly these kinds of words, introduced one at a time so students and parents can build confidence gradually:

• Week 1: I
• Week 2: want
• Week 3: want and like together
• Week 4: mixing I, like, and want
• Week 5: all done

Simple and manageable. And as it turns out, perfectly suited for a trip to the playground.

Model First, Every Time

Before we get into the park examples, one thing worth saying upfront: your job right now is to model, not to prompt. That means you press the button and say the word out loud, not to get your student to copy you, but to show them how it works and what it sounds like. You're essentially demonstrating that this device is a real, useful way to communicate, and that it's easy.

Don't worry if your student doesn't respond right away. Early language learners, whether they're speaking or using AAC, need to hear words many times before they start using them independently. SLPs often reference the "90/10 rule" in early AAC: you'll be doing most of the communicating at first, and that's exactly how it's supposed to go. Press the button, say the word, and move on. Any modeling is better than none.

At the Swings

The swings are one of the most naturally repetitive activities at the park, which makes them ideal for AAC practice. There's a clear beginning, middle, and end to each push, and your student has real things to communicate about.

Try modeling "more" each time you give a push, and pause before the next one. You're not withholding the swing. You're creating a natural moment where "more" makes complete sense. If your student is on week one and only has "I" in their vocabulary so far, just model it as a statement: press "I" while you're talking about what's happening. "I swing. I go."

When it's time to stop, model "all done" before you slow down. Over time, your student may start pressing it themselves when they're ready to get off.

On the Climbing Structure

Climbing structures tend to be a little more unpredictable, which is actually great for AAC. There are choices to make, things to want, and moments that call for help.

Model "want" as your student moves toward something: "want slide? want up?" If they're struggling on a ladder or a tricky section, model "help" before you assist them. You're not waiting for them to ask. You're showing them that "help" is the word for this moment.

For students working on "like," the climbing structure gives you a low-pressure chance to narrate: "like this? I like up high." Keep it light and observational rather than quizzing them.

Down the Slide

The slide is another natural AAC moment because it has a beginning your student can anticipate and an ending that often leads to "more."

As your student gets to the top, try modeling "go" right before they push off. At the bottom, model "more" if they immediately head back up, or "all done" if they seem finished. If they're having a great time, narrate it: "like! I like!" Enthusiasm is contagious and it makes the words feel real, not clinical.

A Few Things to Remember

You don't have to turn every park visit into an AAC lesson. In fact, it's better if you don't. The goal is to sprinkle modeling into what you're already doing, not to run structured drills on the jungle gym. If you manage to model three or four words in an hour at the park, that's a win.

Bring the device. It sounds obvious, but it's easy to leave it in the bag or the car when you're trying to keep up with your student at the park. The device has to be present and accessible for modeling to happen.

And finally, don't stress about pressing the wrong button or fumbling around to find a word. Those moments are actually useful. They show your student that communication takes effort for everyone, that mistakes happen, and that you keep going anyway.

In Part 2, we're taking AAC out trick-or-treating and showing how Halloween night is full of real moments to communicate.

REFERENCES

1. Modeling: Use AAC to Teach AAC (AssistiveWare)

2. A Parent's Guide to Aided Language Stimulation for Kids Who Use AAC (Forte Speech)