Encourage Your Child’s Language Development
1. Be an active listener.
Let your child know that you are listening. Show your sincere interest. Get down to the child’s eye level and look at the child. Listen to the child’s tone of voice. Notice the expressions of the child’s face, body, and hands. These will be clues to help you understand your child’s message. Let your child know that the message is important to you.
2. Let your child talk without interruptions.
Try to set up family rules about whose turn it is to “take the floor.”
3. Reward your child’s speech attempts by doing the following:
Physical (smile, hug, touch), Verbal (“Good!”, “Nice talking!”), Natural consequences (an appropriate action in response to your child’s speech attempt).
4. Use slower speech rate.
5. Use shorter remarks.
Use phrases and sentences just beyond your child’s language level.
6. Use simple sentences.
Sentences that contain a basic subject + verb + object or adjective are easiest. For ex.: Tommy + drank + milk.
7. Talk about the here and now.
It helps children understand when you talk about objects, people, and events that can be seen, heard, and touched.
8. Talk out loud about what you are doing.
Any time you are with your child is a time for language learning. By putting your thoughts and actions into words, you are teaching your child language.
9. Expand your child’s remarks.
Make your child’s remark slightly longer because the child will hear a good language model as a result. Ex. C: “Juice.” P: “You want juice.”
10. Add a little more info. To your child’s remark.
Build on what your child has already said by adding new info.
Ex. C: “Truck there.” P: “Yes, there’s a big red truck.”
1. Be an active listener.
Let your child know that you are listening. Show your sincere interest. Get down to the child’s eye level and look at the child. Listen to the child’s tone of voice. Notice the expressions of the child’s face, body, and hands. These will be clues to help you understand your child’s message. Let your child know that the message is important to you.
2. Let your child talk without interruptions.
Try to set up family rules about whose turn it is to “take the floor.”
3. Reward your child’s speech attempts by doing the following:
Physical (smile, hug, touch), Verbal (“Good!”, “Nice talking!”), Natural consequences (an appropriate action in response to your child’s speech attempt).
4. Use slower speech rate.
5. Use shorter remarks.
Use phrases and sentences just beyond your child’s language level.
6. Use simple sentences.
Sentences that contain a basic subject + verb + object or adjective are easiest. For ex.: Tommy + drank + milk.
7. Talk about the here and now.
It helps children understand when you talk about objects, people, and events that can be seen, heard, and touched.
8. Talk out loud about what you are doing.
Any time you are with your child is a time for language learning. By putting your thoughts and actions into words, you are teaching your child language.
9. Expand your child’s remarks.
Make your child’s remark slightly longer because the child will hear a good language model as a result. Ex. C: “Juice.” P: “You want juice.”
10. Add a little more info. To your child’s remark.
Build on what your child has already said by adding new info.
Ex. C: “Truck there.” P: “Yes, there’s a big red truck.”