Talking Matters!!!
Talking with our children is so very important. Kids actually need conversations to learn. In fact,they crave talking with others, especially adults! There are many, many strategies that parents and caregivers can use to enhance a child’s speech and language skill development. Here are three specific tips that anyone can use throughout everyday activities:
1. Follow the child’s lead.
If your little one seems interested in a particular picture in a book, keep talking about it. If they seem intrigued by a boat, show them more boats and talk about them, too. Repeat their babbles back to them, ask questions, and interact with them. You can even try recording your child on a tape recorder and playing it back.
2. Never criticize your child’s articulation or speech patterns.
Instead, repeat their statements back to them with the correct pronunciation or word usage. Give your child lots of praise for their efforts.
3. Expand or enhance the child’s utterance.
Rather than directing your child’s play and language by telling them what to play with and what to do, you will get the most bang for the buck, by expanding or enhancing the child’s utterance. For example, if the child is playing and says, “Wash baby!” The caregiver might say, "oh, the baby needs a bath!"
