Communication is the best way to help your child improve their language development. This can be done in the following ways:
- It is vital that age-appropriate stories be read to your child daily. Point out objects and discuss them with your child. Ask your child to name them. If necessary, explain what is happening.
- When speaking to your child, speak simply, clearly and directly. Make eye contact with the child. Interact with the child and follow the child’s lead if he is interested in a subject.
- Allow your child to express himself. Allow time for a response.
- Avoid baby talk and use full sentences.
- Repeat words and phrases back to your child e.g. If he asks for a biscuit say, “Would you like a chocolate biscuit or a Marie biscuit?” “Here is your delicious, crispy chocolate biscuit. What shape is it?”
- Discuss your child’s day – who he played with, what he did and what he ate. Discuss his drawings and paintings. Tell him about things you have done. Chat while you do things together e.g. when cooking, driving or shopping.
- Use open-ended questions that require more than a yes/no answers, e.g. “Why do you think the bear is feeling grumpy?” “How did the frog get on top of the man’s head?”
- Use words in different ways, e.g. say “This water is freezing cold. It really is icy.”
- Enjoy music together. Listen to nursery songs and rhymes. Once the child becomes more familiar with the rhyme, let him complete the rhyme by adding final words of a line e.g. Twinkle, twinkle, little ______.
- Visit the library and pick out books together.
- Let your child play dress-up. Children enjoy talking while role playing.
- Don’t correct a child’s articulation errors or point out his difficulties with speech. Rather repeat his statements back to him using the correct pronunciation and word usage. Give praise for the child’s efforts.
- Although TV educational programmes are beneficial, TV should be used sparingly. TV does not interact with or respond to children. Both these things are important for children to learn language. Children read and play more when they watch less TV.
Article by Heather Light