During changing time, see if there’s something safe and mirror-like to give your child. Point to their nose in the mirror and say, “There’s your nose. Can you find your mouth? Your eyes?” Have a conversation about what they’re finding.
Author: Five Ones
Use gestures to communicate
Practice using gestures with your child as another way to communicate. You can wave your hand and say “hi!” or shake your head and say “no.” Or you can clap your hands and say “yay!” See if they will mimic your actions and sounds. Try going back and forth like a conversation.
Talk about textures
As you change your child, talk about the things you’re using and how they feel. Talk about the wet wipe, the soft pad, or whatever is handy. Watch where they’re looking or pointing, and talk about that too. “That’s the bed. It’s soft,” or “This is the diaper. It’s smooth!”
Talk about your shopping experience
As you shop, think about what your child might be seeing and discuss it with them while paying attention to sights, sounds, and smells. “Do you hear someone talking? It’s the lady over there.” “What do you smell? It smells yummy.” “See that red thing? It’s an apple we’re going to buy.”
Sing about daily activities
There are things we do every day. Sing the same songs at those moments to explain what you’re doing with your child. Examples could be leaving a room, finishing eating, or washing hands. What else do you do daily that you could sing about?
Hide
Invite your child to hide. Then search for them, talking out loud about the clues you’re using to find them. You can say, “I see something wiggling. I wonder if they’re near that chair.” If they giggle, say, “I hear a laughing noise near the door.” Now you hide and they make up the clues… Continue reading Hide
Line up big and small items
Pick a few objects around the house, and line three of them up by size from smallest to biggest. Talk with your child about the lineup. Have them turn around while you rearrange the objects. See if they can put them back into the original order and talk them through it!
Talk about how food changes
Chat with your child about how foods change as you cook them. You could show them how a pancake or tortilla goes from doughy to solid. Or how pasta or rice becomes soft. Let them use all their senses and touch them before and after (once cooled.) Talk together about what you see!
Getting Dressed Conversations
While getting dressed in the morning, chat with your child about if they should wear short sleeves or long sleeves. Do they need long sleeves to stay warm, or short sleeves to stay cool? Pretend together to be hot or cold and act out how you would feel. Brrrr!
Singing Conversations
While waiting, create singing conversations. Instead of talking back-and-forth, quietly sing what you want to say to each other. How does your child respond? Then try whispering. Keep going back and forth and make it a game.
