Category: Speak to

Pay attention to the sounds you’re hearing and talk about them with your child. “I hear a bird tweeting. Do you?” Try to find the bird. Do this with fire trucks or cars going “vroom!” Pay attention to what they are listening to and ask them, “What do you hear?”

As you dress your child, copy the sounds you hear them make, like “ah, eee, ooo, bee, dee.” How do they respond? As you make a sound, place their fingers on your lips so they can feel the vibrations and movements of your lips. Try different sounds as you do!

Go sightseeing in your home! Walk with your baby and point out different objects. Describe an item and if safe, let them touch it. Say, “Do you feel the lamp shade? It is rough. Watch what happens when I turn on the light.” Pay attention to where they point or look and respond.

While in the store, hold up different pairs of things and ask your child how they’re the same or different. You can model this kind of thinking and say, “This pepper is green and this pepper is red, but they’re the same vegetable!” Encourage them to describe what they see.

Pick two food words, such as banana and apple, to make a word pattern two times. Repeat with your child, “Banana, apple, banana, apple.” Have them pick two food words and make a pattern two times: “fork, spoon, fork, spoon.” Talk about which word comes first and second.

Does your child want to do everything themselves? Whether it’s eating with fingers or trying to use a fork, give them ways to be more independent. Talk to them about what they’re doing. If they need, help them a little. When they’re done, notice how they respond with a smile or an “I did it!”… Continue reading Celebrate Independence

Does your child want to choose their clothes? Help them by giving them two choices: “Do you want to wear your blue pants or your green pants?” When they choose, congratulate them by saying, “Great choice, I like those too.”

Are you teaching your child to use words to express their feelings? As you’re out and about, ask them to notice animals, which don’t use words, and see how they express what they want. Does the dog bark or stare at you? Ask them what they think the dog is trying to say.

Offer your child something common like a scarf, an empty box, or a pot. Watch to see what they do. Do they try to put the scarf in the box or the lid on the pot? Boost their learning by commenting on what they’re doing, “You put the scarf in the box!”

Is there a window on the front of your washing machine? Watch it spin with your child. If there isn’t a window, lift them so they can see the water going into the machine. Say things like, “Look, the water is rinsing soap off the clothes.” See how they respond and respond back to them.