Category: Speak to

When your child points at something, talk back and forth about what they notice like, “You see the big truck!” Then you can take a turn to point something out to them and say what you see. Do they turn to look at it? Do they point or name the object?

Almost everything is new to your child in their first year. So describe what you see. “There goes the yellow school bus. Beep beep!” Let them see, hear, smell, and even touch things, if possible. Notice what they’re interested in and have a back-and-forth chat. “You see the big tree? What else do you see?”

At bedtime, invite your child to close their eyes. Then imagine relaxing just one toe, then one whole foot, then one leg. Keep going through their entire body. Afterward, talk about how they feel. Give them a turn to lead you through relaxing.

Talk back and forth with your child about the plans for the day. Maybe you can chat about what you’re having for breakfast. Where are they going for the day? What might you do together? Or what are you both excited to do today?

Does your child point and say “dat”? Ask them, “What do you want?” Have them lead you to what they’re pointing at. When you find it, you can say, “That’s a spoon!” or “That’s the light switch!”

When you’re getting ready to go out, talk about what you’re doing and how your child might be feeling. Maybe you could say, “We’re getting ready to go to the store. You’re wriggling and have a smile on your face. You seem excited. Let’s go and see what we find there.” How do they respond?… Continue reading Talk About Emotions

Even if your child doesn’t seem to understand, tell them everything you’re doing as you get them ready in the morning. Start with how you picked their clothes and go from there. Make eye contact and respond back to the sounds they make.

Walking somewhere today? Talk to your child about the seasons. Is it cold or warm? What clues do you see that tell you what season it is? Snow? Flowers? Colorful Leaves?

When you’re out with your child, team up with them to find colors. Have them point to something and name the color. Then you name all of the things you can think of that are the same color. Take turns playing this game.

When you come in from outside, have a chat with your child about the weather. Were you hot or cold? Make sure you use simple sentences, but add bigger words, too.