Now that your little one is beginning to figure out that sounds can create words (and get them what they want), we can help them expand their little vocabulary! I’ve listed a few of my go-to tips:
Repeat. They will often need 200+ repetitions of a word in order for them to understand what the word means, store it in their brain, figure out how to move their mouth and finally string the sounds together to say the word.
Praise all attempts. Focus on their attempt to say the word, not how the word sounds – even if their version of the word isn’t how we say it. For example, if they say “ba” for /ball/, that’s okay – this is their version of the word and eventually it will transform into the adult version /ball/. Another example is /sock/: our little guy used to say “aw”, which has now transitioned to “awk” – this is his current version of the word /sock/ because he is just learning the /k/ sound and hasn’t yet learned the /s/ sound. However, in the beginning, whenever he said “aw” for /sock/, we’d say “Yes, that is your sock!”
Be face to face. How do you get them to look at you? Hold the object next to your face; this is the BEST thing that you can do when you’re teaching a new word and here are a few reasons why:
These busy kiddos may actually stop and look at you because what they want is right beside your face.
Once they are focused, they can hear the word, see how the word is made with our mouth and feel any sounds that may pop/blow air (like /h/, /p/, /b/)
They will learn that the word that you’re saying is the name of the object that you’re holding!
Wait 10 seconds. Before you give them what they want, model the word and WAIT an extra few seconds than you normally would. This gives them the opportunity to try to process what you’ve said and say it themselves.
Limit what you say. Just say the word that you’re trying to teach them; if you’re holding a ball and you want them to say the word /ball/, avoid saying “say ball” or “copy me – ball” or “do you want the ball?” — just say “ball”.
There are so many thoughts that come to mind when talking about teaching new words, but I can’t possibly keep you busy dads and moms reading for too long! Try to incorporate these few tips into your daily life and see what difference it makes for your child. Have fun with it; you’re giving your child such a wonderful gift!