It feels like a good day to share a couple new ideas! {If you haven’t yet tried the first couple suggestions, please check out Part III of this series}
Use communicative temptations
| remember, this means that you’re encouraging them to say/do something in order to get a desired reward |
Wind-up toys are the greatest because kids love them, yet they can’t wind them up themselves – a perfect toy to use as a communicative temptation! Begin by winding up the toy in front of them and letting it go; once it stops walking/jumping, wait. Now, just like you did with the snack in the container, try to wait for an attempt to communicate before winding the toy again. They may point or hold the toy up to you and grunt or say a sound or word – you say the word “help” or “more” before you take the toy and wind it up again. And REPEAT (for as long as they keep asking)!
Avoid anticipating their needs/wants
| remember, this means that although we often know our child’s preference, don’t automatically give it to them; instead, use this opportunity to teach them |
Give your child a choice with activities, food, toys, clothes, etc. This can be as simple as letting them choose the blue shirt or the green shirt when they’re getting dressed, or letting them choose what’s next when adding ingredients to a bowl.
Show them the two choices by holding the 1st choice up beside your face and saying the ONE word that you want them to say; then do the same with the 2nd choice. (e.g. “Banana?” “Orange?” — please don’t overload them by saying something like “do you want the banana or the orange, pick the banana or the orange”) Once you’ve modeled each word, WAIT. If they point to the one that they want, hold it up & say the word again, wait (they may try to say the word), then give it to them. Remember to always follow through with the choice that they make.
Language learning should simply be incorporated into your daily life; playtime, mealtime, and bedtime are all natural opportunities to teach your child new words. Have fun with it!