Kids love to laugh, so let’s talk about a couple of ways to encourage language development and giggles!
Use communicative temptations
| remember, this means that you’re encouraging them to say/do something in order to get a desired outcome |
Sabotaging Activities & Absurdities: Do silly things or something that isn’t quite right, such as cutting without scissors, wearing a shoe on your head or brushing without a brush. We want our toddlers to help us fix what we are doing wrong; they may say something or grab the item that you’re missing – always hold the item up beside your face, say the word and then give them extra wait time to try to say the word!
Avoid anticipating their needs/wants
| remember, this means that although we often know what our child wants, don’t automatically do it; instead, use this opportunity to teach them |
When our kiddos find a problem, express what you see rather than fixing the issue. For example, if their shoe is untied, talk about the problem and how to fix it, rather than just fixing it.
Is your kiddo already saying lots of single words?! You can still use these strategies, just add a second word when you’re providing a model. For example, if they say “shoe” and point to their missing or untied shoe, you can say “shoe please” or “tie shoe” and wait for them to try saying 2 words! And we continue building from there — if they’re saying 2-words, we model 3-words at a time “shoe on please”.
Have fun with these activities – kids always love when their parents are silly!