Here are some practical, easy-to-implement language strategies for building communication skills during everyday activities. These strategies can be woven into almost any activity, bath time, playing, or even running errands.
1. Narrate What You’re Doing (Self-Talk)
- What to do: Talk out loud about what you’re doing as you do it.
- Example: While cooking, say, “I’m cutting the apple. The apple is red and juicy. Now I’m putting it in the bowl.”
- Why: This exposes your child to vocabulary, sentence structure, and sequencing.
2. Talk About What They’re Doing (Parallel Talk)
- What to do: Describe your child’s actions as they do them.
- Example: While they’re playing with blocks, say, “You’re stacking the blocks. Oh, you added a blue block on top!”
- Why: Helps them connect words to their actions without pressuring them to respond.
3. Expand Their Utterances
- What to do: If your child says something, repeat it back and add a bit more information.
- Example: If they say, “Car,” you could say, “Yes, a big red car!”
- Why: This models more complex language and introduces new words.
4. Use Open-Ended Questions
- What to do: Ask questions that encourage more than a yes/no answer.
- Example: Instead of “Do you like this book?” ask, “What’s happening on this page?”
- Why: Promotes critical thinking and richer language use.
5. Model Choices
- What to do: Give your child two options to choose from using full sentences.
- Example: “Do you want the blue cup or the green cup?”
- Why: This builds vocabulary and teaches decision-making.
6. Pause and Wait
- What to do: Ask a question or give a cue, then pause to give your child time to respond.
- Example: After saying, “What do you want to eat?” wait patiently without jumping in.
- Why: Encourages them to process and formulate their response.
7. Play With Sounds and Words
- What to do: During play, emphasize fun sounds, rhymes, and repetition.
- Example: While playing with cars, say, “Vroom vroom! The car goes fast. Zoom zoom!”
- Why: Builds phonological awareness and sound recognition.
8. Introduce New Words in Context
- What to do: Use less familiar words while explaining what they mean.
- Example: “This spaghetti is delicious! Delicious means it tastes really good.”
- Why: Expands vocabulary and understanding.
9. Follow Their Lead
- What to do: Let your child guide the activity or conversation, and build on what they’re interested in.
- Example: If they’re fascinated by dinosaurs, talk about their favorite dinosaur, its size, and how it roars.
- Why: Keeps them engaged and motivated to communicate.
10. Practice Turn-Taking
- What to do: Incorporate back-and-forth communication during any activity, like rolling a ball or taking turns naming animals.
- Example: “Your turn to roll the ball to me! Now it’s my turn.”
- Why: Reinforces conversational skills like listening and waiting.
11. Sing and Use Rhymes
- What to do: Sing songs or use rhyming games during daily routines.
- Example: During bath time, sing, “This is the way we wash our hands.”
- Why: Builds rhythm, phonemic awareness, and memory for language patterns.
12. Comment More, Question Less
- What to do: Instead of asking too many questions, offer comments to model language.
- Example: Instead of “What’s this?” say, “That’s a butterfly! Look at its colorful wings.”
- Why: Reduces pressure on the child and keeps the interaction flowing.
These strategies can be woven into almost any activity, bath time, playing, or even running
