How To Develop Your Child's Language

Language stimulation are techniques, activities and procedures that a parent, care-giver, or teacher can perform to promote a child’s language development. When used properly, language stimulation can help a child learn and understand additional words, speak in longer sentences, and learn how to use language for a variety of social situations.

Strategies to Facilitate Communication Skills:

• Get on your child’s level. Get down on the floor or little table with your child so that you can be face-to-face and make eye contact.

• Hold objects/toys of interest to your eye-level to make eye contact

• Blow bubbles and make sounds visible on the mouth such as ‘p,p,p’ or ‘b,b,b’

• Lay out 3 objects/toys and use an empty box to create as a ‘finish box’ to shift his attention from one task to another by packing away each object when finished.

• Introduce new objects/concepts to him/her by placing them under or next to his/her favourite toys when playing.

• Use books to teach new vocabulary and increase joint attention

• Encourage turn-taking during games 'My turn now your turn'

• Use of repetitions and emphasis on target words

• Follow your child’s lead. Talk about the toy, object, or activity that your child is looking at or shows interest in.

• Use gestures when you are talking to help your child understand what you are saying. Gestures for "Bye bye,” "Come here," and "Up" are examples.

• Sing along during play time

• Be a model of good speech. Speak clearly and in sentences with simple, but correct, grammar. You should not use "baby talk."

• A routine should be implemented in the home environment with a visual schedule

• Screen time should be maximized to two hours a day