Children are sponges, they see and hear what’s around them and they try to imitate it. Even from birth it’s great to get in the habit of talking to your child and helping them navigate the world through your words and actions.
Birth to 2 years old
Getting your baby to talk isn’t an instant thing, but there are many things you can do to assist them.
Mums and dads usually are straight onto this one, saying mama and dada to your baby. Let your baby see the shape of your mouth, and they can explore making the sound.
Counting is a great way to get your child talking, and it can be part of your everyday routine; count the stairs, the peas on their plate, or the number of blocks they are playing with.
Get your child familiar with the name of things, such as saying door as you open the door, or cat when you see a cat. Describing what you are doing everyday will help familiarise them with words and actions.
Animal sounds are a great way for your child to explore noises; saying woof woof is not only fun for your child but a great way to get them familiar with new sounds and noises.
Reading to your child is important, whilst you might not need to read every word, getting them involved with pointing to the right object and trying to say the words is a great start for their vocabulary.
2 to 4 years old
Always be the best role model for your kids; proper pronunciation is key to a child’s speech. Use the full and correct word when possible and positively reinforce any corrections you need to make.
Role playing and play is a big part of speech, a child is more likely to respond when you play with them. Learning through play is effective. Using Barbies or action figures, role play a fun adventure with your children, encourage them to ask and answer questions.
Singing is a great way to teach children to talk; kids love to sing along so find a song they like and start singing, the bonus is it’s fun and you can do it anywhere at any time.
Let your child tell the story. Your child might have a favourite story book and they already know what is going to happen, so why not let them tell the story, you might get a new twist on an old favourite.
Word association and descriptive sentences is also a great way to get children talking; For example, I can see that blue ball with my eyes.
4 to 6 years old
Children often struggle to get their words out when they feel they aren’t being listened to, often in situations when older siblings dominate the conversation it is important to give them the spot light to say what they want to say.
Ensuring you have a captive audience when speaking to your child can help ensure they take in all the information.
Praise your child for learning something new or trying their best.
Always allow enough time for your child to respond to you.
Turn daily chores into a chance to learn, a simple trip to the shops is bursting with chance to learn colours, count items and discuss what they want to buy.
Reading with your child will help widen their vocabulary whilst also helping to feed their imagination.
Finding the right child care
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and whilst children do learn a lot from their parents finding the right child care centre is a great source of education. Creative Kids Educare Centre provides quality education and child care to help your children grow and develop.
Why not talk to our educators for more information.