[Knowledge: Toddler] Talking: Building Vocabulary

Parenting Tips from Parenting Counts.

1. Right from birth talk to your child a lot! This helps her to connect with you and get her started on the path to learning language.
2. Before your baby can talk, play sound games with her. If she babbles, babble back!
3. Don’t expect perfect speech from your toddler…or even your seven-year-old. Learning how to make sounds correctly takes time.
4. If you think she might be trying to say a real word, say it for her, and see if she agrees that you’ve got the right one. Younger children may know the word before they can say it. If he mispronounces a word like “wabbit”, don’t criticize him. Just say the word correctly, “Yes, that’s a rabbit.”
5. To help build vocabulary, describe objects with lots of details. But use short sentences! And don’t add too many new words all at once. For example, if your child says “Car car”. You could say “Yes, that’s a blue car! And look, it has black wheels.”
6. Reading to your child can expose him to a wide range of sounds and words. Find books that you both think are fun, and stop before your child gets bored.
7. If you’re concerned that your child has difficulty with speech, talk to your child’s health care provider.
8. Help your child to hear and say the sounds of language by reading books together, singing songs, and learning playful nursery rhymes. After all, there are few experiences more fun than talking with a child and hearing them use new words and sentences.