Materials

T o d d l e r T a l k

Here are some ideas to focus communication with your child in daily activities!

See if printing out a page for the refrigerator or a posting board serves to keep everybody in the household focused on strategies being used to help your child communicate.

Click on each underline to link to a handout!

Bath Time - Bath time is a face-to-face talking time to stimulate language!

Faces for Vowel Sounds - This activity works best when looking at a mirror together. Watch how your mouth moves when you say the parts of your face (eyes, nose, mouth, ears), especially the movements for vowel sounds! You can have a song, play a naming game or a finding game!

Parallel talk - Children love to talk about themselves. When you parallel talk, you are saying what your child might say. Remember, you are using words your child might use to model language for what is interesting to your child.

Play dough - Play dough activities abound. This page gives tips to help focus on practicing the /p/ sound while playing. We are following our child's interests, but also stimulating sound practice. You can even practice single sounds by making play sounds when you stick objects into the play dough (such as saying the /t/ sound as you stick in a toy).

Pull Activities - Have you been finding activities during the day that are primed for stimulating a target sound or word? Here's an example of daily activities that work with the word "pull." Remember, communication happens throughout the day. Keep in mind a sound or word that you are trying to highlight for your child. Is there a more focused time of the day when you want to try highlighting a word? Make a plan, keep it simple and go with the flow!

Simple Words - At times using single words, power words and pleasure words can feel like a broken record. Remember, your child is trying new sounds and words. It is developmental for your child to talk in simple words. Model the words your child is trying to say, for starters!

Sound Cues - Remember that you not only hear sounds, but you also feel sounds in how air moves with a sound or how your lips and tongue move (you also see these movements). Try saying the sounds aloud for a better sense of these cues.

Wait and See - More weight gets put on mom, dad... whoever is talking with a late talker. You not only are carrying your part of the conversation, but also interpreting your child's part of the conversation. Sometimes we get into a habit of talking for our child. You have many strategies for modeling a single sound or word. You want to see your child respond to these models. Count out seven seconds in your head. -maybe your child will indicate wanting to hear the model again or imitate the model!

www.toddler-talk.com

T o d d l e r T a l k

Here are some ideas to focus communication with your child in daily activities!

Click on each underline to link to a handout!

Bath Time - Bath time is a face-to-face talking time to stimulate language!

Faces for Vowel Sounds - This activity works best when looking at a mirror together. Watch how your mouth moves when you say the parts of your face (eyes, nose, mouth, ears), especially the movements for vowel sounds! You can have a song, play a naming game or a finding game!

Parallel talk - Children love to talk about themselves. When you parallel talk, you are saying what your child might say. Remember, you are using words your child might use to model language for what is interesting to your child.

Simple Words - At times using single words, power words and pleasure words can feel like a broken record. Remember, your child is trying new sounds and words. It is developmental for your child to talk in simple words. Model the words your child is trying to say, for starters!

Sound Cues - Remember that you not only hear sounds, but you also feel sounds in how air moves with a sound or how your lips and tongue move (you also see these movements). Try saying the sounds aloud for a better sense of these cues.

www.toddler-talk.com