Providing care for children at different ages means there is great variety in the language abilities here. Providing care for infants and toddlers means there is always discussion about how a child’s language is developing. So the question is how do children learn language? The simple answer is from hearing it. That means as soon as they are able to hear they are learning about language. Children are constantly listening to the language used around them. Especially for those that have started to talk we know this, since they often pick up very quickly the last word we would like them to. They also use words without having an understanding of what they might mean.

Our infants and toddlers are comparing, thinking about, and storing all this word knowledge until the day they start to use it. For most children developing language is a natural or normal process. For others they may be missing a piece and will need support in the future.

As parents, you can support your child’s language development by using some very simple techniques or strategies.  These strategies are used daily in conversation with your children while at Country Fun. Even while using, remember to provide your child a chance to explore or experiment with their own language. Not everything needs to be guided or corrected by us for language to develop. However, if you develop a concern regarding your child’s language at any time, it is important to seek professional advice. Early intervention is key.

•  Talking about what you are seeing, hearing or doing when you are with your child. (“I’m zipping up your coat.” “Mommy is using a spoon to mix the brownies.”) I always think of this as describing what I am doing. I also think this is often the hardest of the techniques for parents to do.

• Talking about what your child is seeing, hearing or doing. (“ You have the blue cup.” “Let’s count how many rocks you have. One, two…..”) You are not asking questions, but stating what is. You might think of it more as describing. You are modeling good language. [often referred to as parallel talk by speech therapists]

• Simply describe an object that your child is playing with, hearing or looking at. (at a farm stand: “Look at all these vegetables.” “ There are green peppers, red tomatoes and big orange pumpkins.”) This is where I think of adding that 1 “rich word” to build their future vocabulary. Again it’s not a question like “What do you hear?”, but rather “I hear an airplane. Let’s look to the sky above to see it.”

If you stop and think about how you talk with your child, you will realize you are probably already using these strategies, especially if your child is just beginning to use words.

However, I think it is important to remember these strategies through the early elementary grades. Our children need to have good language patterns, structure and a rich vocabulary shared with them as they are developing their reading and writing skills. The richer the oral language we expose them to the better.

So, before you ask or answer a question, think about an extra descriptive word you could add. Or maybe a less used verb – strut, not walk.