Hi everyone,
I have a toddler at home who is just starting to speak and I want to help him develop his language skills. He knows a few basic words like "mama", "dada" and "bye-bye" but I want him to learn new words and expand his vocabulary. I was wondering if anyone has any tips or activities that could help me teach him new words and improve his language skills?
I try to speak to him as much as possible and narrate our daily activities so that he can hear new words and phrases but I want to do more. I read to him often but I feel like he's not quite old enough to fully grasp the stories yet. Any suggestions for age-appropriate books or activities would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer.
Hi there,
As a mom of two young children, I can definitely relate to your desire to help your toddler develop their language skills. One thing that has worked well for us is singing songs together. Children love music and it's a great way to introduce them to new words and phrases. We sing a lot of nursery rhymes and children's songs, and I find that my kids will often start using new words they've heard in the songs.
We also have a lot of books at home and we read together every day. Even if your child is too young to fully understand the stories, they'll still be exposed to new words and concepts. You could try choosing books with bright, colorful illustrations, and point out objects or animals in the pictures as you read.
Something else that has worked well for us is playing with toys that encourage language development. For example, we have a set of animal figurines that we use to practice animal sounds and names. We also have a shape sorter with different colored shapes that we talk about as we play.
Lastly, I would say just keep talking to your child! Even if they don't respond verbally yet, they're still listening and learning from you. Narrate your actions as you do things together ("Now we're going to take a bath! Let's splash in the water!") and point out interesting things you see around you when you're out and about.
I hope this helps! Keep up the good work and enjoy this precious time with your little one.