How can I help develop my child’s communication at home?

Have you ever tried learning a second language? It’s not easy! It usually takes many exposures to each new word before we finally understand and remember it, let alone feel confident enough to use it.

Now imagine being a small child and having to learn a first language. In this situation, many of the same challenges exist alongside the added complexity of a short attention span and no existing language to hook new words on to.

So how can we help our kids along on their journey to becoming competent communicators?

Tip 1: Lots of language

The more language a child is exposed to, the quicker they are likely to learn. Unfortunately, this stimulation can’t come from a TV or tablet – the same language learning effects just don’t seem to happen through a screen. What does help is loads of time playing, singing and reading with our kids.

Picture books and nursery rhymes are often designed to hold short attention spans all the way to the end. But we don’t need to restrict ourselves to these alone. It can be just as fun and effective to bust out some show tunes or Golden Oldies, or sing along to the radio with our little ones. We can even read aloud to them from our own novel or magazine if it’s what will motivate us to read to them more often.

And don’t forget to invite them to turn the page!

Tip 2: Become a commentator

With the fatigue of early parenthood hanging over us, it can be tempting to just go through the motions to get things done. However, commentating our tasks can transform them from mundane ‘to do’ list items into fantastic language learning opportunities for our kids.

A nappy change commentary might look something like this:

“Ok Ellie, let’s go and change your nappy. We’re going to take off your old nappy first. It looks like you did a poo! A big, smelly poo. Time to wipe your bottom. Wipe wipe wipe. Nice and clean now! Nice clean bottom. Here is your new nappy. Your nappy is pink. All finished! Come up? Up we come. Let’s go back and play with your toys”.

Sure - it might feel a little nutty nattering away without receiving much back. But if we do it often enough, hopefully one day we will!

Tip 3: Respond and build

In order to want to keep doing something, most of us need to receive something back. And communication is no exception. As such, when our child attempts to communicate with us, it’s important for us to acknowledge what they have said or done and respond wherever possible.

Even better is to go one step further and build upon what they have said. If they point to our foot and say “shoe”, we could expand their utterance to something like “Yes, that’s my black shoe” or “My shoe is on my foot”. We could even ask them a question back using the same vocabulary, like “Where is your shoe?”.

Tip 4: Follow their lead

As easy as it can be to want to ‘drive’ the play with our little ones, it’s not only more interesting for them, but actually easier for us if we can follow their lead instead.

Imagine little Billy is playing with the TV remote. Rather than saying “Hey Billy, check out this ball I have!” try and talk about whatever his attention is already on. You could name the remote, discuss what Billy is doing with it, comment upon the different parts of the remote, or find another remote to hold up to your ear, pretending it’s a telephone for some imaginative play. When Billy’s attention moves on to something else (which it inevitably will – likely after a fairly short time!) so can yours.

In this way, you don’t need to battle for your child’s attention in order to provide some lovely language modelling. And even better – you don’t have to constantly think up games to play!

Tip 5: Strategic sabotage

If your little one is struggling to initiate any communication at all, strategic sabotage is a great tool to encourage them to try. This generally involves putting something they are likely to want somewhere they can’t quite get to. It may be inside a jar with a lid screwed tightly on, or on a shelf just out of reach.

Wait until your child makes some attempt to request help from you before you retrieve the item for them. Depending on their level of communication, this may be as simple as waiting until they look to you for help or point at the desired item. If they are a little more advanced, you might wait until they vocalise or actually say a target word like ‘help’ before you dash to their aid.

There are so many different things you can do to help develop your child’s communication at home. If you would like more ideas, or if you are concerned about your child’s speech or language development, please get in touch with us at info@articulatespeech.com.au or give us a call on 0401 347 766.