Children are born to acquire language and communicate (Hoff, 2009). There are many theories behind the development of language, all of which center around the theme that humans are hard-wired to learn language (Hoff, 2009). Before a child begins expressively using language they are acquiring the necessary receptive knowledge. Children are constantly listening to their surroundings and the people in them. One way that parents can help ensure children are hearing meaningful input is by engaging in “self-talk”. Self-talk is the act of narrating ones own actions. This provides the child with a direct connection between actions and words. This can be used in a large number of contexts, though is most beneficial in situations of direct engagement with the child. When playing with the child, narrate what you are doing. For example: “I’m coloring. I’m using markers. Here’s my blue marker! I’m coloring a picture.”. The phrases spoken are not long or complex, but should be phrased at a level at which the child could attempt to imitate any of the words used.
The child-centered equivalent of self-talk is “parallel talk”. The concept of parallel talk is similar to self-talk in that narration is occurring; however, parallel talk requires that the parent narrate the child’s actions. The language used is again phrased at a level at which the child could attempt to imitate any of the words used by the parent. When engaging with the child, narrate what they are doing. “You’re coloring. You picked the blue marker! You drew a circle. You colored it blue.”. This again provides the child with a direct connection between their actions and words that describe them.