Its universally known that family has the most powerful influence on a child's language development. Children's immediate environment has a significant effect on their language development. Here are 5 things you can do to encourage their language development!

1. Talk about anything and everything! Talk about your child's experiences by describing something they have done, seen, read or heard about. An example of this can be talking to them about their day in daycare. You can ask questions such as "Miss Jenny said you learned about animals today, do you remember what animals you talked about?".

Talk about words children notice, what it looks like, what patterns, letters and sounds they make. It builds children's word recognition and understanding of words in context mean.

Lastly, the easiest way to spark conversations with your child is to talk through their daily routines. Describe what you are doing while you are doing it. For example, while you help your child put their shoes on you can say "We are putting on your shoes!" while you point at their shoes. This allows children to build a connection between words and objects.

2. Involve them in activities where you use literacy, invite their participation during some of your daily tasks for example if you need to do groceries you could ask them to help you create a shopping list. Asking them to help you go through the pantry and fridge together and naming food and objects is a great way for your child to learn new words! Involving them in these type of activities allows children to meaningfully engage with and create text and see the place these texts have in their lives.

3. Make reading a part of your daily routine! It starts with durable board books that have faces, animals and everyday things with few words, then later progress to more complex picture books with rhyming language (eg. The Cat in The Hat). While reading, talk about personal links and ask questions about stories (eg. "I wonder what's going to happen next?"). Not only does reading increase language exposure but it also engages your child's imagination and stimulates imaginative play which is a primary way children learn about the world.

When choosing books it is important to pick age appropriate books that allow your child to engage in the story. This may mean choosing books for a toddler that have lots of rhyme and repetition as toddlers enjoy predictable language patterns. For preschoolers you may want to pick books that have a more complex story line (one to two paragraphs per page). Picking books about things your child is interested gives them a great foundation for falling in love with books and stories.

4. Enjoy music together, while in the car or at home, play some music and sing along. Use lots of actions to the songs! This encourages children to imitate. The important thing is to sing slowly and clearly. Rhythms and repetitive patterns in music make it easy for children to remember words and phrases. Listening to music can also encourage your child to express their imagination, thoughts and ideas through words, dances and gestures.

5. Never criticise their articulation or speech patterns. Encourage children to speak clearly and not too fast by repeating phrases they have said with the right articulation or word use. Model good listening skills when your child is talking by maintaining eye contact and giving them your full attention.