Oral Language Development

Supporting oral language development at home:

• Talk to your child ... often: Make as much meaningful conversation with your child as possible. Talk about everything, from their outfit to the weather. To make it meaningful, make the conversation relevant to their life. (Post University, 2017)

• Read, read, and read some more: Reading to your child provides them exposure to so much language. It provides them with examples of language that are different than what they hear from the people around them. It exposes them to new words, new things, and new ideas. Talking about what you read, naming things in books, and asking questions about the books provides more opportunity for language exposure. It also exposes them to the rhythm and way that their language is structured. (Post University, 2017)

• Name everything: Post University (2017) suggests you name everything and do not use pronouns. Instead of ‘it’ always name what ‘it’ is. For example: instead of “give it to her” say “give the doll to her.” As your child’s language grows, add more descriptive tags when you name things, “the pink doll”, “the little pink doll”, “the little pink doll with the blue eyes”, etc. Even before your child is speaking, use many words.

• Talk about where things are: Help your child develop the words that name location. Next to, behind, on, in, under, etc. When there are more ways to say the same thing such as over/above, next to/beside, in back of/behind, use them both so your child is exposed to different ways to express the same idea. (ASHA, 2008)

• Ask and answer questions: Children ask a lot of questions as they try to learn about their world. It is important to answer their questions, with complete answers. Even when they ask “Why?” often, try and explain the reasons, keep it simple but an actual explanation. Ask your child questions when they are doing things, “Why did that happen?”, “What will happen next?”, “Do you see another red block?” (Post University, 2017)

• Play guessing games: Give your child clues about an object, have them figure out what it is. This exposes them to descriptive words. Have them do the same as they are able. (ASHA, 2008)

• Follow directions: Start with two-step directions and work up to more complex directions. “Go upstairs and get your hat”, “Put your clothes in the hamper, brush your teeth and put on your pajamas”, etc. This builds listening skills and prepares them to follow directions in school. (ASHA, 2008)

• Take them everywhere: Expose your child to as many environments as possible. Talk about where you are, name everything, and ask questions while you are there. Everyday places like the grocery store provide as much to talk about as a vacation spot. It doesn’t have to be grand to provide an opportunity for meaningful conversation. However, if you can take them to zoos, beaches, parks, museums, these places will provide new words. If you cannot, try virtual field trips or books about places you can’t get to.

• Sequence things: Talk about the order of events. Using sequencing words such as first, then, next, etc. or ordinal numbers, first, second, third, etc. Have your child sequence pictures and tell a story about them, or draw their own pictures to use for the conversation. Printable sequence pictures are available online with a quick search, but this source has cards to get you started: Wise Owl Factory Free Sequencing Cards.