Speech and Language Development
Here are some activities you can do with your child to help build speech (pronunciation) and language skills {listening, understanding, and using words}:
1. TALK: Talk about everyday objects and mention features of those objects. Describe what your child is doing as he/she is doing it Name and talk about people. Sing songs and imitate sounds. Recite nursery rhymes.
2. LISTEN: Listen to your child and let him/her take the lead. Talk about things your child brings up. Expand on your child's responses.
3. READ: Reading is a very important part of language development helping to strengthen vocabulary and sentence structure. Read to your child and set aside time so your child can see you reading books, magazines, and newspapers.
4. EXPLORE: Go different places like the grocery store, park, mall, and library. Discuss what you see and ask your child what his/her favorite things were and why.
5. DO: Let your child help you to do things and talk about them as you are doing them. Let you child help do things for himself/herself. Describe what he/she is doing and ask questions. Mealtime is a great opportunity to learn and use language and speech sounds.
Most importantly, have fun talking! The opportunities are endless!