Speech and language development is critical in children so here are our best parenting tips.
From their very first words to the first time they tell you “no,” watching your children develop their communication skills is an incredible adventure.
We know that all children learn at a slightly different rate.
One of our best parenting tips is to make sure we do everything we can to encourage their speech and language development.
Encouraging speech and language development in the first few years of your child’s life is vital.
It is their key to continued development in the years following and one of the best parenting tips we can give you.
Parenting Tips On How Children Learn Speech and Language?
If you’re doubting your ability to encourage your child’s speech development, here is our best parenting tip for you.
You don’t need a specific degree or training to encourage your child’s speech and language development. Simply being a good model for them is a great first step.
There are many different activities out there that are simple to do at home.
Using these parenting tips will allow you to help your child become a better communicator.
Children learn speech and language by observing you and the world around them.
Setting a positive example and fostering a healthy speech environment are the best parenting tips.
A healthy environment for learning includes many different factors.
Setting time aside to read to your children, speaking to them clearly with age-appropriate language and sometimes letting your child take the lead in the learning process are all great parenting tips.
Using these will help your child learn speech and language.
Giving your child lots of praise for staying engaged and continuing to try their best.
This is another parenting tip to use, especially with younger children.
Your child will have a difficult time if they feel like they’re being forced into something they don’t want to do.
If you incorporate play into the learning process and allow them to take the lead on occasion, they will be more likely to stay engaged. Moreover, for children facing speech and language challenges, there are specialized play-based speech therapy activities designed to make the learning experience enjoyable and effective. These activities blend the elements of play and structured therapy, providing a dynamic and supportive approach that caters to the unique needs of children navigating speech and language development.
Encourage Speech and Lanugage Development With These Great Parenting Tips
Birth to Two Years Old
Talk to your baby!
It may seem a little silly, narrating what you’re doing while you’re changing, bathing, or dressing them. Our parenting tip is this will help them become more familiar with simple words.
- Use age-appropriate words. Our best parenting tip is don’t speak to your child using large words they don’t understand. You don’t have to speak to your two-year-old with baby talk either.
- Use language that seems appropriate for their level, and slowly add in more complicated words.
- Another great parenting tip is to sing songs to your baby. Music is a great way to encourage their development and it’s also soothing to young children.
- Read to your child and let them read to you. Before your child is able to read on their own, they enjoy imagining and hearing you talk about the pictures. This feeds their imagination and is an opportunity for them to associate words with pictures and practice their language skills.
Read also; Picture Storytelling, A Fun-tastic Way To Improve Your Kid’s Skills
Two to Four Years Old
- Only use baby talk if it’s necessary to help your child understand. A great parenting tip is to always repeat the appropriate word back to them.
- Ask questions that require them to answer you with a choice. For example, instead of just asking “Do you want apple juice?” Ask them “Do you want apple juice or grape juice?”
- Encourage your child to ask questions and teach them how to ask them appropriately. Even if you don’t always have the right answer for them, this parenting tip will encourage them to ask questions. In turn it will help them develop a healthy curiosity for the world around them.
- Turn every experience into a learning opportunity. Something as simple as a trip to the grocery store can be a great opportunity to help your child expand their vocabulary. You could ask them to name the color of all the fruits you buy or ask them to tell what each vegetable tastes like.
- Our best parenting tip here is to limit the use of electronics. Although it’s okay to use them in moderation, TV, and games don’t usually help children with their speech and language development. It’s best to monitor their time with electronics.
Conclusion
Whether you’re the parent of a toddler or a newborn encouraging speech and language development is a top priority.
Our parenting tips should have given you some ways to encourage your child’s language and speech development.
By taking time out of your day to play, talk, read, and engage with your little one, you’re building the foundation for a lifetime of learning. In addition, in some cases, they may need your support for their speech and language therapy.
To read more about encouraging your child’s learning, especially during Covid-19 we have another great article for you.
We have also included a link to the Amercian Speech-Language-Hearing Association site for more information.
My name is Andrea Thompson and I’m a home based freelance writer. I’m 23 years old, married to my best friend, and mother to a wonderfully independent and opinionated 3 year old girl and step-mother to a sweet seven year old boy. I live in a tiny, little town in Kentucky, where I spend my free time fishing with my kids.
Writing has always been my passion, which I followed through high school, and for a while in college. Life happened, and once I discovered we were pregnant, I switched directions; opting for the healthcare industry because of the stability.
Finally, years later, I was in a place where I could leave the day job that never truly made me happy, and pursue my dreams. I’ve built, and am still building, my writing career from scratch. But, I’m passionate and I’m good at what I do. And, in the end, I can prove to my daughter that she can do anything she wants with this life.
