Q: How can I help my child communicate better?
- Play early speech routine games such as “peek-a-boo” Simon says, and hide and seek.
- Model pretend play with your child (e.g. feed a doll, stir soup) Pair actions with words.
- Organize toys outside the child’s reach. Your child will have to request the toy by pointing, requesting, or signing “play.”
- At meal and snack time, provide your child with two choice to eat or drink. Model “I want…” Any verbal attempt is reinforced with the desired choice.
- Rather than giving your child a full serving (e.g. cheerios), give a few at a time, and ask your child to indicate “more.”
- Sit with your child on your lap in front of the mirror. Make silly sounds and faces. When your child says or does something, imitate it immediately.
- Label everything your child touches and does.
- Use short phrases to talk about what your doing.
- When your child cannot accomplish a task independently, model the phrase “help me.”
- Hold a toy under your chin when you label the object and ask your child to repeat.
- When blowing bubbles or rolling a ball, model: “ready, set, go” or “one, two, three.”
- Sing familiar songs and leave out the last word to see if your child will finish the phrase.
- If your child is using single words, repeat back two words (e.g., ball…more ball).
- Swing your child or blow up a balloon and suddenly stop, waiting for your child to request for “more.”
- Take turns stacking blocks or blowing bubbles while modeling “my/your turn.”
- If your child reaches for you to pick her up, ask her to say “up” before picking her up.
- Hide toys under cups or boxes. Lift up one at a time and label them.
- Look at a flip-up book and ask your child to label or point to the pictures.
- Place toys in a bag and as you take each one out, ask “Is this a….?”
- Pretend a doll is sleeping. Say “wake up!” Repeat a few times, put doll to sleep, and wait.
- Shake a paper bag and say “what’s inside?” Take out one at a time, labeling each object.
- When asking questions and your child does not respond, provide choices.
- Model environmental sounds such as: “vroom, choo-choo, beep beep, honk, ring ring.”
- Place toy animals in a bag. As you take each out, model the animal sounds such as: “meow, ruff-ruff, quack, moo, oink.”