The best way for children to improve their speech is for them to practice talking as much as possible. This can be difficult in the beginning if your child is a bit shy or they are worried that they will make mistakes in their speech. Let’s go over some Dos and Don’ts that encourage speech.
Do talk a lot.
Try to talk allot to your children. Whenever you are doing activities try and take out the steps and explain what’s going on. Whether you are grocery shopping, going for a walk or playing with your child, discussing what you are doing and using words related to your situation will increase your child’s vocabulary. They are more likely to remember words and language when used in context.
Do pause.
Give your child a chance to speak when you are talking to them or even reading to them. Remember children will need a longer time to process what is actually being said and then coming up with their own thoughts on the topic.
Don’t talk for your child.
If someone asks you them a question, you responding will take away their chance to answer. This also goes for if you child needs sometimes, don’t accept them crying for something and you listening out all possibilities of what they might want. Allow them to ask for what they need.
Do buy toys that encourage imagination and speech.
Toys such as dollhouses, kitchen sets and toy tool sets encourage your child to act out scenarios and this will in turn encourage speech. Dolls and action figures also increase the possibility to include speech in play. As your child can act out different scenes and use the dolls/figurines as real-life people.
Don’t ask loads of questions.
It’s good to ask your child questions when options are available and you need them to give you an answer. For example, asking your child if they want a sandwich for lunch or a plate of pasta but avoid questions such as ‘What’s this?’ or ‘What’s that?’. Try and talk to your child, like you would want to be spoken to. You probably wouldn’t want to be tested on your surroundings.
Do be patient.
It’s important that you are patient and don’t get frustrated waiting for a reply from your child as this will just heighten their anxiety. They will eventually get there and you being patient will help them more than you know.
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Check out last week’s blog on common parenting mistakes! (It’s a two-part blog!)
https://www.childcaremalta.mt/mistakes-part-1/