It’s never too early to start reading to your child. Research shows that early exposure to books helps improve literacy. However, if you are interested in getting your toddler to talk, HOW should you read to best achieve this result? As an experienced pediatric speech language pathologist, I know lots of fun and effective ways to get children to talk! The following are my top 5 tips on how to elicit language from toddlers when engaged in a reading activity.
- Comment on the story
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- One simple way to get a young child to open up and express himself during book reading is to say something about what YOU are thinking. For instance, in Sandra Boynton’s book Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!, instead of saying “what is this?” or “What is that?” try saying something about the pictures (e.g., “Wow, those dinosaurs made a mess!”). Most children will usually respond to comments by laughing, looking at you, gesturing or even saying something. Making comments rather than asking direct questions, decreases pressure because the child isn’t expected to respond in a certain way. Often times when a child is relaxed he will more freely communicate.
- Pause
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- Incorporate pauses so the child has time to scan the details in the picture. Periodically, after you finish reading a sentence or two pause for a few seconds (inwardly count three Mississippis) and look invitingly at your child as if waiting for a response or turn in a conversation. Usually, he will say something!
- Relate the book to the child’s own experiences
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- Children love when they can relate to the story. So, point out similarities between her life and the happenings or characters in the book. For instance, when reading It’s Time to Sleep, My Love by Nancy Tillman, mention how you saw a giraffe at the zoo (e.g. “Johnny, we saw a giraffe at the zoo.”). This is particularly effective when it comes to recognizing feelings, understanding routines or learning new habits. If you are trying to potty train your little one, then it may be useful to read a book about a child who is trying to become potty trained.
- Imitate the child
- Oh, do children LOVE when you imitate what they say. If he says “Boo!”, then say “boo” too. This reinforces what he has said and lets him know that speaking is social and fun. This technique works best with children who are not yet talking or only talking a little.
- Use expansions
- This technique works best with children who are using two or three word combinations but may be missing some words. For instance, the child says “baby cry” or “doggie bark”. Expand it by adding in the missing words: “The baby is crying” or “The doggie is barking”. As you can see, you are adding in words to form a grammatically correct sentence. Studies show that parents tend to under-use this powerful technique.
I hope these techniques have been helpful! Happy talking and reading!
Kimberly Scanlon is a New Jersey licensed speech pathologist and is nationally certified by the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). She is a creative thinker and a passionate therapist, who believes that children and adults should have fun in therapy. For more information, resources, and techniques to help your child’s speech and language please visit www.scanlonspeech.com. Kimberly’s book My Toddler Talks: Activities and Strategies to Promote Your Child's Language Development is available now. It includes step-by-step directions on how to develop a child’s communication skills as well as 25 specially designed play routines to get your toddler and or preschooler to talk.