10 Tips To Help Your Child Talk
Learning to speak is a natural process for our children, who grow up in an environment rich in stimuli. They listen to their parents, relatives and others around them, and gradually begin to say their first words. However, it is possible to help the child to speak by following some basic strategies.
Children learn to speak when they are between 1 and 3 years old. It is evident that there will be children who are more communicative than others, who will be able to speak more fluently in front of others of the same age. But, without a doubt, any child can speak if their parents create a linguistic environment that encourages language acquisition. Here are 10 tips to help your child talk.
10 ways to help your child talk
To help your child talk, what you need to do is talk to him daily. The more you talk together, the better. Children between 12 and 18 months handle about 50 words, but understand a lot more. That’s why you can give complex instructions (“ take your toys and put them in the box”) and your child can follow.
Talk to your child every day. By telling your child about your daily activities, you can encourage him to ask questions, and then invite him to share his. You can also follow these recommendations or introduce some of the games we propose here, to motivate your child’s language.
1. Avoid completing your sentences
When the child tries to tell you something, don’t anticipate saying what he wants to tell you. Give her as much time as she needs to find in her memory the word that identifies what she is thinking, or what she wants to say or ask for.
2. Be patient and don’t answer for your child
How difficult it is to have patience in these fast-paced days in which we live! Someone asks our child something and we can’t expect him to answer for himself, but we hurry up and give the answer. Breathe, and take it easy, let it answer for itself!
3. Use proper language
Your child is at a stage where he is learning a new vocabulary. If instead of calling things by name you use diminutives or shorten words, this is not the best way to help you speak. He is no longer a baby and needs to know more words. However, don’t use too elaborate words. All in due time.
4. Read stories and take breaks
Certainly, reading stories is one of the best strategies to help your child talk and talk. After reading the same books hundreds of times, you’ve probably already memorized a few lines. So, take a break and invite him to complete the story.
5. Guess what it is, and what it’s for
When they are in spaces other than your home, such as a restaurant, a park or a pediatrician’s office, point to objects and ask your child to tell you what it is and what it’s for. When he gives you his version, you can add other information that your child hasn’t mentioned.
6. Create stories
Ask your child to tell you what they want to hear a story about. You start the story and, at a certain point, pass the story to your child. It’s an ideal game not only to help you talk, but to stimulate creativity and enrich your vocabulary.
7. To help the child speak, correct conjugation and pronunciation
When children are young, they have ways of speaking that are very interesting because of the crazy constructions they make with verbs and the pronunciation of words. Even though it’s fun, make the necessary corrections, without intending to be imitated. Little by little, they will incorporate the right words into your conversation.
8. Sing together
Children’s songs are a great tool to help children talk. They often have onomatopoeias that are very easy to learn and repeat. Furthermore, music is fun, and anything that amuses them is perfect for learning and helping the child to talk.
9. Include your child in the conversation
Avoid assuming that your child is not interested in adult conversations. He understands more than you think. Include him in conversations (which are obviously age-appropriate) by asking questions to get his opinion.
10. Invite him to talk on the phone
Without a doubt, kids love the phone. You can call him to have conversations with toy phones, or when a close family member actually calls, invite your child to say hello and talk. Also, if you have the option to use speakerphone, listen to the conversation to help your child provide answers and ask questions.
Final recommendation
Other signs that your child may have language delays can happen when other people don’t understand most of the things they say, or when they still rely heavily on using body language (gestures or signs) to communicate.
