Children learn language by listening to their parents and others talk. They learn new words and what they mean. They learn about the world around them.
- Talk with your child and listen while your child talks to you.
- Respond to what your child says and extend the conversation.“Yes, we did see a truck like that last week. It’s called a bulldozer.”
- Stretch your child’s vocabulary. Repeat what your child says and use new words. “You want a banana? Yum, bananas are so delicious!”
- Talk about what you and your child are seeing and doing wherever you are – at home, on walks in your neighborhood, at the supermarket, in the car. “I see something brown – the trunk of that tree. What do you see that is green?”
- If English isn’t your first language, speak to your child in the language you know best.