At some point your child understands the concept of conversation – one person speaks, then the other, then the first person speaks again and so forth. Verbal skills are vital for communication of thoughts and ideas, so give your child the opportunity to hone this skill.
Spend time chatting with your child every day. If she is engaged with her toys she may not have much to say, but talk anyway. Ask about the toy that she is playing with. Many times, children occupy themselves in the world of make belief. Their imaginations are very vivid – talk about it – for instance, if your child is playing with two toy cars, ask where the cars are going? Are they racing? Do the drivers know each other? Are they on a mission? In which city are they or which part of town are they in? Even if your child may not have specifically thought about these things, your bringing it up in conversation will prod them to think and talk about it.
With adults in the home, it’s not always possible for a child to get the opportunity to speak – make time, and make place for these conversations to happen. Once your child starts going to school, she will interact with children of her age, all of who are probably almost on the same level conversation wise. This means working harder to converse with each other. But, the upside is that she is also learning from others since she gets to speak more.
There will be mistakes, but it’s no cause for worry. They more children hear correct language, the better they will pick up. Instead of correcting each and every mistake, just say the correct words for your child to hear. For instance, if she says, “I eated my food with my friend,” you can say, “Oh! Very nice. You ate your food with your friend! It’s good to share!”
Play games that will encourage conversation. For instance, when you’re outdoors, ask your child to close her eyes and tell you what she hears. So, she could hear cars moving, birds chirping, leaves rustling in the wind or even dogs barking. Talk about her favourite TV shows or cartoon characters.
It is important to maintain eye contact when talking to someone, so when you are chatting with your child, look at her, and get her to look at you. If you’re reading a book together, stop at intervals, get her to look at you and talk about a particular character from the story or ask how she thinks the story will end. As your child gets more skilled in the art of conversation, play puppet games and get her to follow more complicated instructions. Being attentive about these things will go a long way in making your child good with communicating skills.
Happy chatting!
