Chatting during day-to-day activities gives your little one time to use the words and phrases they know. Pausing and waiting before responding is a great way to build on their language development.
Watch the video below for more tips on looking out for the right time to chat.
Down, down.
Down, down, down.
Shall we fold this laundry?
Shall we fold it?
Where's your sock?
Where's its best friend?
Is it here?
Two socks. Yay!
Bye bye, sock
Bye bye, sock.
Will we see if there's any socks?
Ah!
Oh, you want to do it with your hand? Ready?
Ah!
Oh, you want me to do it with my other hand?
Do you want to touch the lamp?
Okay, that's the lamp.
Ah, you want to see inside this?
Look it's shiny.
Shiny. And look what's that?
That's the bulb.
Two socks.
Two socks.
Two socks.
Joggies! Do you want to fold them?
Yay! Good job.
Da pa da.
Yes. Very good.
Ha ha ha! You can help me with the washing more often.
Chat anytime, anywhere
Chances to chat with your child will appear all the time during your everyday routine, don't worry about having to make dedicated time for conversation.
Aiding your child's language development is about looking for those moments when they're interested and engaged in the world around them and talking to them about those interests.
This means that letting them take the lead, and chatting about their actions or what they're focussed on, gives them the best chance to connect what you're saying to what they're doing.
It's time to take turns
Turn-taking is a very important part of mastering conversation.
When you chat to your child, give them room after you speak to respond. When handling new words or ideas it might take a little while for them to find they words they want to say.
Then, you can build on their response with your own. Using the words they say in your own sentences helps them understand all the different ways they can build new sentences.
