5 Tips for Encouraging Your Child's Language Development

As parents, we work day in and day out to do what is best for our child. We buy the latest toys, schedule play dates and activities, and limit their screen time. But we have to remember to engage with our kids in daily conversation. This activity is very beneficial for their language development! We’ve compiled five simple ways to improve your conversation with your little one today!

1. Respond to nonverbal interactions

Even before your child is old enough to speak, they are still able to communicate. This is the perfect time to begin having “conversations” with your little one. For every expression, sound, gesture, or reach your child does, respond as if they were talking to you. If your little one starts to giggle, laugh, and say something like, “I can see you are happy! What’s so funny?” Asking open-ended questions and beginning to converse is very important. It starts your child’s language development and skills in interaction through speaking.

2. Keep the conversation going

When your child makes a comment about a topic, respond with a comment, adding to the conversation. If your child points to an airplane overhead, say something like, “That airplane is very high in the sky. Wow, we can still hear the engines!” From here, wait and see if your child responds with their own comment, question, or further gesture. Using expressive language allows your child to speak as they learn new words. 

Also, MarcoPolo has a feature where it will send you questions to ask your child after they watch videos they liked.  This is a great way to continue the conversation with your child and keep them engaged. For more information about this refer to our MarcoPolo page. 

3. Talk with your child rather than at your child

We are so used to speaking in command-like ways to our children: "Pick that up,” “Get dressed,” and “Finish your homework” are things we normally say to our kids. This type of language is called talking at someone. Explaining why a task should be done confirms that task's importance to a child. 

Using phrasing like, “Jessica, we want to keep the floor clean so no one trips. Please pick up your toys." addresses the child, why the task is important, and what needs to happen. If your child does not respond, ask them questions like, “Do you agree?” or “Does that make sense?” Asking these questions also develops your child's listening skills. 

4. Take turns Speaking

Teaching your child good conversation habits goes hand-in-hand with teaching sharing techniques. A one-sided conversation is not usually one you want to join. Just like you probably don’t enjoy playing a game with someone who doesn’t share any of the toys. Letting your child finish speaking, no matter the topic, lets them know their words matter. Being receptive to your child is important for their language development.

5. Interact during storytime

Reading is very important to your child’s development in so many ways. But, the act of reading with your child instead of reading to your child makes a big difference. As you are reading a book take the time to stop and ask your child what is happening. Notice the illustrations and ask how the different parts of the story make your child feel. Another idea would be to not read the text, but come up with you and your child’s own story through the illustration. These language activities are important to develop a child’s vocabulary and speech.

You are most likely using some or all of these already in your day-to-day life with your child. Conversation is important, but so are meaningful interactions. Quality time combined with language development are a powerhouse team. They can be used to help your child’s cognitive and speech skills. 

Looking for more ways to help your child’s development? Register for MarcoPolo, a free app built to improve early literacy.