I Forgot My iPod!
No kidding…these are the words my two year old daughter uttered while playing in the driveway the other day. She would pretend to go to ‘work’ in her big red toy car and then drive it back to me saying what she did at her ‘office’! During one of these little conversations, Grace looked at me and said, “I have to go to my office; I forgot my iPod!”
How funny…did you ever think that iPod would be a common vocabulary word that our children use today? What ever happened to eight tracks and cassette tapes? O.K., I just revealed my age!
The point of this little story is to give you some tips on building your baby’s or toddler’s vocabulary. Remember, even though your baby may not be using words yet to communicate, his or her little brain is soaking up everything you put it…so load it up with good stuff!
First of all, do what I call a vocabulary walk with your baby or toddler. While walking through your house, point out different items or objects, and tell him what it is! You can also do this while walking through your yard, the grocery store, anywhere. But don’t just stop at the name of the object… describe it’s shape, color, size, texture, etc. and what it’s used for.
Say,for exampe, you are cutting up an orange for your breakfast while your eight month old is drinking his bottle in his high chair. You can show him the orange before you cut it and say, “Mmmm, look at my yummy orange; it’s round like a ball and tastes so sweet!” Then, after you cut up the orange, show him that the orange turned into little juicy pieces. I know this might sound like a lot of language for an eight month old, but remember, the more words your little one hears, the better!
As you can see, this is a very easy, but great way to boost your child’s vocabulary development. Stay tuned for more great ways to boost your little one’s vocabulary skills!
No More Turkey Please!
So, did all of you have a great Thanksgiving? My family did! My daugher, Grace, seemed to enjoy the mushy dinner rolls most of all. She was sure to use her most polite language when requesting her fourth one, but I did have to turn her down that time! And, she was sure to use her most polite language today while turning down turkey for lunch for the fourth day in a row! I tried…I feel the same way though..no more turkey, please!
Today, I just want to remind you again to make time to read to your little one every day! I know we are entering a very busy season, but all you need is at least 5 minutes a day to make a big difference. Did you know you don’t just have to read books either? How about reading them the Christmas cards and letters that come in the mail? Or my nephews’ personal favorite, toy catalogs and their oh -so captivating product descriptions?
Remember, the more language your child hears, the better! Get reading!
My Favorite Words
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays. Probably because it’s a day to truly focus on what’s important in our lives and give thanks for it.
Some of my favorite words are thank you. They are two very meaningful words. I believe nothing is more beautiful than an attitude of gratitude.
Right now I am in an intense period of training with my two year old daughter. We are working on manner words: please and thank you. More than just teaching my daughter to be polite, I want to instill in her thankfulness. It’s a character trait that will open her heart to the gift and beauty of life. It will allow her to focus on what’s good and precious and keep her pointed in the right direction.
So, I want to thank all of my readers out there for taking your time to read my blog. I don’t take you for granted; I hope I am a blessing to you and your family.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I’ll talk to you soon.
Big Announcement!
Hey everyone!
I hope you found the top ten red flags section in my blog to be helpful to you and your precious little one… it truly is my passion to educate parents about speech and language development!
I want to share some very exciting news with you. I’m getting ready to release my very first training program. It’s called Baby Talk and Beyond: The Power and Promise of First Words. It’s a program designed to teach parents and expectant parents ways to strengthen and enrich their little one’s developing speech and language skills.
This program will focus on the 0-3 year age range and will also include helpful tips for brain development as well.
This program is going to be a power-packed presentation on how to maximize your baby or toddler’s language potential. Why is this important? Good question!
Language is how we connect with the world around us; it’s how we communicate who we are. But did you also know that strong language skills are the foundation of strong academic skills? Did you know that there is a critical window of time in your little one’s life when you can profoundly influence the course of their language development and consequently their academic development?
Anyway, I could go on and on and I probably will in my upcoming blogs! If you want me to e-mail you when this becomes available, simply put your name and e-mail address in below!
(By the way, I hate SPAM too. I never rent, sell, or otherwise give out your e-mail address to anyone. Period.)
Red Flag #10
Wow, we finally made it number ten in my section on red flags (early warning signs) in speech and language development! Please forgive my long absence from writing; I went on vacation and it has taken me a while to get back into the swing of things!
Red Flag #10: If your baby does not gesture (point, wave, grasp, etc.) by 12 months of age, it’s time to get a speech-language evaluation.
These could be early warning signs for autism and you will want to seek help immediately. For more information on autism, I recommend visiting the site, autismweb.com. This site is a great resource for anyone with questions regarding autism.
As with any other disorder, the earlier the diagnosis, the better. I recommend you find a speech-pathologist who specializes in autism. Early diagnosis and intervention greatly helps children with this disorder and will give them the support they need.