Fantastic Four: #4
Let’s conclude my fantastic four ways to enrich, enhance, and boost your child’s developing speech and language skills!
First, a quick review:
And now…..for the fourth one: Use strong body language! I bet you are wondering, “What in the world does she mean by that?” I didn’t say strong body odor, I said strong body language! 
I simply mean that you should use your body language to emphasize your spoken word! Gesture, point, smile, and use eye contact.
Did you know the young babies prefer to look at the human face above all else? The shape and contours of the human face draw the infant’s gaze to yours. Use your eyes to obtain and maintain their attention as much as you can!
Another great way to use body language is to hold your little one close to you when talking to them. This physical touch also engages their developing brain and gets the wiring going in the right direction!
So, that’s it for the fantastic four…super easy,aren’t they? And I’m telling you these go a long way in helping those communication skills become all they can be!!
We’ll talk again soon!
Fantastic Four: #3
Let’s move on to #3 in my fantastic four ways to boost your child’s speech and language development. Check out #1 and #2 if you haven’t read them already!
The third way to enhance your little one’s communication skills is to sing to them and play music for them. One of my favorite quotes about music is:
“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”
The impact of music on a baby’s life and his or her overall development is profound. Music puts people of all ages in a good mood which makes learning easier. Studies have shown that we learn better and retain more information when we are in a happy emotional state!
Keep in mind that babies prefer high tones over low tones. They also prefer music in major keys versus minor keys. They also like simple, repetitive melodies. So, start singing!
Stay tuned tomorrow for #4!
Fantastic Four: #2
Yesterday, we discussed #1 in my fantastic four ways to boost your baby and toddler’s speech and language development. Today, let’s move on to #2…
Read, read, and read some more! Reading is so important on several different levels. Relationally, it helps you build a stronger bond with your little one as you hold them and read to them. Developmentally, it helps expose your child to more language and wire that brain for words and talking! And finally, it’s just fun to do!
Stay tuned tomorrow for #3!
Fantastic Four: #1
I had a blast last night sharing with the Sarasota MOPS group! They were a lively bunch, full of questions and laughter. There were two mommies, in particular, who were very knowledgeable. They offered great additional suggestions to the group about how to enrich your child’s speech and language development! Thank you ladies!
I decided to share my Fantastic Four with the ladies last night. These are simple, everyday, but powerful ways to give a ‘boost’ to those emerging communication skills. Let’s get started today with number one:
Drum roll please….aaaww, you guys know what it is…Talk with your child! Yes, I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it. Talk to and with your baby about everything. Become their narrator and communication partner.
In a book by Drs. Hart and Risely called Meaningful Differences, they share the results of a study about why some children do better in school than others. I think that’s a good question to ask, don’t you? And you know what they found out? There was one variable that was highly correlated to or connected with children who were doing better academically in school. And that variable was the amount of talking the children heard during their first three years of their lives.
Academic success wasn’t correlated with the parents’ educational level or socioeconomic status, it was related to the volume of words the child heard in the formative period of 0 - 3 years!
I’ve talked about this before, but it is worth repeating. This is a simple, natural thing you already do with your child, but now you know to do it more and with intention!
Tomorrow we will talk about #2 of my Fantastic Four! See you then…
Thank You Sarasota MOPS!
Just wanted to give a big shout out to all the mommies that were at the Sarasota MOPS meeting tonight…you are an awesome group and I had so much fun sharing my fantastic four with you! I’ve never met a savvier group of mommies…you taught me some things and made me laugh…thank you!
Remember everyone, stayed tuned tomorrow for my fantastic four ways to enrich your little one’s speech and language development…
Going to a MOPS meeting!
I’m very excited…I’m going to be sharing at a MOPS meeting tonight. I love getting together with mommies and talking about our little ones!
I’m going to be teaching my FANTASTIC FOUR WAYS to enrich your child’s emerging speech and language skills.
Stay tuned tomorrow for number one!!