Using spoken language effectively allows your child to communicate without relying on gestures. At this age, he may still have difficulty pronouncing certain letters. However, he should be able to communicate with familiar adults and other children, as well as tell short stories and keep a conversation going.
Have your child relay a message to another family member of the house. For example, you could say, “Tell your sister that it is time to eat.”
Have your child tell you who he played with on the playground. Ask, “Why did you choose to play with _____?”
Using an old phone, carry on a pretend phone conversation with your child.
Initiate pretend play with your child and act out roles. Encourage language through play. Prompt your child to describe and explain the things he does.
When your child uses spoken language that is not consistent with grammar rules, model the correct language back to him. For example, a child might say, “Where is it at?” A parent could respond, “I don’t know where it is. Let’s go look for it together.”
For children with language disabilities, pair gestures with spoken language.
Teach your child a short song or nursery rhyme, and have her repeat it. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is a good example:
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily.
Life is but a dream.
For children with language disabilities, pair gestures with spoken language.
Kuhn, L. J., Willoughby, M. T., Wilbourn, M. P., Vernon-Feagans, L., & Blair, C. B. (2014). Early communicative gestures prospectively predict language development and executive function in early childhood. Child Development, 85, 1898–1914.
