Using Everyday Activities To Enhance Language Development

Tips For Encouraging the Development of New Words Through Everyday Activities

I have recently written a post entitled Tips To Help Your Child Learn New Words that provides you with a list of general things you should be doing to indirectly enhance your child's language learning. Here, I'd like to provide you with specific words and concepts that you can add into your daily routine with your toddler that will enhance the development of new words and overall language development.

What is important to understand is that even if you have a toddler with a language delay, you don't have to make extra time throughout your day to enhance and work on language development and language learning. This should be incorporated into everyday activities such as meal time, bath time, getting dressed and even play time. Incorporating language learning in this way enhances meaning and context which are both incredibly important for your child to learn new words and concepts.

Tips For Talking During Meal Time

1. Use action words like eating, drinking, tasting, chewing, cutting and pouring to both describe what you are doing and what your child is doing.
2. Use simple names of everything around, like food names, utensil names, furniture names, names of dishes, etc.
3. Use descriptive words such as colors and textures of food (crunchy, messy, mushy) and other descriptive words like thirsty, hungry, full, all gone, more, etc.
4. Use opposites such as hot/cold, empty/full, half/whole, on/off, yummy/yucky, etc.
5. Use location words like on, next to, under, behind, away from, etc.

Tips For Talking During Bath Time

1. Use action words like wash, scrub, splash, dry, rinse, rub, drip, etc.
2. Use simple names of items used such as, towel, washcloth, bathtub, soap, shampoo, names of bath toys, etc.
3. Use descriptive words and opposites such as, wet/dry, clean/dirty, cold/hot, empty/full, little/big, rough/smooth, warm/cool, hard. soft, etc.
4. Use names of body parts.
5. Use location words such as, up down, behind, in, out of, under, next to, over, on, etc.
6. Use time words like first, next, then, now, later, before, after, etc.

Tips For Talking During Dressing Time

1. Use action words like pull, put, stand up, sit down, button, zip, snap, tie, etc.
2. Use names of body parts and clothing.
3. Use descriptive words and opposites such as colors, clean/dirty, new/old, long/short, same/different, pretty/ugly, light/dark, right/left, etc.
4. Use location words such as, on, off, under, in, out, through, around, etc.

Use these lists of ideas not only for children who present with a language delay, but all children would benefit from incorporating these kinds of words into everyday activities. A speech therapist working with a two year old or a three year old or even a four year old who had a language delay would be encouraging these kinds of words and concepts.

How To Help Your Child Learn To Talk Better In Everyday Activities is a wonderful guide/e-book that informs parents and others who want to help a child begin talking or to talk better. This book gives immediate help with thorough and straight-foward explanations and lots of examples.