Ten things that will help me learn to talk 1. Playing Playing is the most important way I learn so I need time to play each day. I enjoy lots of different kinds of play such as: Dressing up - Can I have a box of old clothes and shoes please? Sorting - I d love to sort clothes from the ironing basket into piles of each member of our family or to sort the toy plates, cups and cutlery from a toy tea set! Puzzles - From boards to jigsaw puzzles - they are all good fun! Cutting and pasting - An old catalogue will be fine but make sure I have safety scissors! Drawing - Chubby wax crayons are safer than felt tips! Water play - A squeezy bottle or a few plastic containers in your sink or in my bath will keep me happy! I may not play with any one toy for very long. It helps me if you play with me, encouraging me to stay at one thing for just a little longer. Please don t make me play with your choice of toy. I like to choose things for myself now I m bigger! I find it difficult to concentrate on what I am doing and what someone else is saying at the same time. If I ignore what you say, it s probably because I am VERY, VERY busy doing something really important to me! 2. Pretending I love pretend games. At first I will copy things I see you do. I may pretend to feed my dolls, or pretend to fix a toy car. Later, as my imagination develops, I will make up my own pretend games and create my own little pretend world. You ll hear me practise my talking as I play! 2 3
I love you to join me in my play so long as you let me take the lead and you don t try to take over! Please join in with what I am doing, rather than me playing with what you want! 3. Our social life Please take me to a Parent and Toddlers Group or to a Playgroup. There I can have lots of pretend play and I ll learn to play alongside other children. Learning to be social and play with others is an important skill that will help me when I go to school. 4. Stories I can listen to longer stories now and I enjoy following what is happening by looking at the pictures. As my memory gets better, I don t need the story to have as much repetition. I need some of my own books as I like to hear the same stories over and over. I get to know every word and then I can help you tell them. I love you to make up your bedtime stories putting in names of people, or places that I know. I love you to take me to the library. Every time I go, I can choose new books! Also, I will learn to take turns and I can practise my talking with the other children. You ll find other grown-ups to talk to, as well! 5. Rhymes I still love nursery rhymes and action rhymes. You can buy tapes with songs and rhymes you know! I d love that because I could join in! I now love how some words sound funny together eg my Funny Bunny or Silly Billy! 4 5
I even like making up own silly rhyming words. I love books that have rhymes. They help me hear how some words are nearly the same but different eg Henny Penny. Practising rhyming words will also help my reading later when I go to school. 6. Question time work and how other people think! Your answers help me learn about the world so I don t like it when you say Just or Because I say so! When you ask me questions it shows me you are interested in me and what I think! I like questions that give me choices eg Do you want a banana or an apple? Which jumper do you want to wear today? But I don t like too many What s that? questions. My questions to you are important because they are how I learn. You ll hear me ask questions like these: One time you ll be sure I ll not say anything is when you try to get me to perform for family or friends by asking me questions when I m sure you already know the answer! Where we going? How that work? What that? When nana come? Why fire hot? One question will test your patience as I ask again and again: Why? Why? Why? But Why? is a very important question word for me to use. It gives me answers to how things 7. Making sentences If I am at the stage of talking where I put 2 or 3 words together into short phrases I need you to help me learn how to make sentences. It will help me if you repeat back what I say, but adding just an extra word or two each time. 6 7
You may think I use baby talk, when you hear me using Me instead of I, or Her instead of She eg Me do it! or Her cry. I might say gived instead of gave or mouses not mice. These mistakes tell you I am learning the rules of language. I ll soon learn if you repeat what I ve said only using the grown-up words. 8. Good sounds Now when I am talking, most of my words will be clear enough so you can understand what I mean! However, sometimes you may still have to guess as there are sounds that will be too hard for me. For example, I will not be able to say the sounds r or th in words until I am much older. I also find it hard to get my tongue around long words! Hospital and animal are two which cause most toddlers difficulty. Please don t laugh or get cross when I don t say words right as I m doing my best! If you tell me what I say is wrong, I won t want to try again. Just let me hear it the grown up way, using the proper sounds and I ll soon learn. 9. Chatting If we do things together, we will have much more to talk about. As I get older and my memory develops we can even talk about things that have happened already. I love our chats but if you always interrupt me I ll think you are not listening to me. So make sure we take turns talking! When we chat, I really need you to wait a little for me, so I can think of what I want to say! I may sound as if I am stammering, when I haven t the language to match my ideas. Just show me you are listening and give me plenty of time! 8 9
I am now learning lots of new words each week. It helps me if you name new things for me and also if you explain the meanings of words that I wouldn t know. Now I like us to talk about the future and what we are going to do. This planning is a good skill for me to learn but my idea of time is still developing. I may get very excited and won t want to wait too long! It s maybe better not to tell me things too far in advance. 10. Still love me When I can use language to express my views, I will become very vocal about what I do or don t want to do. I may have strong views about what I want to eat, play with or wear. I will really test your patience. I want. So I may have those famous terrible twos temper tantrums! Please help me learn to use words to describe my feelings like tired, hungry, cross or excited. Or describing words like bigger, faster or louder. This way I will learn to use words instead of screams! It is said Language is the key which will unlock the door to a child s future learning. So you will help me open that door as we play, talk and have fun together! I still haven t the words to say how I feel sometimes, or to describe what exactly This advice is suitable for toddlers aged between two and three years old. For more advice, or if you are concerned about your child s speech, please talk to your own Health Visitor. 10 11
What your toddler says about learning to talk email: info@northerntrust.hscni.net This document is available, on request, in accessible formats, including Braille, CD, audio cassette and minority languages. NT/WCS/03/09/5723 5k CCD 12