The snowball effect of communication development
[6 months on] The first time a child points or says a word (or signs one), what parent doesn’t get a flutter in their heart from the excitement that their child has something to say? Have you ever...
View ArticleMy first vocab list – 6 mths+
[6 months +] Help your baby to understand more about their world as soon as the ‘lights come on’. Around six months, a baby starts to focus their attention on things more easily and this leads into a...
View ArticleMy second vocab list – moving to 12 months
[6 months +] After you have been through My first vocab list , start taking a look at this next list. Has your baby shown interest in any of these items or actions? If they have, then definitely get...
View ArticleLanguage means play
[12 months to school age] Did you know pretend play is directly linked to your child’s language development? Let’s look at how, when and why pretend play develops. Whilst there are many types of...
View ArticleMind your language – giving directions
[12mths +] Remember, when giving directions to your little one, as a ‘general guide’: if your child is using single words (eg. more?, go!, drink) or nonverbal communication such as pointing, they will...
View ArticleUnderstanding pretend play – your child’s occupation
[12 months +] So what does pretend play really involve? Thanks to Karen Stagnitti, an occupational therapist and expert on pretend play, here is a summary of the different components she counts as...
View ArticleSign + word = neural pathways
[6 months +] Is your baby starting to take note of the fans being turned on? Who needs a sign for ‘fan’ when you can do a natural gesture? Whilst you say ‘fan’, define it by using your finger to go...
View ArticleHelping your child to talk : WAITING
[Birth onwards] How long do you give your little one to respond? By waiting and expecting your baby/toddler to give you some form of communication (a smile, kick, reach or words), you are teaching...
View ArticleMan…door…
So Master 19 months is starting some primitive ‘stories’. His first was ‘mower…daddy…hat…shoes…bin!’. Which would have translated to ‘Daddy uses his mower, he wears his hat and shoes and he takes the...
View ArticleSliiiiiiide….
[18 mths+] Give your child single words as they are learning vocabulary around an activity. With a puzzle, the words you might use are: - ‘turn’ - ‘slide’ (less frustration teaching to ‘slide’ at first...
View ArticleHow many…?
[18 months +] Teach your child to count through incidental counting here and there, when they have attention for it. This might be seeing a whole lot of balls in a book, once you’ve named ‘balls’, if...
View ArticleDefining the words one by one
Going along with my post about trying your kids out on different foods – also remember…your child’s vocabulary will only ever be as big as the number of words they are exposed to. This means pointing...
View ArticleHow long will we be there Mummy?
[18 mths+] Don’t forget to explain to your children what will be happening over the next few days and weeks!!!!! You might use a few strategies below: - get out a calendar (or just draw boxes for each...
View ArticleMan…diving – his vocab is growing!
Despite awesome renovations at Underwater World here at the Sunshine Coast, Master coming-up-2 STILL has only one interest…’man…diving’. Knowing that language-learning occurs best when the child is...
View ArticleDefining words to your child helps to grow their vocabulary
Going along with my post about trying your kids out on different foods – also remember…your child’s vocabulary will only ever be as big as the number of words they are exposed to. This means pointing...
View ArticleTaking the time to be myself…and a parent
Is there anything you would change about the way you parent? Is there something you wish to do for yourself that would make you an even better parent? It’s not too late to make changes! In the name of...
View ArticleLeaves give great adjectives!
[Using leaves for learning] Today, we tried to identify what was unique about each leaf and use a word to DESCRIBE this. I modelled most for Master nearly 2. We came up with: stripey, thin, twisted,...
View Article2013 review…Baby sign
Another popular 2013 post was “Do I get on this ‘baby sign’ bandwagon or not?“. If you are interested in the benefits of signing to your little one..or for those needing a refresher on how to get...
View ArticleYou can find language in your backyard!
Are you children interested in nature? Could they do with less screen time? Does your child love ‘treasure hunts’ or drawing? Do you need an activity that you can direct from the kitchen? This activity...
View ArticleWhat does address mean?
[Milestone] Whilst it is AVERAGE for a child to know their address (street number & name) by 5 years of age, why not try a few of these exercises much earlier: - when learning numbers, go &...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....