Communication skills are essential for interacting with the world around us. This can be difficult for a child with limited or no vocabulary and there are many ways that you can help your child to develop them as a private school in Surrey shares.
Phonetics Games
Repeating the sounds of letters slowly to your child and waiting for them to do the same can help to prompt their speech and give them a head start at reading. You can do this by finding an object like a milk bottle and sounding its name out slowly to create their dictionary.
Have Conversations with Your Child
While your child may not be able to speak, it’s important to still engage verbally. This will help them to feel important and involved in conversations while introducing new vocabulary. Ask open-ended questions and wait patiently for your child’s response. This might be a gargle or a ‘coo’ but are their first steps in developing a conversation.
Non-Verbal Communication
Babies are a lot smarter than what we give them credit for. They use non-verbal forms of communication to let us know that they need something. This might be a nuzzle of your breast when they’re hungry or stretching their arms wide open to let you know they want to be picked up. Pair this with words to ask your child about what they need. This might be asking them if they want milk or ‘up’ to be picked up.
Be Their Narrator
Act as a narrator for your child by describing their actions. Saying things like ‘you’re trying to climb out of your cot, aren’t you?’ or ‘look at you jump’ can also help to build their dictionary. Hearing words frequently will help your child to develop associations with items and think of a particular item when they hear a word. This will help to bring about an awareness of the world.