Communicating with your child is one of the most enjoyable parts of being a parent. Over the last 2 years your child has learned by taking in the sights and sounds of daily interactions with you and the people around them. Your child will have understood speech before they learned to speak for themselves. They learn from your face and listening to your voice. As they develop they start to respond by using facial gestures and some sound.

As children get older, communication skills are crucial for reading, learning in school, socialising and making friends, and understanding and controlling emotions or feelings.

Here are some activities you can do with your child to help their communication skills;

Listening Skills

Improve listening skills by playing both slow and fast music. Songs with speed changes are great. Show your child how to move fast or slow with the music. 

 

Fill The Word In

Tell or read a familiar story and pause often to leave out a word, asking your child to “fill it in.” For example, Little Red Riding Hood said, “Grandmother, what big ________ you have.” 

 

Noisy Objects

Make ‘sound’ containers using plastic eggs. Fill the eggs with noisy objects like sand, beans or rice and tape the eggs shut. Have two eggs for each sound. Help your child match sounds and put them back in an egg carton together. 

Nursery Rhymes

Add actions to your child’s favourite nursery rhymes. Easy action rhymes include “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush,” “Jack Be Nimble,” “This Is the Way We Wash Our Clothes,” “Ring Around the Rosy,” and “London Bridge.” 

 

Learn New Words

Help your child learn new words to describe objects in everyday conversations. Describe the colour, size, and shape (the blue cup, the big ball). You can also describe how things move (a car goes fast, a turtle moves slowly) and how they feel (ice cream is cold, soup is hot). 

Special Outings

Children at this age love outings. One special outing can be going to the library. The librarian can help you find appropriate books. Make a special time for reading (like bedtime stories).