“What colour is this?” or “What is this called?”- For many parents, these questions sound like perfectly normal attempts to help a child learn to talk. When a toddler points at a toy, a parent may instinctively ask them to name it. When a child reaches for a snack, the parent may encourage them to say what they want.
But what if all those questions actually put pressure on a child to communicate? A speech-language expert has shared a series of simple strategies that can help parents create more opportunities for children to communicate- without turning every interaction into a test.
The advice, shared by speech-language pathologist Grace Bernales (@gracefulexpression.slp), focuses on something parents often overlook: children learn language not just by answering questions, but by hearing meaningful language, having opportunities to respond and watching adults model communication.
Here are some of the strategies parents can try during ordinary moments at home.
