Language development is a big undertaking. Children go from cries for essential, life sustaining needs to having little conversations with us in their adorable little voices. I crack up when my toddler uses words that just seem too big for him or twisting my words against me. The latest language trick he has learned is to look inquisitively to the side and “ask” if we have something. For example, “we has granola bars?” is his new way of asking if I will get him a granola bar even though he has had 3 snacks already that morning.
They are clever and sneaky and I love it.
Back to the “big undertaking,” our children need us in order to accomplish this lofty task. They need us to talk, A LOT! I know I’m a speech pathologist but I honestly do not naturally talk that much at home. Home was always a quiet space for me. Even when my first son was a baby, I had to remind myself of what I knew professionally…I needed to talk to myself aloud more. I made it a point to talk to him and the dog as if they could talk back. I started hosting my own cooking show everyday. It wasn’t natural for me, but it did get easier. I even poked fun at myself just to keep the talking going.
The point here is, they need to hear language to develop language.
I’d say complaining about quarantine counts but I’d personally try to keep the talking positive…practice some positive mindfulness might help everyone involved.
Building Better Speech and Language 