Strategies for Teaching Language to Young Children

Unsplash/Liana Mikah

The quality of a child’s language environment will have a direct effect on their language development. We play a crucial role in the language development of our children. By responding in a purposeful way we help to improve our children’s language. 

Here are some strategies for facilitating language learning:

-Always respond to a child’s intent to communicate, whether it be physical, facial, vocal, gestural, or otherwise.

-Talk to your child frequently about things that are ‘here and now’, what they are feeling, seeing, and/or hearing.

Modify your normal speech and language in the following ways:

-Use short utterances. Use complete sentences, but make them a little simpler.

-Use proper grammar, and vocabulary that the child can understand

-Repeat a message frequently and in different ways if the child seems to not understand

-Slow down normal speech and slightly exaggerate intonation and stress on important words

-Enunciate words clearly

-Expand upon what the child says. If they say ‘dog’ add to what they have said, ‘I see the big black dog’

-Adjust your language level so it is just beyond the child’s current level. 

We can do a lot to shape the communication of the children in our lives.

For more tips, follow us here at SmartStart, your parent resource center.