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Squeak, Rattle and Roll!
Enriching Language Skills
Through Play
Through Play
By Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP
It doesn't really matter what you play with as long as you're talking while you play. "I generally pull out several baby toys and see what she gravitates toward," says Lisa Lewis, a mother of two, including 11-month-old Charlotte, from Alameda, Calif. "I am there to help her figure out how the toys work, but usually I let her explore on her own and provide lots of verbal encouragement."
Stuffed animals, trains, puzzles – they all have "talk-ability." A lion can roar and run. They have soft fur. Trains can go fast and slow. They can go through a tunnel and under a bridge. You put puzzle pieces in and take them out. Puzzles come in all types of categories such as animals, vehicles, fruits and vegetables. In just a short time, you can encourage various language skills including following directions, basic concepts, categorization and vocabulary development. That's a lot of language from one small toy box! "Talking can and should be part of everything you and your child do together," says Dougherty.
Books, books, books. You can never have enough books. Reading is a great time to be together and enrich language skills and literacy skills. Research suggests that exposing infants and toddlers to rhyming and sound play with words is critical for reading and writing success. Believe it or not, when your toddler asks you to read that same Dr. Seuss book again and again, you may actually be helping her be a better reader.
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