• Start a conversation with your child by asking a question that has no right or wrong answer:
"What did you think when you saw this book?"
• Help your child become a creative thinker by asking, "Suppose that..." "What do you think..." "What if..."
• Encourage your child to talk with older and younger family members. A child will learn how to put ideas into words, when he has lots of opportunities to talk.
• Help your child choose a few special television shows that are just right for children of the same age and interests. Talk with your child about what you see and hear. "Are those tigers like the ones at the zoo?" Ask questions to know what the child is learning. "Does our family do things like the family in the show? How are we different?"
• Use television wisely. Talk and enjoy each other's company at family mealtimes. Think about things your child can do instead of watching television, such as looking at books, playing with brothers and sisters, or drawing pictures.
How to help your child's caregiver:
Inform the caregiver about the things your child does at home. This will help the caregiver start conversations with your child and encourage your child to talk.
Preschoolers learn about language by watching and listening to you.
• Think and plan out loud so that your child can see and hear you using language to solve problems or make plans.
"Hi John. Are we still on for basketball?" "Great! I'll meet you at the park."
• Visit and talk about interesting places. Visit library, the park, or a museum. Speak with your child about what you see during the visit. Discuss everything the child sees. Ask that the child tell a relative or friend about the trip.
"Grandma might like to hear about the giant insects we saw at the museum."
• Suggest your child to help you do a chore – replace a battery in a toy, wash the car, or pull weeds. Speak with the child about what you are doing. Your child will learn some new words and have fun.
• When you do errands take your child along. Your child will enjoy talking and learning with you at the supermarket, the laundromat, or wherever else you need to go. Children also like to observe what's happening in the neighbourhoods along the way to and from these trips.
"What did you think when you saw this book?"
• Help your child become a creative thinker by asking, "Suppose that..." "What do you think..." "What if..."
• Encourage your child to talk with older and younger family members. A child will learn how to put ideas into words, when he has lots of opportunities to talk.
• Help your child choose a few special television shows that are just right for children of the same age and interests. Talk with your child about what you see and hear. "Are those tigers like the ones at the zoo?" Ask questions to know what the child is learning. "Does our family do things like the family in the show? How are we different?"
• Use television wisely. Talk and enjoy each other's company at family mealtimes. Think about things your child can do instead of watching television, such as looking at books, playing with brothers and sisters, or drawing pictures.
How to help your child's caregiver:
Inform the caregiver about the things your child does at home. This will help the caregiver start conversations with your child and encourage your child to talk.
Preschoolers learn about language by watching and listening to you.
• Think and plan out loud so that your child can see and hear you using language to solve problems or make plans.
"Hi John. Are we still on for basketball?" "Great! I'll meet you at the park."
• Visit and talk about interesting places. Visit library, the park, or a museum. Speak with your child about what you see during the visit. Discuss everything the child sees. Ask that the child tell a relative or friend about the trip.
"Grandma might like to hear about the giant insects we saw at the museum."
• Suggest your child to help you do a chore – replace a battery in a toy, wash the car, or pull weeds. Speak with the child about what you are doing. Your child will learn some new words and have fun.
• When you do errands take your child along. Your child will enjoy talking and learning with you at the supermarket, the laundromat, or wherever else you need to go. Children also like to observe what's happening in the neighbourhoods along the way to and from these trips.
