Suggestions for parents to facilitate language development

Suggestions for Toddlers and Preschoolers (Ages 2-5)

• Expand your child's language (repeat what he/she says and add a word to it)
• Recite nursery rhymes and use movements
• Practice following practical directions (pick up your napkin and put it in the trash)
• Encourage child to talk about their experiences
• Introduce new vocabulary and use it frequently
• talk about basic concepts ( long/short; hot/cold) during daily activities

Suggestions for early elementary grades (K–2):

• Talk with your child frequently
• Read a variety of books; read often and talk with your child about the story
• Help your child focus on sound patterns of words such as those found in rhyming games
• Have your child retell stories and talk about events of the day
• Talk with your child during daily activities; give directions for your child to follow (e.g., making cookies)
• Talk about how things are alike and different
• Give your child reasons and opportunities to write

Suggestions for later elementary grades (3-5):

• Continue to encourage reading; find reading material that is of interest to your child
• Encourage your child to form opinions about what he or she hears or reads and relate what is read to experiences
• Help your child make connections between what is read and heard at school, at home, and in other daily activities
• Talk aloud as you help your child understand and solve problems encountered in reading material
• Help your child recognize spelling patterns, such as beginnings and endings of words (e.g., pre- or -ment)
• Encourage your child to write letters, keep a diary, or write stories