ConnectABILITY Homepage

Build Your Child’s Vocabulary

By Lauren Lowry, Hanen Certified SLP and Clinical Staff Writer

The following article is taken with permission from The Hanen Centre from www.hanen.org. The Hanen Centre is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization with a global reach. Its mission is to provide parents, caregivers, early childhood educators and speech-language pathologists with the knowledge and training they need to help young children develop the best possible language, social and literacy skills. This includes children who have or are at risk for language delays, those with developmental challenges such as autism, and those who are developing typically.

Did you know that:

  • a child’s vocabulary growth is directly linked to his or her overall school achievement [1]
  • the size of a child’s vocabulary in kindergarten predicts his ability to learn to read [2]
  • the more words a child knows, the more information the child has access to
  • having a large vocabulary helps children think and learn about the world

It is important to encourage children’s vocabulary development so that they develop the language and literacy skills necessary to succeed in school. The adults in a child’s life play a significant role in helping a child learn new words. Through everyday conversations and interactions, caregivers use unfamiliar words and talk about what words mean, which helps expand a child’s vocabulary. In fact, the number of words a child is exposed to by his parents relates directly to the size of the child’s vocabulary [3].

A recent study about vocabulary

However, it’s not just about how much you say, but also about what words you use that makes a difference to a child’s vocabulary. In a 2012 study, Meredith Rowe looked at the factors that contribute most to a child’s later vocabulary development. She studied the vocabulary of 50 young children when they were 18, 30, 42, and 54 months of age, as well as the amount (quantity) and type (quality) of words the parents used with their children. She found certain factors that contributed to a child’s vocabulary one year later, such as the parents’ education and the child’s previous vocabulary. But some of her most interesting findings were that:

  • children’s vocabulary at 30 months was influenced by the quantity (number) of words a parent used one year earlier – This means that children aged 12-24 months benefit from hearing lots of talk and many examples of words.
  • children’s vocabulary at 42 months was influenced by parents’ use of a variety of sophisticated words one year earlier – Children aged 24-36 months have learned a lot of common vocabulary, and are ready to learn more difficult words, such as “purchase” instead of “buy”, or “weary” instead of “tired”.
  • children’s vocabulary at 54 months was influenced by parents’ use of narratives (talking about things that happened in the past or in the future) and explanations one year earlier – Children aged 36-48 months benefit from conversations about things that happened in the past (e.g. an outing they went on, something funny that happened at preschool, etc.) or something that is planned for the near future (e.g. a trip to see Grandma) is helpful. And providing explanations about things (e.g. answering children’s “why” questions) is also helpful at this age.

Rowe concluded that “quantity…is not the whole story” and that these other influences also have an impact on children’s vocabulary [2, p. 1771]. This is important information, as much literature that advises parents about children’s speech and language development encourages parents to talk to young children as much as possible (quantity). But Rowe’s study highlights the importance of quality, especially for children aged 24-48 months. Parents should try to keep one step ahead of their child – modelling words and concepts that are slightly beyond their child’s level to help his vocabulary grow.

How to help your child learn new words

From Rowe’s study, we know that:

  • young children (12-24 month olds) benefit from exposure to lots of words (quantity)
  • toddlers (24-36 months) benefit from hearing a variety of sophisticated words
  • preschool children (36-48 months) benefit from conversations about past and future events as well as explanations

This tells us what to say, but what about how to say it?

Here are some tips to keep in mind when modeling new vocabulary for your child:

  • Follow your child’s lead – This means emphasizing words that come up during everyday conversations and interactions with your child. If you talk about what interests your child, it is more likely your child will pay attention and learn a new word. If your child is interested in playing with cars, you can model words like “push”, “beep beep”, or “fast” with a young child or more complicated words like “mechanic”, “speed”, or “traffic” with a toddler. You can provide explanations for preschoolers like “he needs to get a new tire because his tire is flat”, talk about events in the past such as “remember when we had to take our car in to be repaired?”, or events that will happen in the future such as “Our car is dirty. Maybe we should go to the car wash.”
  • Children need to hear a word several times before they start to use it – This means that you might use a word with your child many times before your child actually says the word himself. Children’s understanding of words precedes their use of words. So, they will understand far more words than they can actually say. If you repeat words for your child on different occasions, it will give him more opportunities to hear and learn new words.
  • Don’t bombard your child with words – Just because quantity is important at some stages of development, this doesn’t mean that you should shower your child with constant talk. You should aim for a balanced conversation between you and your child – you say something, then your child says or does something, and so on. It is important to wait after you say something so you give your child a chance to respond in his own way.
  • Help your child understand what a new word means – By giving details about new words or explaining what words means, you build your child’s understanding of new words. For example, if you are playing with cars and introduce the word “passenger”, you might say something like “a passenger is someone who rides in a car or a bus or a train. A passenger goes for the ride but doesn’t drive the car or the bus.” Relating new words to your child’s personal experiences also helps him connect with new words. For example, if you are talking about the word “nervous,” you might say something like “Remember when you started preschool – you felt nervous. But eventually when you were more comfortable there, you didn’t feel nervous anymore.”
  • Actions can speak louder than words – If you accompany your words with actions, gestures, or facial expressions, it will help your child understand the meaning of the words. For example, when modeling the word “weary”, you could do a sleeping action (hands under your head) or yawn so that your child understands what the word means. Your voice can also add meaning to a word. For example, if you say the word “frightened” or “terrified” with a shaky voice that sounds like you are scared, it will help your child understand what you mean.

The bottom line… it’s not just how much you say, but also what you say and how you say it that makes a difference for your child’s vocabulary growth. Keeping one step ahead of your child will promote his vocabulary skills, and also set him on the path for success in school. For more information about building your child’s vocabulary skills, click here.

References

  1. Weitzman, E. & Greenberg, J. (2010). ABC and Beyond: Building Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Settings. The Hanen Centre: Toronto.
  2. Rowe, M. (2012). A Longitudinal Investigation of the Role of Quantity and Quality of Child-Directed Speech in Vocabulary Development. Child Development: 83(5), 1762-1774.
  3. Hart, B. & Risley, T.R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experiences of young American children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Give Your Child a Reason to Communicate with Bubbles

By Lauren Lowry, Hanen SLP and clinical writer

The following article is taken with permission from The Hanen Centre from www.hanen.org. The Hanen Centre is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization with a global reach. Its mission is to provide parents, caregivers, early childhood educators and speech-language pathologists with the knowledge and training they need to help young children develop the best possible language, social and literacy skills. This includes children who have or are at risk for language delays, those with developmental challenges such as autism, and those who are developing typically.

Playing with bubbles is a great activity for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder because:

  • children can participate verbally or nonverbally during bubble play (therefore, this activity can be adapted for young children at any stage of development)
  • bubbles are inexpensive and portable
  • bubbles are a People Toy, a type of toy suggested in the More Than Words® guidebook [1]. People toys are hard-to-operate toys that require an adult’s help, like spinning tops, balloons, or wind-up toys. As most young children can’t blow the bubbles themselves, they need an adult to do this for them. This means that bubbles encourage interaction, and they offer a great opportunity for children to learn to send messages about the bubbles.
  • bubbles are fun!

What Can Your Child Learn From Playing Bubbles?

Depending on your child’s stage of development, your child might learn to:

  • look at you and smile
  • ask for more bubbles – by reaching for the bubble wand or jar, pointing, using a sign or picture, making a sound, or saying a word or sentence
  • ask you to play bubbles with him – by bringing you the bubble jar, reaching for or pointing to the jar, using a sign or picture for bubbles, or saying a sound, word, or sentence
  • ask you to open the bubble jar – by bringing you the jar, touching or pointing to the lid, or using a sign, picture, sound, word or sentence
  • copy what you say about the bubbles
  • make a comment about the bubbles

Give Your Child a Reason to Communicate when you Blow Bubbles

“Give your Child a Reason to Communicate” is a strategy from the More Than Words guidebook. It involves creating a situation that tempt your child to interact with you and send you messages. You can Give your Child a Reason to Communicate by doing the following:

  • First, get your child’s attention before you start to play:
    • get close to your child – you should be face-to-face
    • say his name
    • show him the bubble jar and introduce the activity (“Let’s blow bubbles!”)
  • Give your child a reason to ask you for more bubbles
    Start blowing bubbles. Once you have caught your child’s interest, hold the bubble wand near your mouth but don’t blow any bubbles. Wait for him to ask you in his own way for more bubbles. Depending on your child’s stage of development, he might ask for you for more bubbles by:

    • looking at you and smiling
    • reaching for the container or wand
    • pushing the wand towards your mouth or giving you the wand
    • pointing to the container or wand
    • using a sign, sound, word, or sentence

    Once your child sends a message, blow some more bubbles. Then pause again before blowing more bubbles. Each time you pause, wait for your child to send you a message.

  • Give your child a reason to make comments about the bubbles
    If your child is starting to talk in short sentences, you can help him learn to make comments while playing with bubbles. You do this by occasionally commenting about the bubbles yourself while you play, saying something like:

    • That one popped on my nose!
    • I’m all wet!
    • That’s a big bubble!
    • It went way up high
    • That bubble is tiny
    • It popped on your head!
    • You caught it!

    After you have made a few comments during the bubble play, you can give your child a reason to make a comment by blowing some bubbles, pointing to one of the bubbles, looking expectantly at your child and waiting. Be sure to point at something interesting, like a bubble that’s landed in a funny spot, or a very large bubble, etc. If your child doesn’t make a comment, you can give him a hint by starting him off (“Look! That bubble…”). Then pause and wait to see if your child finishes off the comment.

What To Do If….

  • your child grabs the bubble wand – wait! After a few attempts, your child will soon realize that he needs your help to blow the bubbles and will likely give the wand back to you. If your child doesn’t give you the wand, you can hold your hand out to give him a hint that he can ask for more by giving you the wand.
  • your child doesn’t send you a message when you wait – some children require a lot of time in order to send messages. So make sure you are waiting long enough. If that doesn’t work, try giving your child a “Cue” (another strategy from the More Than Words guidebook). Cues provide your child with a little extra help with sending his message. Depending on your child’s stage of development, you might:
    • lean in close and look expectantly at your child
    • say the first sound of the word you think your child might try to say (e.g. “bl….” for “blow”)
    • take your child’s hand and help him touch the bubble wand in order to ask for more
    • say a short sentence your child could copy (e.g. “blow some bubbles mom!”)
  • your child doesn’t like bubbles – that’s okay, bubbles can’t be everyone’s favourite! Try a different People Toy, such as a balloon or a wind-up toy. Maybe one of these will interest your child. Click here for more ideas from the More Than Words guidebook.
  • you don’t want to make a mess – some parents are reluctant to blow bubbles inside the house as it can be messy. If this is the case, you can try blowing bubbles outside or in the bathtub. Also, some toy stores sell “no-spill” bubbles jars.
  • you don’t have any bubbles – then make your own! Mix 1 part dish soap with 3 parts water (e.g. ½ cup dish soap and 1 ½ cups water). Add a couple of teaspoons of sugar and stir.
  • you don’t have a bubble wand – then make your own! Try bending a pipe cleaner into a bubble wand. Or use items from your kitchen that have holes in them, such as a small strainer, cookie cutters, an empty plastic berry container from the grocery store, or the plastic rings that hold a 6-pack of pop together.

You can find more examples of how to use People Toys with your child and how to Give your Child a Reason to Communicate in other situations in the More Than Words guidebook and on the More Than Words DVD: Promoting the Communication Development of Children with ASD & Other Social Communication Challenges. Learn more about these resources.

References

  1. Sussman, F. (2012). More Than Words: A Parent’s Guide to Building Interaction and Language Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Social Communication Difficulties. The Hanen Centre: Toronto.

Spending

Spending money is something everyone does. Here are some strategies to help you be smart when you buy things and some ideas of what you can do if you find out that you have spent more money than what you have available.

Play – Flash version

Play – HTML5 version (updated browsers and tablets)

Personal Banking

Here are some strategies to use to be smart and safe in your personal banking including why you should have a bank account, how to choose a bank and the type of account, how to use a debit card safely, how to cash a cheque, how to be safe using online banking, and choosing a good PIN number and online password.

Play

How to use Connected Families

Time and time again, people with a developmental disability and their families have stated that there is a need to be able to connect with each other on a regular basis. In a survey ConnectABILITY.ca conducted in 2011, 77% of respondents reported that it was fairly or very important to have opportunities to connect and network. In the same survey, 57% of respondents indicated that regular access to a networking internet site was their preferred method of networking. Respondents also told us that they want to use multiple ways of communicating.

Social media is just one of a number of tools to include in your tool box along with e-mail, the phone and in-person conversations. It is a way to allow everyone in on the conversation at the same time while ensuring that all have access to the whole conversation. It provides the opportunity to answer a question once and have it easily accessible to anyone else who has the same question. It can be the first “go to” place to look for an answer to your question and unlike an FAQ section it is dynamic with the possibility of new relevant material being added at any time by members of the community – people with a developmental disability, family members or others in their support networks. You can also have access to the new information as soon as it is posted.

Goto Connected Families

Connected Families is a social media tool that has some privacy but also allows for opportunities to meet new people who have similar concerns and interests. It is built into the ConnectABILITY.ca community of people with a developmental disability and their support networks.

Connected Families is a meeting place for you to connect with others! This is a place for YOU to talk and connect about everything from the little stuff to the really big stuff, how you solved problems, found resources and found ways to make your dreams happen. You can tell your stories, share your ideas, your successes and even your frustrations. It’s a place to share your tips to help others succeed and find tips that could help you.

How to join ConnectABILITY

  1. Click on “Register/Login” (The green button in top right corner).
  2. On log in screen, go to bottom and click on “Join Now!“
  3. On the sign up screen, type in a username, E-mail address.
  4. Click “Register”
  5. You will receive an email with the link to set your password. Click the link provided.
  6. Enter your new password and confirm the password. Click reset password button.
  7. Login to ConnectABILITY.ca

Subscribe to discussions

You can have a notice sent to your email whenever there is a new posting in a topic that you are interested in. Beside the topic title on the right side you will see “Subscribe”.  Click on “Subscribe” and you will have bookmarked the topic. Now whenever there is a new posting in this topic you will be sent an email notice. Please note that you can only subscribe once the topic has been created, so you will still need to go into Connected Families to check out any new topics before you can subscribe to them and have notices sent to your email for new postings in that topic.

Send a message

Connected Families has its own messaging component that allows you to connect directly with a member. The messages do not leave the Connected Families site and do not convey any personal information (including your email address), other than your name, to the person being sent the private message.

  1. Click on “Send a Message” located below the name of the person who wrote the post.
  2. Type the message
  3. And click send

The recipient will receive an email letting know there is a message on Connected Families.

Normal Aging Process

A workshop describing the likely changes to their body systems and functioning abilities as someone ages and strategies to help support a person with an intellectual disability exhibiting these changes.

Play – Flash Version

Play – HTML5 Version (For updated browsers and tablets)

Sensory Changes in the Elderly

Centennial College Nursing Students Presentation Series 2012: Sensory changes that occur with the elderly and strategies to overcome the impacts.

Play – Flash version

Play – HTML5 version (updated browsers and tablets)

Falls and Fall Prevention

Centennial College Nursing Students Presentation Series 2012: Fall prevention risk assessments and strategies to prevent falls and fall injuries.

Play

Aging with a Developmental Disability: Strategies for Support

Shifting-Your-Thinking

Shifting Your Thinking: Age-Friendly Person-Centred Support

(A Workshop for front line workers held Wednesday February 26, 2014)

Workers from developmental services, community senior services and long term care are challenged with providing support to an increasing population of individuals aging with developmental disabilities. These individuals may live in locations supported by developmental service agencies, in their own homes/apartments or long term care homes. Individuals with a developmental disability have many similarities to the general population when they age, but they also have some unique differences. There is a need for workers from both sectors to come together, to learn, discuss and share information.

This one-day workshop focused on increasing front line worker competencies to support aging individuals with a developmental disability. In order for agencies to support individuals as they age, staff need to increase their knowledge of normal aging and how this presents in individuals with a developmental disability.

This workshop also includes health care management, aging differences from the general population, dementia best practices including the use of the Early Detection Screening Tool and problem solving techniques for health issues and behaviour challenges.

A Cross-Sector Shared Understanding of Aging:

Presenter: Sandy Stemp, Chief Operations Officer, Reena

Introduction: Setting the context

Audio MP3

Toronto Partnership on Aging and Developmental Disabilities (TPADD)

Presenter: Joanne Meade, Manager of Resident Services, Cummer Lodge

Audio MP3

Normal Aging – What we Know and How it Impacts Individuals with a Developmental Disability

Presenter: Brenda Elias, Faculty, Non Profit and Voluntary Sector Management, Ryerson University and Social Foundations of Gerontology, Family & Community Social Services, University of Guelph-Humber

    • What is Ontario’s Aging in Place Policy?
    • Psychosocial aspects of aging

Critical importance of social networks for maintaining health and wellbeing as we age

  • Leisure, meaningful activities
  • Creating an Age-Friendly Community

Play

Changing Assumptions, Guidelines & Tools

Presenter: Angie Gonzales, Health Care Facilitator, Toronto Network of Specialized Care

Improve your understanding of health concerns and aging differences in developmental disabilities, and best practices related to community-based dementia care for individuals with developmental disabilities

Play

Dementia: Changing Assumptions

Presenter: Kari Quinn-Humphrey, Public Education Manager, Alzheimer Society of Toronto

Improve your understanding of dementia & Alzheimer’s disease, best practices and the resources available for supporting individuals with developmental disabilities exhibiting dementia.

Play

Palliative Pain and Symptom Management

Presenter: Tracey Human, RN, Palliative Pain Symptom Management Consultation Service for Toronto

Considerations for intellectual and physical disability communities of practice – palliative care, hospice, collaborative care planning.

Play

Is-Your-House-in-Order

Is Your House in Order? Thinking Strategically About Aging With a Developmental Disability

(A Follow up session of the 2013 Are We Prepared workshops)

The Compelling Data on Aging in Residential Services

Presenter: Sandy Stemp, Chief Operations Officer, Reena

The historical context and current trends of aging for individuals who have a developmental disability

Play

Opinions of Parents from the Developmental Services Council

Presenter: Ruth Halperin, Chair of the Aging and Life Long Supports Work Group of the DS Council, Developmental Services Toronto

Ruth presents a summary of concerns, opinions and hopes from parents whose children with developmental disabilities are aging.

Audio MP3

Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) Perspective

Presenter: Jennifer Scott, Director Client Services LTC Placement at Central Community Care Access Centre

An overview of the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) and the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) and their place in the Ontario Health System

Play

Associated links:

Developmental Disabilities and Aging: Issues and Perspectives of the DS Service Providers

Presenter: Sandy Stemp, Chief Operations Officer, Reena

Focus on the perspective of one agency – Reena, the Toronto Partnership on Aging and Developmental Disabilities (TPADD) and Developmental Services Toronto (DSTO)

Play

An Emerging Practice: The Mary Centre Strategy in Peel Region

Presenter: Terry Elliott, Program Director, Mary Centre Peel

Mary Centre’s Transition into Long Term Care Program provides support to individual’s 50 and older with a developmental challenge. These Individuals are either residing in or preparing to move into a long-term care facility. Mary Centre staff provides a seamless transition between home life and long term care.

Play

Early Detection Screen for Dementia

The purpose of the National Task Group-Early Detection Screen for Dementia is to offer family and professional caregivers a resource to record their observations regarding changes in areas of cognitive and adaptive functioning known to be associated with dementia. Parent caregivers, who will opt to use the NTG-EDSD, should know that this is not an instrument for the diagnosis of dementia. The intent is that caregivers will use the information captured on the NTG-EDSD to begin a dialogue with health care practitioners and that it will serve as an aid to shared decision-making. https://www.the-ntg.org/

Early Detection Screen For Dementia

Developmental Disabilities, Aging, Supports & Resources

Angela Gonzales and Lindsay Wingham-Smith discuss ways to improve collaborative care planning to support people with issues related to aging with a Developmental disability

Supporting People with IDD as they Age

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are living longer than ever before. This is wonderful news! But, for many people, living longer (aging) comes with some unique challenges. Read more

header

Through the MCCSS Innovations Grant, a series of one-day conferences were funded to help develop the linkages and partnerships between Developmental Services and Seniors Services. The following presentations were recorded on Monday March 18, 2013 in Toronto.

Intellectual/Developmental Disability and Dementia; Assessment and Healthcare Practices

Seth M. Keller, MD
The presentation will provide an overview on aspects of aging in adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disability and how a serial assessment of early change in function and cognition can be completed by families and support staff. The diagnosis and recommendations of healthcare practices will be discussed. The progression of dementia with its associated health care complications and concerns and recommendations for care will be reviewed.

Play

Associated Links

Practice Guidelines

Nancy Jokinen, MSW, PHD
This presentation introduces a set of practice guidelines adopted by the Nastional Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices (NTG) to assist families and organizations plan for services and core management strategies in their support of adults with intellectual disabilities affected by dementia. The guidelines delineate actions that can be undertaken from a pre-diagnosis period when symptoms of functional and cognitive decline are suspected through early, mid and late stages of dementia.

Guidelines for Structuring Community Care and Supports for People With ID Affected by Dementia

Play

Associated links

Report on a Series of Four Workshops

A summary of the feedback received from the afternoon discussion activities for each of the four communities where a session was held.

Aging and Developmental Disabilities Report on Workshops March 2013

For more information on the report or the appendices mentioned in the report contact Sandy Stemp sstemp@reena.org

Sharing Books with Toddlers, The Hanen Way

By Lauren Lowry, Hanen SLP and clinical writer

The following article is taken with permission from The Hanen Centre from www.hanen.org. The Hanen Centre is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization committed to helping parents become the best and most important language teachers for their child. Hanen gives parents the tools to build their child’s language skills during everyday activities and conversations. Visit www.hanen.org for more information.

Toddlers (aged 18 months – 2-1/2 years) have figured out what books are all about, but may or may not be ready to hear a whole story. They enjoy holding a book, turning the pages, looking at the pictures and talking about what interests them. They often have their favourite books, which they want to read again and again!

When reading with a toddler, the main goals include:

  1. Developing his interest in books
  2. Having him interact back and forth with you
  3. Learning some interesting new words
  4. Having fun!

Types of books to read with a toddler:

  • Books with colourful, realistic photographs or pictures – these types of pictures catch young children’s attention, and it’s been shown that toddlers learn more from these images than from abstract or black and white images [1].
  • Board books – books with thick, sturdy pages that are easier for toddlers to hold and turn.
  • Repetitive books – books with predictable, rhythmic language that repeats throughout the book. This type of language will catch your child’s interest and make it easier for him to remember key words as they are repeated often. Examples of repetitive books: “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?” by Bill Martin Jr., “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown, or “Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb” by Al Perkins.
  • Photo albums – toddlers love to look at pictures of themselves and of the important people and events in their lives.
  • Homemade books – which could include photos of favourite people or things, or objects or remnants from interesting places or outings. See “Make a Book” at the end of this article for more ideas.
  • Short, simple storybooks – books with a simple storyline may interest your child. An example would be “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. If your child isn’t interested in listening to the whole story at first, simplify it, or just talk about the pictures.
  • Interactive books – books with parts that move (flaps or tabs) or with things for your child to touch and feel may interest your child. However, there is conflicting evidence about how much children learn from these books. One study showed that typically developing children learned less from books that can be manipulated than from books with colourful, realistic pictures [2]. However, another study showed that children with language delay used more language when looking at interactive books [3]. Read more about these studies.

While looking at interactive books, it is important to observe your child to ensure that the moving parts don’t distract him to the point that he is not interacting with you.

Books to avoid:

  • Lengthy, complicated story books (including fairy tales) – these types of books often involve an understanding of language that is more complex than your child may be ready for. They also require your child to pay attention for a longer period of time. The goal at the toddler stage is for your child to develop a love of books and a love of sharing books with you. Try to choose books that will work with your child’s interests, attention span, and language level.

How to share books with a toddler

  • Let your child choose the book – it’s okay to make suggestions about which book to read from time to time, but allowing your child to choose the book ensures that he is truly interested.
  • Sit with your child, face to face – while traditionally we think of sitting beside a child on a couch or in bed when reading, it is very helpful to face your child while reading. When you are face to face, you can read your child’s cues and find out what interests him about the book. Your child will know you are interested in sharing the book with him if you are looking at him with interest.
  • Allow your child to hold the book and turn the pages – this will ensure that your child is actively involved. Don’t worry if he skips some pages – the goal is to make the book interactive and fun.
  • Let your child “read” the book in his own way – some children will look at a few pages or flip through the book for a few moments. Others will want to look at the entire book. Let your child look at the book at his own pace and according to his interests. You don’t have to finish the book at one sitting!
  • It’s okay to change things up! – you don’t have to read every word on the page. You can simplify the story or just talk about the pictures and not read the words.
  • It’s ok to keep things the same! – some children love to look at the same book over and over again. There’s no need to discourage this. The repetition and familiarity helps your child learn new words and develop a better understanding of the concepts in the book.
  • Wait – for your child to do or say something. After you turn the page or read one page, wait silently. Avoid asking questions or pointing out anything particular on that page. Your goal is to give your child an opportunity to express himself and take turns with you.

Once you’ve found a book your child likes and you are taking turns talking about the book, you can Add Language that will stimulate your child’s vocabulary, understanding, and thinking skills (It Takes Two to Talk® – A Practical Guide for Parents of Children with Language Delays. Pepper & Weitzman, 2004).

“Adding Language” during book reading means:

  • use a variety of words – try to avoid just naming the pictures in the book as this will result in your child being exposed to mostly nouns (names of things). While nouns are important, your child also needs to be exposed to words that describe (e.g. “wet”, “hot”, “tall”), action words (“go”, “run”, “sleep”, “eat”), words for feelings (“happy”, “sad”, “tired”), location words (“up”, “down”, “under”), words about time (“now”, “later”, “after”), etc.
  • highlight important words – emphasize the most important words (the ones that are key to your child understanding the information on the page) with your voice, slowing down, and showing a picture in the book which demonstrates the meaning of the word. You can also use gestures to explain concepts in the book. For example, when looking at a picture of a big elephant, you can outstretch your arms to indicate “big” while you talk about the “very big elephant”.
  • expand your child’s message – when your child says something about the book, you can respond by elaborating on his message. For example, if he says “dog” while looking at a picture of a dog having a bath, you could say “The dog is having a bath”. Adding on to your child’s idea shows your child how to produce longer sentences.
  • build your child’s understanding – your child will gain a better understanding of his experiences and his world when you draw connections between the book and his life. For example, if you look at a book about a trip to the doctor, you can talk about a recent visit your child had to the doctor.
  • build your child’s imagination – books offer a great opportunity to add language that introduces imaginary concepts to your child. Talking about topics like castles, ghosts, or pirates that your child cannot experience in “real life” helps build your child’s language, play and thinking skills.

Make a book

A homemade book, created especially for your child, is sure to become one of his favourites. By following these guidelines, you will create a book together that will be interactive and fun to read:

  • Think about your child’s favourite things and outings – items can include photos of favourite people or things, packages or labels from favourite foods or toys (eg. part of the Rice Krispies box), or photos or small remnants from interesting places or outings (eg. a ticket stub from a show, part of the Happy Meal box from a recent trip to McDonald’s, a stone collected from the playground, a photo of your child getting a haircut or swimming in the lake, etc.). If you follow your child’s lead and observe his interests, you will know exactly what to include in the book.
  • Involve your child – your child can help you select pictures or objects, help you paste the pictures into the book, and decide what to write on the page underneath the picture.
  • Less is more – include just one picture or object per page.
  • Ensure that the “text” makes sense to your child – when your child is the one who decides what to write on each page, it ensures that the text is from his perspective and at his level.

If you follow the guidelines above when you share books with your toddler, you will probably notice that your child:

  • enjoyed sharing the book with you
  • was able to sit for longer than usual
  • communicated with you frequently during the book reading – so that it turned into a conversation!

Please send Hanen feedback on this activity. For a full list of references and works cited, click here.

© Hanen Early Language Program, 2011. Further copying or reproduction of this article in whole or in part, without written permission from The Hanen Centre, is prohibited.

  1. Home
  2. Articles posted by Jason