Feeling good about language interactions with your toddler

One of the first things I tell parents who are concerned about their toddler's language development is that there is no one path for kids. Kids ultimately teach us that they are the masters of their own destinies and we have to let them develop on their own timeline. I constantly say that my own children have taught me patience above all. There are strategies you can use to aid in your child's language development but there is no one size fits all method for increasing language in kids. What works for some does not work for all.

I think its important to remember that we very naturally respond to our children. If our children are struggling with language, we may not inherently provide as many opportunities for them to communicate. We speak our children's language as parents and learn to respond to their needs however it may be that they are communicating those needs to us. Very often we learn to anticipate their wants and needs. This is what parenting looks like, this is natural, but in the case of the struggling communicator may not be the best way to elicit language.

One of the best ways we expose our children to language is by talking to them. We can narrate activities, sing repetitive songs, and read simple books to them. We can encourage back and forth conversational skills by integrating pauses and eye contact, playing simple turn taking games like peek a boo and engaging with them where they are at.