Five Tricks To Get Your Toddler Talking!

So, I don't know if any of you are anxious to hear your little one talk or if you are annoyed because they won't STOP talking. But, either way, I wanted to make a post about how to get your toddler to start talking more. 

It seems to me like Braxton is talking more and more, every day. I swear he says a new word if not two new words a day. It all starts with the "mama," "dada," and "baba," then you're trying to get them to say sentences, it seems! 

Right now, at 15 months, Braxton can say about 15 words (I know I'm forgetting some on this list):

Momma

Dada

Baba

Eat

Hi

Hello

Please

Cheese

Bite

Up

Ball

Down

Go

"Turbo" (our dog)

 Thank You

Bye

Yum-Yum

& our least favorite, No.  

Here are some ways that you can get your little toddler more talkative:

1. TALK

Let's be honest, if you are not talkative around him, he is not going to learn how to talk himself! Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Talk. Narrate. If you feel silly talking to your child, well... that's silly. An easy way to make a conversation with someone who doesn't know how to converse is by taking what they say and making it longer. If your child says, "Bite," reply to him with "What would you like a bite of?" Or if your child says to you something nice like, "Please," simply say, "Yes, of course you can." Another easy way to do language expansion is to make noises! When your child says to you, "Ball," make noises of what the ball does. For instance, "Boing, Boing, Boing." Watch your child giggle and try to imitate the crazy and funny noises you can make. When you make talking fun, your child will want to learn how to do it. 

 

2. Listen

Interesting concept, eh? In order for you child to grow confidently with his speech, you have to positively reflect your listening skills. There is nothing more discouraging than being ignored, and to a child, a toddler, if he thinks that you're not listening to him, he will quickly stop talking. When you display good listening skills, your child sees that listening is an important thing to do. Monkey see, monkey do; know what I'm sayin?

3. NO BABY TALK

Honestly, to me, there is nothing more annoying (besides eating with your mouth open) than baby talk. Who in the heck said that babies need to be talked to in the most obnoxious way like that. Yes, by "that" I mean adding a 'y' after absolutely everything that you do: cupp-y, drink-y, tub-y, napp-y... NO. Don't do that! Or how about when you talk to babies/toddlers with that super high annoying voice...NO. Don't do that! I mean, I only talk to my dog like that and even then I feel like a moron. You do not need to enforce your child with these made up words. Part of children's linguistic development is putting together forms of words that make sense to them. It does not mean that we have to say them, as adults. For instance, if you baby says "ba-ba," you should reply with "Bottle? Do you like your milk?" Be realistic. Your toddler isn't going to hop out of the womb reciting Shakespeare; however, by repeatedly enforcing "bottle" instead of "ba-ba" your toddler will eventually learn how to pronounce things the way they are supposed to be pronounced. 

4. Be Animated

 Like I said in the first tip, if you make anything fun, a toddler/child will want to join. Make funny faces with your child. Change the volume of your voice. Sing and dance. Clap your hands. This makes your a lot more fascinating than you are. Your baby already thinks that you are the most interesting thing... Make him really believe that. 

5. Limit screen time

TV does not teach your baby language. 

Not Sesame Street. Not Baby Einstein. Not Mickey Mouse. 

It doesn't. 

Not iPads. Not Leapsters. Not video games. 

IT DOESN'T. 

Those things are all fine in limits, but they do not teach your child how to talk. Those things teach your child language concepts. They can teach you shapes, colors, new vocabulary, letters, and how to count, but they cannot teach your child how to talk. 

Your mother, your brother, your father, the neighbor, other moms, the weirdo that makes funny-faces to your child in the check-out line... THESE are the things in your baby's world that teach. 

Remember that. 

Shut the TV off. 

With these tips I will also add a bit of caution.

Brace yourself for the "Whys?"