Communication Skills

Tips to try

Make learning and communicating fun!

• Encourage your child to read their bedtime stories to you. Teach them how to sound out words they don’t know, and encourage them to read new books as often as possible.
• Make sure the books you’re reading with your children are age appropriate. It can be tempting to stick to favorite books or picture books – but your child is ready for more! Find books with basic stories and characters. Read a little each night.
• Kids may find it entertaining to think of different rhyming words. Pick a word and help your child come up with all the words that rhyme. For example: Fan. Man. Can. Van. Dan. Ran. Pan – Sound out words by clapping with each syllable and creating sentences that rhyme.
• When you read to your child, try having them come up with different endings to the story. This encourages them to use their imagination and their verbal skills while also bonding with you. It also increases their ability to think flexibly about the world and the possibility that things can be done in many different ways.
• Play an “Emotions Charade” game where your little one can express their feelings through facial expressions and body movements.

Play games such as charades to encourage your child’s nonverbal interactions!  

• Use body movements and facial expressions to communicate a word, phrase, or action such as “bird” or “going swimming.”