There are so many important skills that children learn through play, one of these is language!
Play is a great context to model new words and sentences for your little one to learn.
Here are some tips that you could try to maximise language learning while you are playing:
- Talk about what your child is interested in If they already have their attention on something, then this is the perfect chance to teach them new words related to that item or object.
- Make comments Demonstrate language by making comments about what you are playing with. For example, if your child is playing with a car, instead of asking a question (what’s that?) you could model a comment (look at the car). This will help them to learn new words.
- Reduce pressure Children can start to feel nervous about talking when we ask them too many questions or give too many instructions. Instead, you can reduce pressure by modelling language without always insisting that your child says words.
Language learning should be fun and engaging, so practising words when you are playing is a great idea!
Good luck!
