As a parent, you strive to be the best role model for your child. While spoken language is so natural for adults, it’s a surprisingly difficult skill. Speaking requires thinking, motor coordination, and practice for young children. So maybe you’re wondering, what are some ways I can help my child learn words and produce speech sounds more clearly? What are some ways I can be a good “Speech Model” for my child?  Here are 5 simple and effective strategies to implement every day to help your child learn to understand and use words to communicate:

• Face-to-face – Face your child while speaking clearly, simply, and slowly. Use complete sentences when speaking, but keep them simple.
• Emphasize Words – If your child mispronounces a word, simply repeat what was said by stressing the word and pronouncing the sounds correctly. Avoid criticizing speech!
• Expansion – Repeat what your child says, but also add missing words to make the phrase grammatically correct. For example, if he says “bird,” you say “Yes! There is a bird!” or “I see a bird.” He may need to hear phrases over and over until he starts repeating you.
• Extension – After your child makes a comment, provide a little more new information related to what she said. For example, if she says “dog run!,” you could say “Yes, the dog is running. He is running fast.”
• Wait – Give your child time to respond. She may need time to process the words before repeating them. Listen to what your child says and respond back.

While these strategies are simple, the results are powerful.  If you want to learn more strategies or have general questions, please contact me for a free phone consultation at (925) 322-1379.  You can also browse my speech-language therapy services by visiting my website: kelseyspeech.com.