Talk, talk, talk… once your child starts talking, you start wishing they would stop! But since talking is such a foundational part of human communication – including literacy (reading) – the best thing you can do is… well, talk it up! We’ve written about how to talk with your baby or toddler, but what do you talk about? Easy… any and everything!
- Describe things you see around you. Use details.
- The big, loud garbage truck is coming down our street! Let’s watch it pick up the green garbage can.
- Explain what you are doing. Show Baby the objects you’re using.
- We need to cut up these grapes for lunch. I’m going to cut them in half with this knife.
- Narrate your day.
- After we go to the playground, we’re going to visit Grandma at her house! Do you remember Grandma’s house? You like the red ball she has. You’re going to have naptime at Grandma’s, and we will come home before dinnertime.
It’s OK if baby doesn’t actually understand a lot of this. They’re hearing the cadence of words and language, and little by little they will start picking up the concepts you’ve talked about (green, half, before and after, and so on) too.
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