5 Ways to Encourage Expressive Language Skills Using Any Picture Book
Here’s how you can use any picture book to increase expressive language skills in a child that is in the early stages of learning language.
Make sound effects. Make different sounds, such as animal or car noises, as you turn the pages in the book. These types of sounds can be easier to imitate than words for some early language learners.
Model language. You don’t always have to read books word for word! Use simple language to describe what’s happening in the pictures so your child can connect the language to the pictures. For example, while pointing to a picture you can say, “The cow is walking in the grass,” or “The star is blue.” One or two short sentences for each page usually works well.
Use repetition. Repetition is key for learning language. You can create repetitive language for any book! For example, use the phrase, “I see ___.” for each page. Such as, “I see a cat“ and “I see a horse.” On each page you say a short sentence the same way each time to create repetition so your child becomes familiar with the phrase.
Pause. After using repetition in your book, pause and see if your child will imitate you. Say “I see a ___” and leave a space to see if your child will fill in the name of the picture. To work on verbs use the phrase, “The cow is ___” to see if your child will fill in the action word.
Use support when asking your child questions. When asking your child questions about pictures, such as “What is the rabbit doing?” you can support your child by first saying, “The rabbit is eating. What is it doing? It is ___.” Pause and see if the child will fill in the word.
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