We begin communicating from the moment we are born; letting the world know we have arrived with our first cry. As a child develops, it is important we nurture their communication skills so they are capable of expressing themselves, clearly and confidently, in all aspects and areas of their life.
A child will learn to communicate by watching and listening to their parents, and then mimicking their words and actions; the more you communicate with your child, the earlier and quicker they will develop these skills.
VIDEO CORNER
"Babble On" - It is never too early to start a conversation with your baby!
While you're doing laundry, show your child how to put a sock on their hand and use it as a puppet. Use sock puppets together to act out a favorite story or create a new story. Build on their ideas by asking questions like, “What does your puppet like to eat?”
Pretending helps your child better understand the experiences of others. It also helps them practice communication and literacy skills, while building a love for storytelling. When you build on their play ideas, you help deepen their learning.
Click here to find 7 cute DIY sock puppets to make!
Vroom Tip #202 Cloud Watching
Sit together and watch the clouds in the sky. Ask your child to describe what they see. You can find a cloud and ask them to look for it by describing what it looks like. Then let them take a turn to choose a cloud for you to find.
You’re encouraging your child to be creative and flexible in their thinking when you ask them to make unusual connections. They're using communication skills to figure out what they want to say and how to say it, while also using focus and self-control to play the game.
Discover 1000+ free activities for children from birth to age 5 - Go to JoinVroom.org and click on "try vroom" then enter your zip code - it's that simple!
Cooking is a great activity that you can do with your kids to support their communication and language skills. Try this Vroom tip: Recipe Read: Encourage your child to be a part of meal preparations by reading out the ingredients of what you're making. Show them the different items and let them touch, smell, or even taste what you're using, asking, “Do you feel the soft flour?” Continue the conversation.
When talking back and forth about recipes and ingredients with your child, you’re showing them the importance of reading in everyday life and exposing them to new words. You’re also helping them take in information through their senses, the main way young children learn.
Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
1 cup oats (quick-cooking or old fashioned rolled)
¼ cup nonfat or low-fat milk
2 eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottoms and sides of 12 muffin cups.
In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, milk, eggs, oil, sugar and mashed banana. Let this mixture stand for at least 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add oat mixture to dry ingredients and stir gently to mix until just moistened.
Fill muffin cups ¾ full.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist but clean, about 18 to 20 minutes.
Ask your child to talk about their day using feeling words like happy, excited, and sad. Try questions like, “Was there a time when you felt frustrated today?” Ask them to make faces that express these feelings. Share your day as well.
When you take time to talk about feelings with your child in fun ways every day, you make your relationship stronger. You're helping them connect feelings and actions, too. Once your child understands their emotions, they can better relate others.