Week 1
Welcome to our next month, where it’s all about communication. Join us for “Talk With Me!” We are excited to offer your child opportunities to develop their language skills. Notice when your child is more excited to talk and reduce background noise to be able to listen closely. Talk with your child frequently. Each word is helping them develop their vocabulary!
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
Consider playing tag with vocabulary words. Invite your child to touch the door, a chair, or a pillow. You can offer clues, such as “a pillow that is red and round in the shape of an apple!”
Week 2
This week, join us in chatting it up with your child as you play together! Notice how they use verbal and nonverbal communication. Respond enthusiastically to their babbles, gestures, and words!
Mighty Minute
- Say, Let’s pretend we have glue on our hands. Our hands are so sticky! Recite the following rhyme:My sticky hands stick to my head.
My sticky hands stick to my feet instead.
My sticky hands stick to my knees.
My sticky hands stick together for me!
– With infants, gently guide your child’s hands to touch each part of her body while you recite the rhyme.
– For toddlers and 2-year-olds, lead your child in acting out the movements as you recite the rhyme.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
Daily exercise, fresh air, and sunshine all help young children establish patterns of wakefulness and sleep. You can help maintain beneficial sleep patterns by offering your child safe opportunities to move and play outdoors, like pretending to be giants while walking to check the mail or jumping over cracks in the sidewalk.
Week 3
This week, notice how your child reacts when you speak. Do they like to quietly watch you before joining in, or do they want to jump right into responding? Each child’s rhythms are different, so you might need to give them a little more time to answer you. Enjoy these back-and-forth conversations with your little one!
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
Enjoy a quiet moment after a bath with your toddler. Put a small amount of baby lotion on your hand and invite your child to touch it with their fingers. Spread a bit of the lotion on the child’s hand and invite them to rub it in and describe how it feels. Describe your movements as you moisturize. Invite them to rub some lotion on your arm, too!
Week 4
This week, model using sounds and descriptive language throughout the day! Talk about your child’s warm oatmeal, pink bowl, or the beep of the microwave. Sing songs with playful language, sounds, and gestures, such as “The Wheels on the Bus.” Notice whether they attempt to copy your words or actions. This is how language develops!
- Mighty Minute
- Sing to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
Bouncing baby on my knee.
Bouncing baby 1, 2,
Bouncing gently, you and me.
Bouncing, bouncing 1, 2, 3.
Bouncing baby on my knee.
Bouncing baby 1, 2, 3.
– If your child is an infant, gently bounce her on your knee as you sing the song. Take special care to support her head and neck.
– For toddlers and 2-year-olds, give your child a baby doll or stuffed toy to bounce up and down as you sing.
