Tips To Help Your Toddler Talk

Toddler

oi-Anwesha Barari

By Anwesha Barari

Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 17:34

When your toddler talks, it is the happiest moment of your life. That clumsy toddler speech in which they say 'mama' or 'papa' will be cherished in your memory for ever. Speaking is a pivotal part of your toddler's development and sometimes parents are impatient for their babies to speak.

Ideal Time For Baby To Talk:
Your kid should talk some time in between one an a half and three years of age. Don't get impatient before this time passes and don't be complacent after it does.

But until then here are a few parenting tips to to help you encourage your toddler to talk.

Tips To Make Toddler Talk:

• Talk to your child in proper clear sentences: Baby talk is really funny but it won't be so much fun if the baby doesn't talk at all. You have to realise that your toddler's development is at a stage where they are like 'parrots'. They will imitate whatever you do and say. So if you make childish sounds they will just mimic you and their language won't develop. You have to talk to them in clearly formed words and give them proper instructions.

• Speak one language at a time: This is a very common toddler speech problem now a days. With all the inter-lingual marriages that are happening the child is getting exposed to too many languages at the same time. If the father is trying to speak in English, the mother in Tamil and the grandmother in Urdu then the child will be totally confused! They won't know which language to pick up first and sense that it is safer to keep quite.

• No sign language: When your little one points at something or communicates with you through signs it fills your heart such warmth. But this very sign language is going to delay your toddler's talk. If the child gets comfortable with sign language they will feel no need to put effort into learning words. Do not respond to sign language communication from your kid even if your heart is jumping to. Necessity is the mother of invention. When the toddler realises that he or she will have to talk to get their work done then they will talk.

• Expose toddler to media: Toddler's speech is picked up from things they find interesting and want to say for themselves. May be what you are speaking at home is not interesting enough. Let them listen to some catchy music numbers or watch educative cartoons. Your toddler might actually start humming before he or she speaks!

• Preschool: Talking is not a prerequisite for going to play schools. It works the other way round. While interacting with other preschoolers your toddler might just start speaking!

You need not coerce your toddler to talk. It is a natural process so you are just the facilitator.