Welcome back to Non-Stop Therapy! Here we will be introducing strategies to implement during daily routines to increase your child’s language learning.
Today’s first strategy is something speech-language pathologists call “self-talk.” To implement this strategy, simply talk about what you are doing, seeing, touching or thinking while your child listens. For example, “I’m washing my hands. Now, I’m drying them. I washed my hands. All done!”
Remember to use age-appropriate words and phrases. Perhaps your child would better understand even shorter phrases such as “Washing hands. Drying hands. All done!”
Along with self-talk, parents can also utilize a similar strategy called “parallel talk.” To implement this strategy, parents should talk about what the child is doing, seeing, touching or thinking. For example, “Now Michael is washing his hands. He is using soap and water. All done! Michael washed his hands.”
It is important to note that the purpose of self-talk and parallel-talk is to expose your child to language during daily routines. The child is not required to repeat or respond to what you are saying. However, if your child does imitate you, that is a great bonus!