Toddler Speech / Language Tip 1 : Self Talk

One of the easiest ways to teach your baby language is to keep talking – constantly!

To use “self talk” think of yourself as a narrator in a play, or a commentator on a sports game. Narrate everything that you are doing, AND everything baby is doing – in daily routines, and in play.

When a child is a year old, during this talk, you will want to keep the phrases in your narrating at a length of one - two words. When a baby is two years old, you can keep your phrases to two or maybe three words.

This is because this is the level that baby will be able to repeat back to you and process optimally.

For example, if you are making soup, you can describe the steps. “I clean. I cook. I close. I open.”

You can do this when you are cooking, when you are cleaning, when you are bathing your baby, when you are shopping, and of course, when you are playing.

Here are some conditions to keep in mind, though –

a. You need to talk slowly, so that your child can process. If you talk too fast, your child cannot keep up.

b. You need to speak short sentences and phrases. Again, this is so your child can process. If you want to be extra effective, keep your phrases at 1-2 words at a time. For example, “Mixing. Mix. Mix. Mix.” Or “I’m done!” Or “let’s chop!”

c. Follow your child's lead. This is so, so important. Do not try to force your child to play with a certain toy. They will turn away or get frustrated. Instead, see what your child wants to play with. If she wants to bounce a ball, talk about that. “Are you bouncing the ball?” If he is shaking a rattle, talk about that. “Shake shake shake.” If she is pulling your hand, say “pulling? You’re pulling. Pull mama.” Kicking? “Kick! Your feet Kick. Kicking.”

d. Don’t worry if you are saying the same things over and over again. You might be tired of saying “throw” a million times, but your child is not tired of hearing it. Plus, better to really know three words than sort of know ten of them.

e. A note about attention span. Your child's attention is not going to be very high. That’s normal. Don’t get frustrated if he doesn’t stay on one activity or toy. Just move quickly to the next one

f. Designate times Playing with a child is fun… at first. Then it’s a lot of work. This is why it is important to allot time to practice self talk while playing. Just set ten minutes on your phone, really notice what your child is doing and start commenting.

g. Join in! Copy what your child is doing. It’s a surefire way to get them to pay attention to you. Are they pulling at their hair? Pull gently at yours. “My hair. Hair. Pretty hair.”

For a printable checklist, more examples, and a tracking sheet / more ideas about self talk, download the "Toddler Parent Education Handout 1 " on Teachers Pay Teachers!

Happy Talking!

Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.