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Pointing is actually a crucial communication skill, which precedes talking. Pointing shows a child's awareness of the world around him.
Capitalize on whenever your child wants something. If he / she is gesturing or walking towards something, then you can get up to your child's level, make eye contact, and, of course, point.
“Oh, this one?” (Point). This one (point deliberately, making sure your child can see your hand).
Do this each and every time your child requests – so that they understand that pointing is a way to make a request specific, not just answer a question.
We can use our great language acquisition strategy of choices with pointing, by playing dumb a little bit
If your child is gesturing vaguely at something – even if you might know exactly what she wants – feign ignorance.
“Which one did you want? This one? (point) or this one? (point). Repeat 2 more times. “This one (point) or this one (point).
Finally, after practicing a while, you can see if your child can demonstrate the skill himself.
Put two preferred objects in front of your child. Pause for a good 5 seconds. If your child points – praise x 10. “I love how you pointed! Nice job!”
If not – you make the choice for him. “Let’s go with this one.” (Point again).
For a printable checklist, more examples, and a tracking sheet / more ideas about pointing, download the "Toddler Parent Education Handout 5 " on our Teachers Pay Teachers store!
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.