| Imitate |
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- Imitate a baby's babbling
- Do what the child is doing, e.g. building a tower of blocks
- repeat what a toddler has said, even if you didn't recognize any words
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| Touch and Gestures |
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- Touch your child to make sure they are looking at you when you are talking or to get their attention
- Stretch you hands apart to show how big something is
- Point to the things you are talking about
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| Interpret |
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- Say in a proper sentence with real words what a young child is saying with sounds and gestures
- If a child is pointing to a doll, you could say "You want the doll?"
- If a child is putting on a boot, you could say, "Are you putting the boot on?”
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| Name |
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- Name things, animals and people that attract the child's interest: "Ball. That's a big ball!”
- Describe activities: "We are putting on our coats?”
- Give names for feelings: "That’s frustrating. The zipper won’t go up.”
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| Expand |
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- Expand on what the child has said
- Add a little and then wait for a response
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| Ask Questions |
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- Build on what the child has said or done: "How did you get that toy to work?"
- Ask one question at a time... then wait for a response
- Ask open-ended questions that invite more than a yes or no answer: "How did that happen?" "What can we do now?"
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| Use Music and Dance |
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- Sing songs you know and like
- Learn songs from tapes or TV and sing them together
- Put the children's names in the songs and add actions
- Dance to different kinds of music
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| Repeat, Repeat, Repeat |
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- Practice means perfect so count on singing the same song, reading the same book and reciting the same rhyme many times
- Surround children with words describing their daily routine... and yours too
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