An amazing fact is that 50 % of the general intelligence of a 17 year old person will have developed between birth and the age of 4! In the area of speech development a 3 year old is usually able to say 93% of the vowel sounds and 65% of the consonant sounds correctly. Also by this age, 50% of their speech is grammatically correct (“I'm tired”, instead of “me tired”.

This means parents can play quite a large role in their child’s development. This does not have to involve a lot of extra work; everyday chores and playtime can become educational experiences. Here are some suggestions:

• Don’t allow your child to watch too much TV;
  • If possible watch the program with them and when it is over talk about what happened on the show

• Go to the library;
  • For a very young child, check out the picture books. They usually have large colorful pictures with few words. Skim the story before reading it to your child; then tell them the story in your own words.
  • Then ask questions about what you have said. For example, “Do you see that big bear? It’s huge! Look-it’s brown. What color is that other bear? Oh, my! The rabbit’s afraid. Show me the rabbit.
• Simple toys invite using their imagination:
  • A plain wooden truck with no markings on it can be a fire truck one day, a dump truck the next. Blocks can be used to build a castle, or a barn.
  • When you play with your child, constantly talk about what is happening. For example when playing with the plastic horse you can say things such as “The horse is neighing. Oh, oh, he fell down. Help him up. There he goes. Faster and faster. He’s jumping over the fence. What a strong horse!”

• Teach concepts and vocabulary while playing and doing chores together.
  • While doing the dishes you can say, “Put it on top of the plate. Oh, it’s so dirty. Round and round goes the rag. There, now it’s all clean. Dry it really well. That’s better. That towel is such a pretty yellow.
  • Whenever possible, use words that talk about body parts, colors, shapes, fruits, vegetables, animals, transportation (vehicle names) furniture and household objects, clothes, the weather, toys, numbers, opposites and patterns (striped, plaid, plain). Use the name of the category or group if possible too. “That dump truck is a big vehicle!” “I love the color purple”.

TALK, TALK TALK to your child while at play or working around the house; it’s an easy way to increase their understanding and use of language.

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