A Pediatric SLP’s Top Three Favorite Learning Strategies

As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, I am always looking for strategies to promote language in simple and engaging ways that help children build communication skills during daily activities. Here are my top three early language strategies that can be used anywhere at any time:  

Following the Child’s Lead

One of the best ways to promote language for your child is to join in on what they already enjoy. When we follow our child’s lead, we are showing them “I’m interested in what you're interested in.” Try getting on their level, copying their sounds, showing them more ways to play with their favorite toys. When we join in on preferred play activities, we are making communication more motivating, engaging, and fun for everyone involved! If a child feels connected with their communication partner and interested in the topic, they are more likely to want to communicate … Children aren’t that different from adults in that way.

Gestures

Before little ones develop verbal communication, they are often communicating with their faces, bodies, and hands! We can use these gestures to support their language development. By pairing a gesture with a word, we are providing multiple modalities of communication, which increases their ability to participate in an interaction. Try pairing simple gestures with words you are already frequently saying: 

“Bye bye” + waving

“Yay” + clapping

“Open” + opening and closing hands

Pairing gestures with spoken words can provide a child the extra visual support they need to better understand others and express themselves. 

Expectant Pauses

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is … wait! An expectant pause is just a way to provide your child a little extra space to comment on what you are saying or doing. For example, when playing with cars, you might say just as you're about to push the car, “Ready, set … go!”  The waiting can feel long, but that expectant pause gives the child an opportunity to look, gesture, vocalize, use a word, or communicate in any way they can. If they don’t respond, you can model the words and gestures that they can use. 

The best part of all of these strategies is that they don’t require a fancy toy or a perfectly prepared activity. The magic is in the everyday moments. So next time you are getting your child dressed, reading a book, or doing snack time, remember to follow their lead, pause and wait, and pair your simple words with a gesture. Most importantly, make it fun! A child’s language grows best when they feel connected and engaged.