10 Ways To Improve Your Child's Speech
From the moment they are born, it’s important that you engage with your child and support their learning as much as possible. A big part of this is teaching them to interact with others, to communicate and to talk.
If you’re worried about your child’s speech or you simply want to do more to improve their communication and linguistic skills, you’ll be pleased to know there are some simple ways you can do this at home.
This is a combination of strategies, activities and environments that will help your child to thrive. Here are 10 ways to improve your child’s speech.
1. Encourage reading and storytelling
Read to your child as much as you can and take the time to discuss the story with them. For younger children, picture books can be a great way for them to associate words with images and ideas, as well as be visually more enjoyable.
Specifically, make sure to read aloud with them, even when they begin reading for themselves. Reading aloud has been proven to enhance a child’s imagination, linguistic skills and phonemic awareness.
It doesn't matter if your child wants you to read the same book over and over again, they will continue to develop a deeper comprehension of language and vocabulary regardless.
And it’s not just about reading to your child, you should also encourage them to join in and to tell their own stories. You can do this by asking them questions about their day or other books they’ve read.
2. Sing and listen to nursery rhymes together
You can use music and nursery rhymes to make learning new words and practising language fun for you and your little one. Encouraging them to sing along can help them to develop rhythm and pronunciation.
Not only this, but when listening and singing to nursery rhymes, language is slowed down and repetitive, making it much easier for your child to understand. The catchy tunes can also help them to remember the words and encourage them to sing more often.
3. Play games and take part in activities
Playing games and taking part in fun activities is a great way to not just improve your child’s speech, but also to bond with them.
You should focus on language-based games and activities like role play which involves dialogue and pretend. You can also use toys to promote talking, for example, dolls, animal figures, puppets and musical instruments.
Alternatively, play games that involve following directions and responding verbally like board games or charades.
4. Take every opportunity to have a conversation with your child
Even normal daily activities present you with the opportunity to engage with your child and encourage them to participate in conversations with you. For example, trips to the supermarket, car journeys, meal times, walking the dog or the school run.
During these moments, try to avoid going onto autopilot and take the opportunity to have open and interesting conversations. You can introduce new words and themes, demonstrating key phrases that are relevant to them and their lives at the time.
5. Ask them open-ended questions
You might find that by the end of a busy day, you've spent a lot of time talking to your child, but how much have you actually engaged with them?
Simply giving them instructions and asking them to do things is not enough.
So instead, make sure to ask them open-ended questions that require them to respond. This can encourage them to express themselves by saying more than just yes or no. You can then follow up on their responses to keep the conversation going for longer.
6. Practise active listening
Improving your child’s speech isn't just about talking to them, it’s also about actively listening.
Carefully listening to what they have to say and repeating it back to them to show you've understood and heard them can not only support their communication skills but also boost their confidence and make them feel safe.
It can also help to encourage their listening skills too. So practise active listening, giving your child the chance to lead the conversation or tell a story.
7. Limit screen time and be wise with your content choices
We live in a digital age and nowadays it’s all too easy to pop your child in front of the TV or tablet, especially when you've got things to do.
This is not to say you shouldn't allow screen time, but when you do, try to make this as educational as possible, choosing content that promotes learning and language development.
Be careful to limit screen time and encourage more real and fully engaged interaction and conversation instead.
8. Set up play dates or activities
Interacting with other children their age can be an important way for your child to practise their linguistic skills and learn new things. It can also help them to understand how to communicate effectively, listen and interact in social settings.
With that in mind, it’s a good idea to join clubs or encourage play dates with friends or family who also have young children.
9. Give them positive reinforcement
You should always praise your child for their efforts and any improvements in their speech, celebrating milestones and progress, no matter how small.
It’s a good idea to make sure that you respond to them promptly, rewarding them quickly with your attention and conversation, rather than making them repeat themselves or work for it. You can also use gestures like cuddles and high-fives to express your pride and happiness in their abilities.
10. Be patient
As well as making sure your child feels heard, don’t try to rush their linguistic skills or make them feel like you're constantly correcting them.
Yes, you can help them with mispronunciation or misunderstanding, but give them time to see if they correct this themselves. If not, be sure to do it in a way that is kind and educational, rather than dismissing them or making it feel like a criticism.
Don’t rule out professional help
Doing all of the above at home can really help to improve your child’s speech, but if problems persist or you don’t feel you can offer them the help they need, it’s important to get expert advice.
Professional speech therapists can be there to assess, diagnose and treat your child and give you some support in this journey.
Through therapy and these at-home techniques, you can combat any delays or difficulties your child may be experiencing to give them the best chance in the future.
