Help your child understand speech and concepts

Help your child understand speech and concepts Reviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board
Your role

Talking and reading to your child will help him learn good communication skills. Narrating the events of the day and naming objects around the house will help him understand a word long before he is able to say it himself. Word games can be a fun way to build on your toddler's excitement about language; walk around the house taking turns naming as many objects as you can, or construct simple rhymes such as "the pot is hot." Dr. Seuss books are great for this age: Read the toddler favorite Fox in Socks and then help your child construct his own silly rhymes: "the nath is in the bath." And of course, don't' forget The Cat in the Hat.

Resist the urge to babytalk, and provide your child with a good example of how people speak. Also, respond to your child's speech, even if it mostly sounds like gibberish. Try to model a conversational back-and-forth with your child by asking simple questions ("Where is the dog?") then acknowledging your toddler's responses. Don't be too quick to correct him when he makes mistakes.