Fostering Language Development in Preschoolers: Tips for Parents

Raising Little Learners: Tips from an SLP

Hey there, fellow parents and educators! As a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), I get to witness the incredible journey of language development in young children every day. It’s truly amazing to see how these little minds grow and learn! In this post, I want to share some tips on nurturing language growth that can help you support this wonderful process.

Here are a few tips to nurture those curious minds and support your child’s language development:

Fuel Their Curiosity:

Cartoon illustration of an adult holding an umbrella over a child in the rain, with the child pointing excitedly, symbolizing shared exploration and curiosity. — Following their curiosity and sharing experiences, even in simple moments like a rainy day adventure, can fuel a child’s learning and strengthen your bond.

Children are born explorers! Follow their interests. If they’re fascinated by bugs, head to the park with a magnifying glass. If they love trains, visit the train station and talk about the sounds and the different types of trains. This not only sparks their curiosity but also strengthens your bond, expands their vocabulary, and broadens their world knowledge.

Consider including them in your own interests (at an age-appropriate level) to show them that conversation and relationships are built on shared experiences and mutual understanding. This is a vital step in promoting communication skills

Connect Through Conversation:

Illustration of a boy sitting on the floor, clearly upset, with his head down and arms on his knees. — This illustration of an upset boy highlights why talking about feelings, their causes, and reactions is crucial for children’s emotional and language development.

Give them your full attention: Put down your phone and truly listen to what they have to say. Make eye contact and show genuine interest. This teaches them that their thoughts and feelings are important. They will remember this when they are older, even if it is subconscious. ?
Answer their questions honestly: It’s okay to say “I don’t know!” This teaches them that learning is a lifelong process. Then, you can hypothesize together and look it up, again teaching them how to make “smart guesses” as well as how to find out information.
Talk about feelings: Help them understand and label their emotions. Acknowledge their feelings, even if they seem small to you. For example, “I see you’re feeling frustrated because you can’t build the tower.” One phrase I use a lot is “It’s okay to be angry, but it’s not okay to hit.”
This requires you to dig deep to find the true feeling or reason behind your feeling. So often, we only recognize anger, but in reality it is fear. You aren’t angry because your child didn’t put on their shoes, you are worried that you will be late and the doctor will have to wait on you. And you aren’t angry that your child ran in front of you, but you are scared because your child could have been hurt.

Model Healthy Coping Mechanisms:

Children learn by observing. Show them how you cope with stress and frustration. It’s okay to say, “I’m feeling overwhelmed right now. I’m going to take a few deep breaths and come back to this later.” Model and cultivate those crucial verbal skills!

Nurture Language Development:

Photo of a smiling mother on the floor raising a laughing child up with her feet, symbolizing playful interaction for language development. — Turning everyday play into learning opportunities, like this joyful interaction, helps nurture language development and literacy skills.

Play word games: Turn everyday moments into learning opportunities. Play rhyming games in the car, make up silly stories, have an opposite day, categorize items, or play I Spy. I like to play a version of Hedbanz, where the objective is for the other person to guess with as few clues as possible, and the points go to the describer!
Focus on sounds: Talk about the sounds in words. For example, “Listen to how the ‘s’ sound hisses in ‘snake’.” Talk about how your mouth makes sounds, like “you stick your tongue between your teeth for ‘th’, but it is behind your teeth for ‘s’.” This provides a tactile layer to phonological awareness by helping children connect the sounds they hear with the movements of their mouths. Not only that, it also helps to build a strong foundation for clear speech production, which may support their speech development and potentially reduce the need for future speech therapy.
Explore the world of print: Point out letters and words everywhere you go – on signs, in books, on food packaging. Talk about the logos of brands your child recognizes, and why the logo fits the brand. For example, “why does McDonald’s have a giant ‘M’ as their sign?”

Make Reading Fun:

Photo of a smiling father reading a book to a child, both looking happy, symbolizing enjoyable shared reading time. — Making reading fun through shared moments like this helps build comprehension, critical thinking, and a lifelong love for books.

Read together: Even 15 minutes a day can make a significant difference. Use funny voices, point to the words, and talk about the pictures. Make guesses about word meaning, infer character feelings and motivation, predict what might happen next, and connect the story to your child’s own experiences. These interactions not only make reading fun but also strengthen their comprehension, critical thinking, and expressive language skills.
Use technology wisely: Video read-alouds and interactive reading apps can be valuable tools, especially when you’re short on time or feeling out of energy. The best read-alouds highlight the word as it is written, helping to connect the written word to the spoken word. Even when using technology, make it an interactive experience. Pause the story to ask questions, make predictions, and discuss the story together. Remember to balance screen time with traditional book reading and other hands-on activities.

Take care of health concerns:

Comical illustration of someone snoring loudly, symbolizing the potential link between restricted tongue movement and sleep-disordered breathing. — This comical illustration of snoring is a reminder to pay attention to your child’s breathing during sleep, as consistent snoring can indicate underlying health concerns impacting brain development and learning.

Pay attention to snoring. Snoring is a symptom of an obstruction in the airway that is likely impacting their sleep, which is crucial for brain development and learning. Consult a doctor or dentist if your child regularly snores or breathes through their mouth instead of their nose.
Vision & hearing screenings – it is vital that your child can see and hear the world around them. Make sure their yearly wellness visits include these important screenings. Hearing loss, even mild hearing loss, can affect their speech, language, and even reading. The earlier it is caught, the less impact it can have. Hearing screening might need to be done more frequently if your child has frequent ear infections.
Bite and oral posture – things like an overbite, underbite, or tongue thrust can also significantly impact speech. Make sure your child sees a dentist as soon as teeth begin to emerge.

Don’t Wait, Consult an SLP:

If you have any concerns about your child’s speech, language, or communication, consult with a Speech-Language Pathologist. Early intervention can make a significant difference in supporting those crucial language development years. Even if therapy is not recommended, the SLP can give you tips on how to help at home.

Remember, every child is unique and learns at their own pace. Celebrate their successes, be patient with their challenges, and most importantly, have fun!

By implementing these tips, you’re actively cultivating communication skills and setting your little learners up for lifelong success.

Helpful Links for Boosting Language Learning

Typical Speech and Language Development – American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Ages & Stages – healthychildren.org from the American Academy of Pediatrics
Handy Handouts – great resource for quick tidbits and tips on speech and language

Best Wishes!