How Parents Teach By Example

"We often only worry about showing our kids what not to do but what we really should be focusing on is what we ARE doing in front of our children." Here are some tips from expert Speech Therapist, Ivy Schantz on how you can better facilitate your child's learning simply by being more aware of the way you speak.
​By guest blogger, Ivy Schantz M.S.,CCC-SLP

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​During the first few years of our kids' lives we as parents are our kids' role models, teachers and playmates.  The majority of what they learn comes from us. I am not saying that you need to have weekly lesson plans, but be conscious of how you communicate and interact with your children. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

1. How are kids supposed to learn how to play unless you show them? Pick up the rattle, shake it, then put it in their hand to help them shake it. Clap your hands, then put your hands over their hands to help them clap. Have a pretend picnic, drink from cups, cut the food, eat the food and clean up. Push a car around the room, then put their hand on the car to show them how to make the car go, stop, speed up and slow down.
2. The words and sounds children hear are the words and sounds they will learn! Even if they cannot or do not repeat or respond to what you say, it does not mean that they are not listening and learning. Children need to understand words before you can expect them to say words. If you feel like you are talking to yourself all day, you are doing it right! Label body parts as you give your child a bath, name types of clothing and colors as you fold laundry and sing songs as you get your child dressed.
3. Change the way you speak to your child; they sure don't act like an adult so you cannot speak to them like an adult. Use shorter and simpler phrases: “all done apple”, “throw ball”, “big brown dog running”, “mommy drinking water”. These are words and phrases that you can expect children to start saying as they begin to talk. It is ok that these phrases are not grammatically correct, our children are not going to start speaking in full grammatically correct sentences no matter how we speak to them. Also, use varying intonation in your voice to keep them engaged, focused and interested in what you are saying. The more they listen, the more they understand, and the more they learn.
4. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT! Just because you show your child objects, say words or do something with your body once or twice, you cannot expect your child to learn that quickly. It may seem boring and repetitive to read the same book, build the same tower, sing the same song or do the same dance over and over, but they learn something new each time you do an activity. You can add a twist or make a small change to keep yourself interested but don't stop just because you are bored with it.

 
This may sound exhausting and you are allowed to take breaks, but just remember that whenever you are around your children they are watching and learning from you so try to be the best role model, teacher and playmate you can be!

​Ivy Schantz M.S.,CCC-SLP

Mom and Founder of Wellesley Pediatric Speech Therapy
http://wellesleyspeech.com/