How Your Child's Language is Growing
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How You Can Help
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| Your child can name objects in books. |
Choose books with clear, bright pictures. Take turns pointing and saying
the names of the objects in the pictures. Ask your child questions as you read
together: "What is the little girl holding?" Praise your child's attempts to
remember the names.
Make sure that your child has some books of his own, and also gets books
from the library.
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Your child begins to ask questions: "Doggie?" "More cookie?" "Can I play?"
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Try to answer your child's questions regularly.
Show your child how to form more complete sentences. When he says, "Doggy?"
you say, "Where is the doggie? He went outside."
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Your child enjoys books; and also learns things about books, such as how
to turn pages and relate stories to daily life.
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When you read to your child, begin by telling the name of the book as you
point to the words on the cover.
Help your child connect stories to her own experiences: "Just like when we
go to the grocery store."
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By 36 months, your child uses 200 to 500 words.
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Continue to hold conversations with your child, always trying to understand
what your child is saying. Show pleasure when your child uses a new word.
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By 36 months, your child understands much of what adults say to her. She
may understand as many as 2,000 to 3,000 words.
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Teach your child new words daily, by talking together and reading books:
"Porridge is like cereal, but it is cooked so it is hot."
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By 36 months, your child correctly uses many more
parts of speech: pronouns, plurals,
past tense.
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Don't correct your child, but sometimes say the correct grammar right
after your child makes an error:
Child: "My foots are cold!"
Parent: "Your feet are cold? Let's find some socks for those cold feet."
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