Make comments instead of asking questions
Why is making comments a good way of helping children’s communication skills?
Sometimes, when we’re trying to help children with their talking, we might feel tempted to ask them lots of questions. However, this can place unnecessary pressure on children and may actually make them want to talk less!
Making comments about what your child is looking at or doing teaches them new words and sentences. It also places less pressure on your child, and shows them something that they could say in that situation next time.
How do I make comments instead of asking questions?
Try some of our tips below:
For example, if your child is playing with toy animals, you could say the names of the animals or what they are doing, like “that’s a cow”, “the cow is eating”. Try to avoid saying “what’s that?”, because this is a question and it can feel like a test.
If they are playing with cars, you can join in and play with cars too. You can say things like, “we’re driving the cars”, “they’re driving so fast!”.
For example, instead of saying, “What colour is that car?”, try saying, “Oh, that’s a blue car.”
For every question you ask, try making four comments before you ask another question.
Simply pause after you’ve made a comment to give your child a chance to say something back. If they don’t, make another comment, and then wait again.
Where can I find more ideas to help my child’s communication skills?
Have a look at some of our other advice pages:
