๐ฃTalk in everyday routines and daily activities. Conversations help your child learn new words and how to make sentences. Get your child to help out around the house. Toddlers love simple household tasks: wiping the table, sorting the laundry, tidying up the toys. Keep your little one busy with sorting household objects by size, texture, color: small and big balls, red fruits/green vegetables, rough/smooth objects. etc.
๐๐ฅName the objects you are both using. Label the actions you or your child are doing when playing, walking to the park, or singing. Repeat difficult or rarer words (e.g., frustrated, rhinoceros).
๐Read to children every day. The sooner you start, the better. The more often you do it, the better. Reading books every day promotes the development of strong speech and language skills. Leave books out for your child to look at, both on their own and with you. Read the same books over and over. Visit libraries and get gently used books from garage sales (once the pandemic is over).
๐งธPlay is a child’s work. Play with your toddler in lots of different ways by using puzzles, blocks, sand, and play dough. Promote pretend play. Observe the OPH recommendations regarding socializing with other families. But once the pandemic is over, you may want to go to playgroups, drop-ins, or the park so that your child can play with other children.
๐Avoid screen time. Children learn best from interacting with others around them. The Canadian Pediatric Society recommends: no screen time under the age of 2 years and limit your preschooler’s screen time to 1 hr/day.
๐Want to know if your child if meeting their milestones, use our First Words Communication Checkup. The FWCCU is an online screening tool created for parents and legal guardians of children, between the age of 6 months to 4.5 years, living in Ottawa and Renfrew County, Ontario. You can use this free online screening tool at any time. As a best practice, screen your child’s communication every 6 months.
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