2 Simple Tricks To Get Your Child Ready To Talk

Use The Same Strategies The Pros Use

Trick #1: Self-Talk

They say talking to yourself is a sign of intelligence. They also say talking to yourself is a sign of crazy.

Either way, talking to yourself in the presence of your toddler is one way to enhance their own budding language skills.

Often called “self-talk” in the speech-language world, this is a strategy best used for children who are not speaking or are just beginning to speak.

Mostly, it’s when you, the adult, describe what you are doing without expecting your child to respond. The best thing about this strategy is that it puts very low pressure on your child and focuses on your child’s ability to understand language rather than express it.

Focusing on your child’s understanding ability (or receptive language ability) is especially crucial for building a language-rich foundation. Your child must have a firm grasp on how language works BEFORE he/she is able to speak it.

When to use Self-Talk?

I like to use this technique when I am doing mommy-directed activities like washing the dishes, doing laundry or even cooking!

But What Does Self-Talk Actually Look Like?

Both of my children like to “help” me do the laundry. So this is how my laundry sessions could go when I do self-talk with my toddler:

Example of Self-Talk

“I’m putting your pants in the washing machine. Now, I’m putting brother’s shirt to wash. Oh, and here are your socks. In they go!”

“I’m pouring the detergent in so our clothes can get clean, clean, clean!”

Notice how I am not asking any questions. It’s very relaxed and I am literally just describing what I am doing. It provides them with context and vocabulary that you could use to build on later.

Sound easy enough, right? Well, here’s another strategy.

Trick #2: Parallel Talk

This related technique is called parallel talk and is similar to self-talk in that it focuses on your child’s receptive language ability while applying very low pressure on your little one.

Parallel talk is when you describe what your child is seeing or doing. Basically, I want you to think radio sports broadcaster.

Broadcasters on the radio are quite adept at painting a picture of the game in your head. They are descriptive and engaging, yet they (obviously!) do not expect you to answer back.

When to Use Parallel Talk?

My favorite time to use parallel talk is when my toddler is manipulating or playing with an object or toy. I also like to use this strategy to help my children understand their emotions and feelings.

Example of Parallel Talk

If my toddler was playing with magnetic tile shapes, I could say:

“Oh, you have two yellow triangles and now you are putting the red square next to the triangles. Look how long you’re making it.”

If my toddler is upset that he is not allowed to pull doggie’s tail, I could say:

“Sweetheart, I know you want to pull on doggie’s tail. And you are frustrated that Mommy keeps telling you to stop. You want to keep doing it.

Who should use Parallel Talk and Self-Talk?

If your kiddo is shy, just starting to talk, or has limited language skills, parallel talk and self-talk would go great with them! These strategies put very low pressure on them.

Low pressure = Less stress

If your child is the one that shuts down if asked too many questions, I would use these strategies to build up their understanding of language (often called receptive language).

Being strong in receptive language can bolster your child’s comfort and confidence which will typically lead to your child imitating you!

Let it be known, that these two strategies can feel a bit awkward at first, keep at it! The more you do it the more natural it’ll feel.

Why I love Parallel Talk and Self-Talk

Do you know what the absolute greatest thing about both of these techniques is?

They can be used to further develop your relationship with your child. Even though you are not asking your child to respond to your voice, you are helping your child to understand the world around them while exposing them to a rich array of language.

Can I get a woo-hoo for quality time?!

Looking for more resources? Check our blog for more useful resources!