Finding effective strategies to develop your child’s language skills doesn’t need to be difficult. At The Child Inspired, our goal is to help your child find their voice. This may involve trial and error as we find the most valuable strategies that work for your family. One strategy that I love to use is called Verbal Routines. These are the catchy phrases or playful songs that effortlessly weave into your daily routines, creating magic moments with your little one.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the powerful tool of Verbal Routines and how incorporating them into your daily interactions can significantly contribute to your toddler’s language development.
The Magic of Verbal Routines
Verbal Routines refer to the consistent use of specific phrases or patterns during everyday activities. These routines create a predictable environment for your toddler, allowing them to anticipate language structures and meaning. This predictability is a key ingredient for language acquisition, as it helps toddlers grasp the patterns and nuances of communication.
Once these patterns become a regular part of your interactions, your child will start connecting words with specific actions and objects, increasing the likelihood of them imitating or incorporating these words naturally.
For instance, during playtime with cars, you might use the phrase “Ready, set, go!” as you push a car across the floor. With consistent repetition, your child will associate this phrase with the activity and eagerly await your words. As you progress, you can experiment by excluding parts of the phrase, such as “Ready, set……,” and observe the joy as your child spontaneously completes the “go!”
Things to Note
Building a verbal routine takes a bit of time, so hang in there and keep the consistency flowing.
Daily Routine Examples
👚| Ziiiip! One foot, two feet.
🍽️| Scoop, scoop, scoop. Mmmm, yummy!
📍| Close the door. Push, push, push.
🧸| Ready, set, go! Put it in, put it in, put it ___!
📚| Turn the page. All done!
🛁| Wash your face (repeat with other body parts). All done!
Practice With Us!
Verbal Routines are a powerful tool for building language skills in toddlers. By incorporating these routines into daily activities, you create a language-rich environment that supports your child’s linguistic development. As parents, we play a crucial role in shaping our toddlers’ language abilities, and Verbal Routines offer a practical and enjoyable way to do so.
If you’re eager to explore more language strategies and engage in hands-on activities, we invite you to join our upcoming playgroups. Together, we’ll discover new ways to enhance language development in a fun and interactive setting. Sign up today and embark on a journey of language exploration with your toddler!
