Use the following methods to work with the child to increase their expressive language skills.
| 1. | If your child gets stuck, help him or her express what it is he or she wants to say. |
| 2. | Model for your child. For example: the child wants a cookie. Child says: cookie. Parent asks, "You want a cookie?" and then models "I want a cookie, please." for the child. |
| 3. | Have your child play the name game using things around the house or the car while traveling, such as chair, couch, beach, dog, cat, car, truck, etc. |
| 4. | See how many different types of animals, colors, or shapes they can name designating the group for the child. |
| 5. | Look in magazines and have your child cut out different pictures and put together a picture book categorizing the pictures into like groups. For example: animals, people, places, things, etc. |
| 6. | Put together concept books, for example: size, color, texture, feeling, etc.) in which each page has an object of different sizes, textures, lengths, etc. to help develop use of descriptive words such as big, medium, little, long, short, tall, etc. |
| 7. | Have your child tell you the directions of a game or how to make a sandwich. |
| 8. | Play games that promote the use of language. Such as Simon Says, I Spy, Ring Around the Rosie, Duck Duck Goose, etc. |
| 9. | Involve the child in making shopping lists, grocery shopping, writing a letter to a friend, or creating a birthday card for a friend or family member. Talk with your child about what you are doing and let them help you. |
| 10. | Print out a simple to do list for your child for that particular day and display it. |
| 11. | Sing songs together, read nursery rhymes together, have your child tell you a story. |
| 12. | Have your child copy simple words onto a sheet of paper. |
| 13. | Read aloud to your child. |
| 14. | Have your child take the letters in their name and find other words that begin with the same letters. |
| 15. | Place things out of their reach so they have to ask you for it. |
| 16. | Purposely forget something to see if your child remembers it. For example your child wants some juice take out a glass and the juice but don't pour the juice in the cup. |
| 17. | Give them choices every opportunity you can. |