Sunday, September 23, 2018

Talk to your Child -- Then Talk Some More

As a new parent, and usually a tired one at that, I knew I should talk to my children but honestly I felt so silly and didn't really know how to do it. 

Here are a few suggestions:
  • Pretend you are narrating a video production of the moment, i.e.: "Oh, I hear a very loud noise, what could that be? I see a garbage truck. Wow!" Going along with this example, I remember quoting the line from Andrea Zimmerman's, Trashy Town: "Dump it in, Smash it down, drive around the trashy town."
  • As detailed in the example above, USE exact phrasing and language from the books you are already reading. From so many readings with her children, my sister could relate Dr. Seuss's entire phrasing, "I will not eat it in a box, I will not eat it with a fox . . . . ."
  • Use lots of vocalization, noises and functional: "Wheeeeee", "mmmmm", "uh-oh"

Happy Chatting!