Language and Daily Routines

Language and daily routines go together like pie and ice cream. Learn how to use your daily routines to expand your child's vocabulary and build their language skills. I won't lie, I get to play some pretty fun games when working with the little ones, but cool and/or expensive games are definitely not needed to work on developing your child's language skills. In fact, it's the day-to-day interactions and routines that help the most! Here are a few reasons why:

1. High frequency: Routines generally happen daily, which translates to many opportunities to model language.

2. Predictability: Routines, by their nature, are repetitive. This built-in predictability helps children anticipate what is coming next. Children generally thrive on routines, because they don't need to worry about what will happen next. They know what to expect, which means they can dedicate their cognitive resources to taking in their environment and the words they hear.

3. Pausing: Because of this predictability, including the words that are used at each step of the routine, caregivers can add pauses at "high points" during the routine, to see if the child will fill in the missing words.

4. Turn taking: Being consistent in when those pauses are offered are also part of the routine, allowing the child to know when their turn in the interaction is coming. As the child's language develops, more pauses can be added to the routine to allow the child to take more turns.

5. Choices: Some routines allow the child to make a choice, whether it be when getting dressed, having a snack, or choosing an activity. Choices give children a sense of agency and independence, while also providing additional opportunities for modelling and repeating language.

   
   

Let's take a look at a couple of examples:

Washing hands

It's time for a snack! Sally goes to sit at the table and Mom reminds her "we need to wash our hands! First, we turn the water (pause) ON! Hands in! All wet! Next we need (pause) SOAP! Put soap on. Ready? Scrub, scrub, scrub! Now we (pause) WASH! Wash, wash, wash. Turn the water (pause) OFF. Our hands are all wet, we need a (pause) TOWEL! Dry, dry, dry. All done!

Now let's pretend they've done this routine a few times, so Sally knows the drill. Mom says: "First, we turn the water ...". Mom should wait for 5 seconds, to really give Sally the chance to take her turn in the interaction. Sally might reply: "On!" If she doesn't, that's okay. After the pause, Mom will just finish the phrase and keep going with the routine. "Hands in! All wet! Next we need some ...". Sally might say "soap", she might point to the soap, or she might even just look at the soap, or she might do nothing. If it's the first three, we would acknowledge the communication attempt, whether words were present or not (e.g. Yes, that's right! Now we need SOAP). If Sally doesn't attempt it yet, that's okay! We finish the phrase and keep going with the routine.

Snack time

It's finally time to eat. Sally sits down at the table and Mom holds out two foods and offers her a choice: "Would you like an apple or a banana?". Sally loves apples, so that's what she picks. She may say the word, point to it, or look at it. In each case, Mom should say the word again, and honour the choice Sally made. Next, Mom cuts up some apple slices, puts a few on Sally's plate, and leaves the others where Sally can see them, but can't reach them. When Sally finishes the few she has on her plate, she might point or reach for the other slices. Mom can use this opportunity to model "more" or "more apple". It's important to remember to pause, and let Sally take her turn in the interaction. Mom should put a few more apple slices on the plate, and leave the rest out of reach. While Sally is eating, Mom can describe the apples; how they taste, how they look, if they are crunchy or soft, etc. This should be done until all the apple slices are done. Then Mom can say "all done, grab your plate, put it in the sink".

Each child will learn words at different rates. Some children are cautious and want to make sure they have it right before they try to say the words. Other children are more adventurous and will take their turn, no matter what comes out of their mouth! Some may need lots of repetition, some will need fewer exposures. It is also important to remember that some words will be more interesting for children than others. They will generally learn more interesting words (to them) more quickly than less interesting words. As I mentioned in my post on bilingualism (click here to read the article), two things are important when teaching language: quality and quantity. That is to say that it is important to repeat words multiple times (quantity). It is equally as important to make sure that the words are used in an appropriate context, with the child engaged with the parent in the interaction (quality).

The takeaway:

You don't need fancy games and learning toys to teach your child language. The best thing caregivers can give is their time and attention. Build language into your daily routines and use that repetition to your advantage! Most importantly, have fun! If you feel your child's language is not where it should be, it is recommended to have a speech assessment done to determine if speech therapy is warranted.