Parents should definitely encourage their kids' attempts at communicating their ideas without knowing the exact words to express them. According to some, the best way to do so is to spend time talking about things that interest the child. It’s all about following the child's lead as they show what they're interested in by waving, pointing, babbling or using words.
When the child starts using words, parents can repeat and build on what they say. For example, if the child says, 'Apple,' moms and dads can say, 'You want a red apple?' When they tune in and respond to their child, it encourages the little ones to communicate.
A great way parents can increase the number of words their child hears -- and learns -- is by simply talking about their daily life. Like, what they're seeing or doing together. The key is to use lots of different words in lots of different contexts. For example, one conversation can revolve around a lush orange tree and the next could be about cutting up an orange for lunch. This helps kids to learn the meaning and function of words.
And from the time the child starts telling stories, parents should encourage them to talk about things in the past and in the future. For instance, at the end of the day, you could talk about plans for the next day by making a shopping list together or deciding what to take on a visit to grandma. Or when you come home from an outing together, you could talk about how it went.
The best part of this journey to raising a mindful human being is hearing those tidbits of wisdom -- like in these tweets -- that they undoubtedly drop along the way.
