{"id":2279,"date":"2016-08-18T12:13:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T16:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/?page_id=2279"},"modified":"2026-02-16T01:23:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T06:23:31","slug":"beginning-to-teach-language","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/beginning-to-teach-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginning To Teach Language"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div>\n<p>Up until now we have been teaching basic nonverbal communication. However, as you move through your day with your child there will be many chances to teach language in a fun way. When we talk about teaching language, we are talking about both speaking and understanding language. We will be giving you lots of ideas for how to teach your child to understand words when he hears them spoken by others. We will also give you ideas for teaching your child to begin to say words.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<p>Very young children like repetition and learn better with repetition. You might want to make a list of simple words to start with (not too many \u2013 maybe start with just 5-10 words). Then use these words as many times as you can throughout the day. Of course, you will still use many other words during the day, but we suggest that you choose 5-10 words to&nbsp;focus&nbsp;on.&nbsp;By keeping them in mind, you will be able to find more chances to use them in ways that will help your child learn them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Talking about what the child is doing<\/strong> can be very helpful in teaching language. For example, you might say, \u201cWe\u2019re eating! Yum! Eating Cheerios.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, remember,<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span> the child must be paying attention to you for this to work well. If you\u2019re just commenting on what he\u2019s doing when he\u2019s not paying attention, he most likely won\u2019t learn the new words you want to teach him. In fact, he may not even hear them at all! He might even learn to tune you out! So, make sure you have his attention first. It usually helps to place yourself in front of your child and close to his eye-level. Be sure to use very simple language and try not to talk too much!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Make sure you have your child&#8217;s attention before you talk to him. It usually helps to position yourself in front of the child and lower yourself to his level. Also, be sure to use very simple language and try not to talk too much!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Using Language as the On-Off Switch for Fun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<p>Remember how we said you could use eye contact as the on-off switch for a fun activity? You can do this with language too. Here are a couple of examples.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<p>Suppose your child LOVES when you pick him up and swing him around. To teach him to understand the word \u201cUp\u201d you can say, \u201cUp?!\u201d in a happy, questioning tone of voice. Then right away use a physical prompt to raise his arms in a gesture that means, \u201cPick me up\u201d or \u201cI want up.\u201d Then immediately pick him up and swing him around, as the mom does in the next video clip.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Juliet-1 1920x1080\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/199161973?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Repeat this several times in a row. Then on the third or fourth try, say, \u201cUp?!\u201d just as you did before. But this time, don\u2019t use a physical prompt to raise his arms. Instead, just wait for a moment and look expectantly at your child. If he raises his arms at all, even only slightly, pick him right up. Swing him around again, saying something like, \u201cUp, up and AWAY!!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Juliet-3 1920x1080\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/199161999?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<p>In this way his \u201cup\u201d gesture is the \u201con switch\u201d for the fun! If he doesn\u2019t raise his arms, you just prompt him again and then continue on as before for a few more tries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<p>If he does raise his arms, great! If not, go back to a physical prompt. Delay your prompts from time to time until you see that he is beginning to do it by himself. If you do this every day for even a few days, your child may soon learn to raise his arms when you say, \u201cUp?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<p>If you think your child is ready, you can start teaching him to say some simple words. Use this idea of prompting and then reinforcing the words he says by immediately doing whatever he has asked of you. This should really show your child how powerful his words are!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example: if your child likes to be tickled, you can teach him a little routine. Say, \u201cI\u2019m going to tickle, tickle, TICKLE you!\u201d Each time you say the word tickle, move your fingers in a tickling motion. Move your hands closer to him each time you say the word. Also say the word a little louder each time, drawing out the suspense. The third time you say the word tickle is when you actually tickle him, as the teacher does in the next video clip.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"23-Teresa-tickle 1920x1080\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/199048295?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make it as much fun and as suspenseful as you can! Once your child becomes familiar with this routine, you will probably see that he is paying special attention to you just before the third time you say the word tickle. When you see him doing this, try to pause and look at him expectantly. See if he fills in the blank and tries to say the word himself! If he does, give him the best tickle ever! Let\u2019s watch that clip one more time. Notice how the little girl looks right at her teacher just before the third \u201ctickle.&#8221; And she even tries to say the word, making the \u201cT\u201d sound!<\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"23-Teresa-tickle 1920x1080\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/199048295?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if your child does not try to say the word \u201ctickle\u201d you can try to prompt him by giving him a model, saying &#8220;tickle&#8221;. You can also prompt by giving him just the first sound of the word you would like him to say; in this case, \u201ct.\u201d If he doesn\u2019t follow your prompt, just pause for a moment, and then start the routine over. Keep doing this fun routine. Try to check now and then to see if your child will fill in the blank. You can check by pausing before you say the word, \u201ctickle\u201d on the third try. Even if he isn\u2019t quite ready to begin saying words, <strong>you are still teaching him that interacting with you is a whole lot of fun<\/strong>. Remember, that\u2019s the most important lesson of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Leave Off the Endings of&nbsp;Familiar&nbsp;Phrases and Songs&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What we just showed you, where you leave off a word and see if your child fills in the blank, is sometimes called the CLOZE procedure. You simply teach the child a routine and once he becomes familiar with it, you leave off a word or two. For example, during dressing, you could say, \u201cSock is on. Sock is off,\u201d while you\u2019re actually putting on and taking off your child\u2019s socks. Then you could say, \u201cShoe is on. Shoe is off,\u201d when you are putting on or taking off your child\u2019s shoes. Then, just afterwards, you could use a hat to practice these words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A hat, especially a cap, can be easily and quickly put on and taken off repeatedly. Do this a couple of times, saying, \u201cHat is on. Now, hat is off!\u201d Tickle the child or do something else that he enjoys, just after you say the words \u201con\u201d and \u201coff.\u201d Do this routine several times in a row, quickly. Then as you are taking the hat off for the third or fourth time, say with a questioning tone of voice \u201cNow the hat is ______.&#8221; Pause while you\u2019re taking the hat off. If you think it would be easier for your child, you can just use the words \u201con\u201d and \u201coff.\u201d Look how much the child in the next clip is enjoying the game.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jake-5 1920x1080\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/199161790?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<p>If the child tries to say \u201coff,\u201d give him another tickle, along with enthusiastic praise. Repeat a few more times with the hat or with other pieces of clothing. Reward any attempt he makes to say, \u201coff\u201d&nbsp;with praise and a tickle. Of course, the tickle is just an example. Some children love to be tickled and others do not. You should reward your child with whatever he&nbsp;enjoys.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<p>You can practice this method with very simple concepts such as \u201cin\u201d and \u201cout,\u201d or \u201cup\u201d and \u201cdown.\u201d Watch how this child\u2019s teacher is beginning to work on establishing a routine for working on the words \u201cup\u201d and \u201cdown.\u201d He really likes it when his teacher builds up a tower with the ice cream cone toy and then knocks it down. He doesn\u2019t yet say the words clearly or by himself, but he\u2019s paying very close attention to the words and the game. Soon his teacher will be able to use the CLOZE procedure to encourage him to make an approximation of the word \u201cdown.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"29-up down 1920x1080\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/199048431?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Songs work very well with this CLOZE procedure too. If there\u2019s a song your child likes and has heard many times, you can leave off the final word, or a familiar word in the middle. Then reward your child for filling it in. If he doesn\u2019t fill it in, wait 3 or 4 seconds to make sure he\u2019s not going to try, and then fill it in yourself as in the next video.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"30-songs CLOZE 1920x1080\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/199048460?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/help-the-child-include-others-in-play\/\"><strong>Next: Including Others In Play<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nUp until now we have been teaching basic nonverbal communication. However, as you move through your day with your child&hellip;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/beginning-to-teach-language\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Beginning To Teach Language&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2279","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2279"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10607,"href":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2279\/revisions\/10607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}