Let’s Talk: Your Toddler’s Growing Conversation Skills and Abilities

Let’s Talk: Your Toddler’s Growing Conversation Skills and Abilities


Your child is now getting to the age where she will extend her speaking and listening skills into conversations. At 2-3 years old, you will notice that she is asking more questions about new ideas, things that she doesn’t understand or details that she is curious about. She will be interested in talking with you on a variety of topics and may use some of the following strategies to get your attention: she may repeat what you’ve just said, make up a story to be able to join the conversation, or interrupt or even talk over other people in her eagerness to participate.1 She may also ask what seems like a never-ending series of questions, which is her way of keeping the conversation going.2

Because your toddler now has many language skills, such as grammar and vocabulary, she is primed and ready to practice her conversation skills. She has moved from the babble of an infant to a meaningful, and sometimes endless, stream of conversation. However, many children of this age still find it hard to express themselves at times, and if your child becomes frustrated when you can’t understand her, you may encounter an occasional tantrum.3,4

If you can guess at her intention, try to restate what she said to let her know that she is being heard and understood. Saying something like “I see you are really mad! Is it because you wanted to pet that puppy?” will show her that you understand her feelings and are trying to figure out why she is upset. Sometimes, just knowing she has been heard is enough to soothe the most unhappy tot and help restore her calm.5

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Now is the time to include your child in as many conversations as possible.1 Help her form opinions by asking her to make choices, such as asking “Which paintbrush do you want?” or “Would you like to wear the blue or green shirt today?” Ask her questions about books that you’ve read together, what just happened at the sandbox, and how she is feeling about a situation. Involve her in “give and take” conversations by giving her plenty of time to answer your questions. A good strategy is to count to ten in your head before you check in with her for a response.

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your child’s development of Conversations skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

  1. Be inclusive in your conversations.1 Make your child part of your conversations as often as possible. To invite her in, ask her a related question or repeat what she said if she chimes in on her own. Be sure not to talk about her as if she were not present; children are often listening, even when not an active part of the conversation.
  2. Demonstrate your understanding of what your child says. She can easily become upset if she feels she is not being heard and understood. To reduce frustration and tears, try to repeat your child’s statements and requests using clear and calm language to let her know that you heard her and want to understand what she’s saying. If you’re not sure what she wants, ask her to show you by using gestures, drawing pictures, etc.
  3. Use mealtimes to enjoy conversation as a family. Having dinner together has many benefits, including family bonding and the building of language skills. Take this time to tune out of distractions, such as mobile phones, internet, and television, and enjoy one another’s company.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Conversations developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) she has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

  • Carries on a conversation using 2-3 sentences.

 

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Sources:

1Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

2Florida Partnership for School Readiness (2004). Florida Birth to Three Learning and Developmental Standards.

3Marrs, Isa. When Toddler Tantrums Mean Something More. SpeechLanguageFeeding.com. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://www.speechlanguagefeeding.com/toddler-tantrums/.

4WebMD (2011). Managing Your Toddler’s Frustrating Behaviors. WebMD. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/parenting/tc/managing-your-toddlers-frustrating-behaviors-topic-overview.

5Raising Children Network. Toddler Connecting and Communicating: In a Nutshell. Raising Children Network. Retrieved January 8, 2014, from http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/toddlers_connecting_nutshell.html/context/291.

Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee
Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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