Talking with children is at the heart of developing communication skills. It’s up to parents to begin the process and teachers to continue it at school.

Infant/toddlers: If you make a habit of talking to infants and toddlers from the very beginning it makes dealing with them much easier. Talk to them when you are changing diapers, when you are feeding them and about what they are eating, and at night when you are putting them to sleep. Always read to them at night. The studies have shown that children who get read to each night have less learning disabilities than those that don’t, and they do better with reading when they get to school. So read nursery rhymes to infants and toddlers like those found in my book “Teaching with Heart.”

Infants: Make a habit to tell infants what they are doing. And example might be “You’re smiling at me, and I’m smiling back at you.” As they get older describe what you see. “I see you are reaching for the ball, you’re working hard reaching for the ball. I see you got the ball!” It’s particularly important to talk constantly with an infant that is how they develop language. The more you talk with them the more language they develop and that leads to their ability to talk with you and others.

Toddlers: As toddlers develop their language, it’s important to tell them what to do instead of telling them what not to do. Avoid saying “no” all the time. That is one of the reasons they are always saying “no” to almost anything you ask. It is usually the word they hear the most so they use it the most even when they don’t mean it.

Preschoolers: By telling preschoolers what to do, you can cut down of misbehaviors. Usually young children only remember the last word you say. So if you say, for instance, “Don’t run” even if they were not thinking about running you have just given them a great idea! The more you tell them what to do instead of telling them what not to do the more compliance you will get. So say, “Use your walking feet.” Or say, “Walk on your tip-toes or take giant steps or baby steps.” All these directions tell children what to do and are fun ways of walking so the chances of running are almost eliminated.