Enrich your child’s language development.

Your toddler has gone from coos and giggles to actual attempts at words. So give him a rich broth for simmering his alphabet soup of verbal exercises. Many of us know it’s good to read a lot of books to them to stimulate language. But giving him experiences — like taking him outdoors or simple play — are wonderful ways to encourage his budding language abilities.

Pay attention to his cues. See what your child is interested in and there you will find plenty of opportunity. A little nature lover might like going through the park to look at trees exclaiming Look mommy the leaves not green, they’re orange. Use this chance and respond with something like Yes, it’s autumn so the trees’ leaves change color before they fall for the winter.

If your child is interested in something, by all means stoke his curiosity. What you should avoid is foisting too much knowledge on your little one or using concepts that are beyond his comprehension. On the other hand, responding with a “yes” or a “uhumm” won’t add much to your child’s knowledge or encourage his interest.

Show your child that you are listening to — and responding to — his attempts to communicate. Avoid jumping in to correct every mispronunciation or error in grammar. For instance, my daughter once said: “Oh so many shoeses in the store!” I responded: “I can see that too. There are so many shoes.”

Give your budding talker a wider audience for his repertoire of new words. Expose him to other adults and children. Playing with other kids stimulates language skills, especially if he has no verbal siblings to vocalize with.

Nursery rhymes and sing-along songs that introduce simple concepts and repeat key phrases, like “Old MacDonald’s Farm,” can also help to enrich your child’s vocabulary. As she nears age 3, you can start to play guessing games such as “Who am I?” In this game, one person says, for example, “I live on a farm. I’m black and white, or maybe brown, and I make milk and eat grass. Who am I?

So just talk to your toddler, ask him questions… challenge him a bit. Enjoying small talk and conversations with him is great for his language development.

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