Create an LSL Outcome You’ll LOVE

Use Real Words for Real Connections
Using specific words for actions, objects, and details builds meaning around what you’re doing throughout the day. Your child's brain is constantly building connections through the words they hear during the experiences they have. Every time you put words to what you or your child are doing, you’re building their language brain. Record a 5-10 minute interaction with your child. What words are you using? Watch out for words like “this,” “that,” and “there.” These non-specific words don’t expand those brain connections. Instead, make it intentional and specific. “Look, your elephant has a long trunk.”

Expand & Encourage Words
Your child is communicating from day one! Perhaps they coo or babble or kick their feet. This is your invitation to expand on what they’re "saying" by putting it in a phrase or sentence. “Coo” becomes “Well, hello to you too.” When they kick those feet, respond with "Aren't you the happy baby? I'm happy to see you too!" This serve and return process actually encourages brain growth as you put words to your baby’s communication. As they get older and start to talk, it's important you continue the back-and-forth conversations! 

Add Information & Actions 
If your toddler says “truck,” what else can you add? “Your truck can go fast and sloooow.” By adding information, your child can experience new concepts connected to the words they already know. Provide experience with the concepts, taking the time to highlight each descriptive word. For an example of this strategy, try saying and acting out the truck driving “fast” and “slow.”  

Make Connections by Thinking in Word Trees
Your child's brain can make an infinite number of neural connections, helping them to relate words, concepts, and ideas. Think of their brain as a tree with roots and branches that are constantly growing. Promote successful connections and associations during your daily routines by making sure to:

• Add descriptors to familiar words “Our dog has fur, whiskers, paws, and a tail.”
• Put toys away by category “Let’s find all of the animals.”
• Use different words for the same concept (synonyms) “Look those tiny feet! So little and small!" 
• Let one word lead to another concept. “Your truck has wheels. What else has wheels?”

Express Words of Love and Emotion
Your little one experiences a full range of emotions from love and contentment to sadness and frustration - sometimes in the course of 15 minutes. Babies and toddlers don’t have the ability to regulate these strong feelings and can often get overwhelmed. Naming and talking about feelings is an important first step in helping your little one develop emotional regulation over time. Teaching the language of emotion will also help your baby to develop empathy for others and understand that others have emotions different from our own. You can practice this by:

• Naming your baby’s feelings - cheerful, sad, frustrated, scared
• Describing how you or other family members feel
• Identifying feelings of characters when sharing a book