Read books to your toddler. Ask your toddler to point to picture in the book when you name or sign common objects or actions in the book. New Jersey Birth to Three Early Learning Standards. (2013). New Jersey Council for Young Children. Lawhon, T., & Cobb, J. B. (2002). Routines that build emergent literacy skills in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(2), 113-118. Kupetz, B., & Green, E. (1997). Sharing books with infants and toddlers: Facing the challenge. Young Children, 52(2), 22–27.
Receptive language skills, which involve listening and comprehension of language, develop earlier than expressive language skills.
Encouraging and scaffolding toddlers’ attempts to communicate with others helps toddlers see themselves as good communicators and encourages them to continue practising language and communication skills.
Studies have also found it beneficial to have a ‘‘print-rich’’ environment from infancy, with ongoing access to books and reading, as this also helps to develop children’s language ability in later years. Lawhon, T., & Cobb, J. B. (2002). Routines that build emergent literacy skills in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(2), 113-118. Mascarenhas SS, & Moorakonda R, Agarwal P, Lim SB, Sensaki S, Chong YS, Allen JC, & Daniel LM (2017). Characteristics and influence of home literacy environment in early childhood-centered literacy orientation. Proceedings of Singapore Healthcare, 26, 81–97.