So, the lower a child’s language score was around age 7-13, the more likely they were to show problem behaviors.

We don’t have to fill every space with talk. There can be down-time in interaction. If your child or baby is playing quietly and intently focused on a task, it’s okay to just watch.

Each time I watch this scene, as her leg ascends into the ceiling and narrowly escapes the raptor’s jaws, I instinctively pull up my own leg onto the couch.
WHY do I do this? Why do we lean left and cringe as the football is headed toward the goal post?
Mirror Neurons

This activity is really great for developing proprioception as well as facilitating pretend play. PROPRIOCEPTION is a fancy word for body awareness, or having an understanding of where different parts of your body are in relation to one another.

The last few days we’ve been discussing benefits of sensory input and learning and development. Research shows us that engaging in sensory input enhances cognitive development 🧠 Appropriate amounts of sensory input can also be calming and organizing for kids, which allows them to better engage in a learning environment🤓 So far, we’ve looked at sensory input for the hands/fingers as well as with eating.
An often overlooked opportunity for sensory input is in your feet!

“Don’t play with your food!” .
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I think I know this phrase so well because it was often directed at me in childhood 😬...we actually had a ‘messy corner’ spot at the table so the mess would be at least somewhat contained 😅 .
...and now I’m experiencing the same frustration as a mom of a um... curious?...toddler 🙈 .
Well, if you have an especially messy eater and you can resist the urge to stop the mess, your child may actually end up being better at picking up new words!

Did you know there are thousands of nerve endings in your fingers??
These nerves pick up information about pressure, light touch, temperature, texture and even help process information about the the edges of objects for fast object identification.

Babies and toddlers are still developing their executive control, which means they will have difficulty shifting attention, maintaining focus for long periods of time, and following directions with more than one step.
This is important for us as parents to know, especially when we are helping our kids learn new things, like language.

Confession: I nerd out over all things brain 🧠I think the brain is so incredibly interesting 🤓 .
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Did you know research shows that recall of information is significantly improved if it takes place in the SAME environment where it was initially learned?? ...it’s called state-dependent learning!

Cooking & baking are a great way to learn new language and functional life-skills! It’s also a great sensory activity!!

eople often wonder if birth order affects how children acquire language...and I find myself wondering the same with baby #2 rolling around in my belly 😅🧐
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Turns out the answer isn’t that simple, but the research reveals some interesting findings!

Reading WITH your child can be an amazing opportunity for language learning. When you read with your baby/child you are not just teaching them to read, you are teaching them the building blocks of language!

...but did you know it is GOOD for babies to put things in their mouth. Babies use their mouths to explore new objects and textures. This helps them develop their sensory awareness. It ALSO helps build tongue strength!! 👅 .

The importance of play cannot be overstated. It is how children learn about their surroundings, develop cognitively, and learn and practice language.

This question is asked a lot and makes so much sense. We know we are supposed to be talking to our kids and telling them what things are called or what we are doing, but if you’re out of ideas these are some important things to focus on!

Labeling is important! Quantity and quality of words matter (Hart & Risley, 1995).

“Dada” is one of the first words a child will speak. In fact, some form of the word “dad” is the MOST common first word (52% of babies in a recent survey by @popsugar). .

Meal time is one of the most natural times to engage in social interaction. When you want to catch up with an old friend or get to know someone new, sharing a meal together is a great way to have a conversation.

Vocabulary is only one area of language, and certainly doesn’t define any child or their full capacity of skills and potential, but it does give some measurement of their expressive language skills at an early age. .