How to Foster Language Development in 3-Year-Olds

foster-language-development-in-3-year-olds

By Siyona Varghese

 

Three-year-olds are at a critical stage in their language development and fostering this development requires intentional effort on the part of parents, caregivers, and educators. In this article, we will explore some strategies for fostering language development in 3-year-olds.

Read, read, read: 

Reading is one of the most effective ways to foster language development in young children. When you read to your child, you expose them to new words and concepts, as well as different sentence structures and grammar patterns. This helps to build their vocabulary and develop their understanding of language. Additionally, reading to your child helps to create a positive association with language and learning.

Engage in conversation:

Engaging in conversation with your child is another important way to foster language development. This means talking to your child, but also listening to her and responding to what she say. This helps to build their confidence and encourages her to express themselves. It also helps her to learn how to take turns in conversation, which is an important social skill.

Use descriptive language :

When you are talking to your child, try to use descriptive language as much as possible. This means using words that describe what you are talking about in detail. For example, instead of saying “That’s a dog”, you could say “That’s a big, fluffy dog with brown fur”. This helps to build their vocabulary and helps them to understand the nuances of language.

Play with language:

Playing with language can be a fun way to help your child develop her language skills. This can include things like singing songs, reciting nursery rhymes or making up silly rhymes and stories. These activities help your child develop her phonological awareness which is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds of language.

Use open-ended questions :

When you are talking to your child, try to use open-ended questions as much as possible. This means asking questions that require more than a yes or no answer. For example, instead of asking “Did you have a good day?” you could ask “What was your favorite thing that you did today?” This helps to encourage your child to think and express herself in more detail.

Encourage storytelling:

Encourage your child to tell stories about her experiences or things she has learned. This helps to build her narrative skills which are important for reading and writing later on. You can also ask your child to retell stories that you have read together, which helps to build her comprehension skills.

Use Repetition:

Repetition is an important tool for language development. When you repeat words and phrases, it helps to reinforce their meaning and helps your child to remember them. This can be especially helpful when your child is learning new words or concepts.

In conclusion, fostering language development in 3-year-olds requires intentional effort on the part of parents, caregivers and educators. Reading, engaging in conversation, using descriptive language, playing with language, using open-ended questions, encouraging storytelling and using repetition are all effective strategies for helping your child to develop their language skills. By incorporating these strategies into your daily routine, you can help your child to become a confident and effective communicator setting them up for success both academically and in life.

References:

By vitalmadevadmin in Development and Milestones 0 Comment

What should be the average height and weight of a 3 year old?

Toddlers come in a variety of sizes and forms, but you may want to determine whether your child is growing and eating in a healthy way.

Some children would be shorter and some heavier compared to their age group children. But they may still be healthier. As long as they are healthy and eating healthy, there is generally nothing to worry. Genetics also play a role. But here’s an article that provides detailed information about the height and weight percentiles of children.

Here’s the full article: https://iapindia.org/iap-growth-charts/

use a different article and not the above. You can also find indian growth charts. you can reference iapIndia.org and cdc/who.

By vitalmadevadmin in Development and Milestones 0 Comment

How much sleep should my 3-year-old be getting?

3 to 5-year-olds need 10 to 13 hours of sleep per night. Some kids might also take an hour-long or a longer nap during the day.

Preschoolers can take a bit of time to settle down and fall asleep. This is a result of them continuing to think about their day even after going to bed.

In the article, the author mentions positive bedtime routines, dealing with nightmares & night terrors, bed-wetting and much more.

Here is the full article: https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/sleep/understanding-sleep/preschooler-sleep#:~:text=Children%20aged%203%2D5%20years,settle%20and%20get%20to%20sleep.

By vitalmadevadmin in Behaviour and Discipline 0 Comment

What can my 3 year old child do?

Your child’s play, learning, speech, behaviour, and movement provide crucial hints about their development. In the article, the author describes the milestones and activities that are expected of a 3 year old child. The author also lists a few easy tips and activities that can help your child learn and develop.

Among them are:

  1. Encouraging your child to solve her own difficulties with your help. Ask her questions to improve your understanding of the issue. Help her come up with solutions, test one, and repeat if necessary.
  2. Discussing your child’s feelings with him and offer him vocabulary to use in expressing himself. Teach your child to take deep breaths, embrace a beloved toy, or go to a quiet, safe location when he  is unhappy to help him handle anxious feelings.
  3. Establishing a few straightforward guidelines that your child can follow, such as using gentle hands when playing. If he disobeys a rule, demonstrate an alternative to him. If your child later complies with the rule, acknowledge and praise him.

You can read the full article here: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-3yr.html

By vitalmadevadmin in Development and Milestones 0 Comment

What to do if my child is physically less active?

building resistance in kids

By Dr. Jetson Satya Gospel

 

Children who engage in regular physical activity have better blood pressure, body mass index, bone density, overall health, academic performance, mental well-being and self-esteem.

Alternately, online activities and video gaming, for example, time spent sitting in front of the television or playing computer games, are connected to heftiness, metabolic disorder, hypertension and lower scores in psycho-social well-being markers like body satisfaction.

Here are things you can do when you notice your little one to be less active:

  • Consult your pediatrician and rule out any physical issues. This is very important.
  • Get the whole family included in making your kid more active. It is a very rewarding method and helps in getting to know each other too.
  • Encourage your kid and ensure that he builds some sweet memories at play.
  • Provide a protected environment.
  • Be a good example: Children who witness their parents continuously enjoying sports and doing real work are likely to do the same.
  • Assist your kid in learning a new game or participating in other active work.
  • Create guidelines with dos and don’ts.
  • Set aside a few minutes for play every day.

I’ve listed some games for kids between the ages of 3-6 below based on my personal experience.

Most activities should be simple, unstructured and play-based between the ages of three and six, although you can start enrolling your child in somewhat structured exercises. It is important to have a range of moderate to vigorous activities. Watch out for the safety of your child in everything.

  1. Swimming
  2. Skating
  3. Stretch exercises
  4. Bicycle riding
  5. Family games but not online

You can keep adding games while being creative and making sure that everyone is secure. This will primarily benefit your child and help them remember your sportive side.

Happy Parenting!

References

  1. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-625-x/2019001/article/00003-eng.htm
  2. https://activeforlife.com/best-physical-activities-for-kids-at-every-age/
  3. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/fitness/Pages/Encouraging-Your-Child-to-be-Physically-Active.aspx#:~:text=Play%20with%20your%20children.,%2C%20hike%2C%20or%20bike%20ride.
By vitalmadevadmin in Behaviour and Discipline, Health and Special Needs 0 Comment

How can I make my child Independent?

How-can-I-make-my-child-independent.

Dr. Dhanalakshmi N.

Ph.D. (N), PG Psychological Counselling, M.Sc. Psychology

Introduction

Around 3 years of age, children start growing more self-reliant and begin to concentrate more on adults and kids outside the household. They start to explore and ask about the things around them even more. Their interactions with their family and their environment will influence how they think and behave, as well as how they express themselves. During this stage, children should be able to ride a tricycle, be able to dress themselves, play with other children, recall part of a story and sing a song.

How can we encourage independence in pre-schoolers?

Set predictable routines

It can come as a surprise, but fostering independence requires establishing a reliable routine. Even brushing your teeth is a routine because there are several procedures that are constantly performed in the same order: turning on the water, rinsing the toothbrush, applying toothpaste, brushing, rinsing, and drying your hands and mouth. Likewise, going outside requires putting on shoes/slippers, packing a snack and so on.

Let your child choose

Involve your child in deciding what to wear, what to play with, or whom to call. Provide two or three options, and then praise their ability to make a choice.

Let your child help

Children love to help! In addition to building independence, this is a great tool for calming tantrums or redirecting behaviour by giving them a sense of control.

Give your child task or responsibilities

Giving kids responsibilities will encourage cooperation and the growth of empathy. Your child can display appropriate responsibility by performing simple activities like gathering toys or placing laundry in the hamper. In fact, you can incorporate these duties into your regular schedule. For instance, helping load the dishwasher or carrying their plate to the sink might be a part of your child’s mealtime ritual.

Let your child solve problems on her own

Allow your child to attempt difficult tasks and handle minor issues on their own. We frequently blame kids for our tension or frustration. We must allow kids to fall while they are initially learning to crawl or walk. Similar to this, we must allow kids to put their shoes on the wrong foot when they are learning to do so. To move your child on to the next stage, wait until they ask for assistance or make a minor suggestion. Don’t forget to give credit to the effort made.

Nurture free play

Independent and unstructured play is very important for development of creativity, problem-solving and independence. Offer your pre- schooler a variety of art materials such as crayons, markers, chalk, finger paints and building materials/blocks.

Things to say when they work/play

  • Offer verbal feedback, when you are giving positive comments about the qualities that you want to foster in your child and making it more likely these behaviours will happen again.
  • Praise your child’s right behaviour. For example, “Good job building up those blocks!” or, “I’m proud of you for replacing the toys in place.
  • Use reflective speech in order to convey to your child that you are listening and comprehending, For instance, if your kid says, “I constructed a tower,” you can respond, “You made a tower, Wow!”
  • Play and interact in ways that are appropriate. This encourages teamwork by rewarding good behaviour with favourable attention, which is the most effective reward. For instance, when your child constructs a tower, you start stacking blocks as well.
  • Explain the behaviour of your child. This reinforces your child’s constructive play and gets their attention. I notice you drew a rainbow, or we’re building a tower together, these are some possible responses.
  • Show Interest while talking with your child. Your interaction with your child feels warmer and more engaging as a result. You may, for instance, speak in a fun tone, speak with exaggerated emotion, and smile frequently.

References

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/preschoolers.html#:~:text=They%20will%20become%20more%20independent,ways%20of%20thinking%20and%20moving.
  2. https://childmind.org/article/how-to-build-independence-in-preschoolers/
By vitalmadevadmin in Behaviour and Discipline, Development and Milestones 0 Comment