Posted: January 15, 2020
The Early Childhood Team would like to hear about your act of kindness. Drop your submissions in the mailbox outside the Early Childhood Room at your school (King Street, Max Aitken and Gretna Green)
Talk With Me
Talk with Me - Early Language Services
Posted: December 9, 2019
On November 20th the Family Resource Centre in Campbellton held an Open House at their new location on 78 Victoria Street to coincide with National Child Day. The FRC invited community partners from the Campbellton Centennial Library, Talk With Me, Parle-moi and others to celebrate the occasion...
Posted: November 28, 2019
5 Toys for Speech & Language Development
“What can I buy to help my child learn to talk?” Check out this blog post from "Mrs. Speechie P" for some excellent toy ideas to help your child development great speech and language skills!
Posted: November 14, 2019
Kevin and Sophie, the speech-language pathologists from the Restigouche and Bathurst/Chaleur regions, respectively, are now certified to offer the world-renowned It Takes Two to Talk® — The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children with Language Delays.
If you...
Posted: October 16, 2019
Hello! I wanted to share pictures of the recent Restigouche Wellness Fair that took place at the Sugarloaf Park on Saturday Sept. 28th. Talk With Me partnered with Parle-moi to share some information with our families along with having lots of different art supplies for children to create whatever...
Posted: October 11, 2019
It's almost time to register your child for Kindergarten!
Posted: September 26, 2019
Every year my kids and I go on a leaf hunt after we read Leaf Man , Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, and We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt. We then make our own Leaf People. So many great opportunities for language!
You and your little ones can:
- Talk about the different COLORS and SHAPES of the leaves
- Talk about the LOCATIONS of the leaves (in, on, under, etc)
- Talk about putting your leaves IN the BAG and POURING them OUT when you are done
- Talk about BODY PARTS when making leaf people
- See post for more!
Remember that for all these activities, that it is the process that is important. Talk to your littles and have meaningful interactions.
Source: www.playingwithwords365.com
Posted: September 3, 2019
Adults can use child-directed speech when talking to babies to help them develop their communication skills.
You may have already heard terms such as “baby-talk”, “motherese”, or “parentese” to describe the way an adult talks to babies. This type of speech helps babies pay attention to our voice so they can better notice the sounds and words we produce. This is important because when babies hear sounds and words repeatedly, they become better prepared to understand and say their first words (which is typically at around their first birthday).
HOW TO USE CHILD-DIRECTED SPEECH:
1. Use simple and grammatical language. It can be one word (e.g. “Up!), a few words “Going up!”, or full sentences (“We’re going up!”)
- How can you tell if it is grammatical? Ask yourself, “Would I say this to an adult?” or “Does this sound funny?”. For example, “Baby want ball” is not grammatical and “Baby wants the ball” is grammatical).
3. Use a “sing-songy” voice while talking. Using a melodic voice sounds as if you are singing while talking!
4. Use a higher pitch. Babies pay more attention to what we say when we speak in a slightly higher pitch!
5. Slow down speech and pause more often. This helps babies hear the sounds and the words in our language!
6. Emphasize key words (e.g. “There’s your BELLY!). Usually, this is the last word in a sentence!
As babies listen to adults speak to them, they may begin making sounds, gestures, or facial expressions in response. When this happens, copying what they do/say or having a "conversation" with them will encourage them to continue communicating!
Posted: August 1, 2019
Reading with your child is one of the best ways to encourage language development. Parents are encouraged to read to their child daily right from birth for at least 15 minutes a day. This does not have to be 15 consecutive minutes but can be broken up into smaller chunks of time throughout the day. Snuggle up with your little one and follow their lead. Read the books they love, even if it mean reading the same book over and over again! Young children thrive off of repetition. Check out the attached document to learn more about the ages and stages of reading.
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 ages_and_stages_of_reading.docx | 15.25 KB |
Posted: July 10, 2019
You,Me and Mother Goose-Spring 2019 at Esgenoopititj Head Start concluded On June 13, 2019. Each of the children will recieve certificates of participation and the one mom who attended faithfully each week will recieve a special certificate of appreciation for her efforts.
Head Start in Esgenoopititj has been a long time partner with Talk With Me and especially of the You, Me and Mother Goose program. The staff have certainly developed an appreciation of the value of ryhme, song and story. They use the same to motivate the children, encourage their development and cement the bond between caregiver and child. For example the Mother Goose standard, Tiny Tim the Turtle, is now included as part of the classroom routine alongside songs like Clean Up, Clean Up to remind children that the day is ready to begin and that toys have to be cleared away. Down on the Corner, a newer song for the group, is becoming a favorite way to introduce the names of children during circle time. Children love to hear their name especially when it is part of a song or rhyme!
Mother Goose at Esgenoopititj is also a unique learning opportunity for me, the facilitator, as I have the opportunity to hear some of the words to our songs and rhymes expressed in Micmac language. Granted not all translate very easily but the children and teachers teach me a word or two as we progress through the program. For example, "muin" the MicMac word for "bear" came up during past sessions and again during this session as we learned the song Grr, Grr Went the Little Brown Bear and Two Little Black Bears.
While the children appear to enjoy most of the songs and rhymes their favourites continue to be the action ryhmes which include lap songs and bouncy rhymes, e.g. Popcorn,Popcorn and Smooth Road; These, I think, are the kind of rhymes that really help encourage the bond between child and caregiver because there is respectful touch, shared laughter, smiles, lots of eye contact and simple fun.
Please find the following words to one of Head Start's favorite rhymes. Just a cautionary note, the heavier the child the more your thighs are going to ache!
With your little one on your knee, your legs stretched out in front...Popcorn,Popcorn sizzling in the pan, Shake it up, shake it up! Bam,bam,bam. Popcorn,popcorn its getting really hot! Popcorn,Popcorn, POP! POP! POP!
