“What’s that?” is a question that many parents tend to use a lot with their little one.  While it is okay to ask this type of question occasionally, if we overuse it, children can feel like they are being tested and pressured to talk.  As a result, asking too many “test” questions can actually reduce the amount that your little one communicates with you, which is not what we want!  Language development should be fun, engaging, and pressure-free!

Instead of testing with questions, try strategies like:

• Labeling what you see.
• Providing a fill-in-the-blank phrase.
• Adding a describing word.
• Adding an action word.
• Making fun noises and using exclamatory words.
• Describing what the object is used for.
• Stating a fact.
• Etc.