Sing songs every day!

Singing songs with babies and older children every day can help them develop their speech, language and motor skills.

Sing familiar songs and rhymes while playing together, while in the car or during walks. Add simple songs to your child’s daily routines such as hand washing, bath time and bedtime. To do this, add simple words (e.g. its bath time, bath time, scrub-scrub-scrub scrub-scrub-scrub!) to a melody and voila!

Try these language stimulation tips:

·         Be face-to-face,

·         Observe what your child says/does and respond,

·         Use gestures and movement,

·         Sing slowly,

·         Change the words to familiar songs (ask your child for ideas)

Encourage your child to participate by stopping and waiting at key points in a song to see if they:

·         take their turn to sing

·         ask you to continue the song

·         request you to go “again”               

Source Hanen.org.

For more strategies: http://www.hanen.org/Helpful-Info/Fun-Activities/How-to-Sing-with-Toddlers-The-Hanen-Way.aspx

For song and rhyme ideas:https://www.youtube.com/user/Jbrary/featured