TALK TIP: Provide choices to your child whenever possible!

When offering choices, present a choice of two items.  Make these choices visual whenever possible by showing your child the two options and holding them up as you name each one.  After you give the choices, pause and wait for your child to respond.  The response may be a reach, a look, a gesture, a sound, or a word.  Repeat the name of the item your child has chosen.

Providing choices encourages children to interact and use words, rather than responding to yes/no questions or not responding at all.  Providing choices also allows you to model the word that you want your child to say immediately before they say it.  This model makes it more likely that they will imitate it!

There are many opportunities throughout the day that you can offer choices to your child.

• At Snack Time: Do you want yogurt or a banana? 
• While Dressing:  Do you want to wear pants or shorts?
• While Reading: Do you want to read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” or “Brown Bear, Brown Bear”?
• While Playing: Do you want to play with cars or blocks?