We have already seen that adapting our language to the child is very important in language development. Likewise, we also found that it is very important to strengthen and promote communicative exchanges with the child. Let's talk about the different techniques that help the child learn to speak better.
When we are ready to correct the child's pronunciation errors, we must do so tactfully. We will not scream or exalt ourselves. In this way, we will not cause feelings of shame or helplessness in the child's speech.
It is good to encourage the same child to want to talk, as well as strive to do it correctly following the model provided by the environment in which he moves, especially his parents. Therefore, when you say a word for the first time and say it wrong, it is best not to respond in the act "it is not said so!"; instead, it is appropriate to smile as a sign of approval at what our son has told us, and then repeat the word in the proper way.
On many occasions, well-meaning friends and relatives consider the child's incorrect expressions funny (better than not bad or wrong). But the greatest good is achieved for speech acquisition if it is approved when the child speaks correctly.
This does not mean that we should demand that the child speak as an adult from his first word since, obviously, he speaks, thinks and reasons as the child he is. What we are looking for is to improve your expression as you grow, according to the degree to which your parents provide you with the right conditions and opportunities to do so..
We must not forget that at first the child's speech is an imperfect imitation of the adult's speech; The key to getting them to look more and more like are patience and a good example that parents and their environment can give.
To gradually achieve this correct development of the child's speech, without becoming frustrated or embarrassed by his speech, there are a number of techniques that all parents have ever done with our children, but it is not bad to review them.
- Expansion: the adult returns the child's statement by improving and expanding its structure (for example, the child tells us "child glass." The adult can answer "Yes, this glass is from the child").
- Extension: information about the child is added by incorporating related content (for example, the child tells us "child glass" to which the adult answers "it is big").
- Incorporation: a basic children's statement is incorporated into a more complex one (for example: we are telling a story of little red riding hood, and by telling the color our child tells us "strawberry"; we can add it to the story by saying something similar to "Little Red Riding Hood had a red cape like a strawberry, and that's why they called it Little Red Riding Hood ").
- Indirect correction: this aspect is very important, since we respond to an emission of the child with a natural comment that corrects his statement (for example: the child tells us "go by foot" and we comment out loud "how well you play ball ! "). What we do here is to correct what he says, but without being as direct as when he says "It is not said that way" or "look how I do it to do it yourself". With this direct correction, we can generate the negative feelings we talked about before, such as shame or refusal to speak (why should I speak if I do it wrong).
- Clarification Requests: the adult tries to have the child review his production and make an effort to clarify it (for example, the child tells us that "he is going to taste (house)", and since we do not know exactly what he means, we ask him "are you going to sing ? ").
- Use open answer questions: we use elements that facilitate the continuity of the conversation while demonstrating the interest we have for what you are telling us ("what happens now?", "and now ...?"), give the child options to decide ( "Do you want ice cream or apple?"), Broaden the child's mind ("what's going on?", How does this work? ") Or stimulate curiosity (" what? "," Who? "," where?"… ).
- Modeling: We exercise a role of model with the objective that the child imitates this model to establish a certain verbal behavior or correct a previous error. Normally it is done in a situation of interest to the child (for example: we are playing hide-and-seek objects. Once hidden, objects are called aloud while they are searched so that the child imitates us).
- Molding: the child arrives by successive approximations to express a word or sentence. The adult systematically reinforces any approach of the child to the expected behavior (for example: we are playing pomp and the child wants more, but does not express it by speaking. Suddenly, the child says "ma" (or another sound). moment, the adult reinforces blowing to make bubbles while saying "very good!", "more bubbles!").
All these techniques are used daily without us noticing. There is no need to program when to use one or the other; when we get carried away by the situation they will leave alone. Using them properly, we will achieve favor language development.
