117: Getting your toddler to speak with Kimberly Scanlon

On this episode of Bilingual Avenue, I chat with Kimberly Scanlon about some of her favorite strategies to promote language development in toddlers! She shares wonderful ideas to help our children express themselves and have fun with language. Kimberly chats with us about: Her professional background and how much she enjoys work with parents of children birth to three year olds;Her book My Toddler Talks all about how to build communication skills in toddlers;How play and language development go hand in hand for children;What parents can take away from observing their child play with their toys;The benefit of creating a predictable routine for children and how they can boost language;The value of doing silly routines with younger children;The benefits of speaking to your child in a sing song manner;How giving your child choices instead of open ended questions can help to get your child talking;How anticipation can get your child to use more of their vocabulary;Some of the mistakes she sees parents make when trying to help their children speak;The importance of asking for help if you have any concerns about your child’s speech and language development;What types of goals parents should make for their children’s language development;Her latest book, “Learning to Read is a Ball”;Her advice to stay hopeful on the language journey!