Parents’ Role in Early Childhood Language Development

Language development in infants and young children is a critical foundation of literacy, school achievement, positive social relations and regulating emotions. Language is the key to thought. This is true for all children, including those who are bilingual and those who are deaf and hard of hearing and learning sign language.   This week’s Mom Enough guest, Dr. Susan Outlaw, is Executive Director of Metro Deaf School in St. Paul, Minnesota. She brings expertise in language development, whatever the language of the child and family, drawing on 25 years of teaching, administration, and teacher preparation. Susan offers empowering guidance and practical tips for how to support your child’s optimal language development -- talking to your babies long before they can talk back, reading books aloud and connecting the content to your child’s own life, introducing new words beyond your child’s current ability, playing board games, and making mealtime conversation time. Susan also talks about how to know if your child’s language development is on track or if a professional language evaluation, and possibly extra support or early intervention, might be needed to help the child reach necessary milestones. Marti and Erin are grateful to Help Me Grow, a longtime supporting partner of Mom Enough, for sponsoring this rich conversation with Dr. Outlaw on such an important topic in early childhood learning and development.     WHAT WILL YOU DO TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT?   What are the ages of babies or children in your family or your school, if you are an early childhood teacher? Think of ordinary activities throughout the day for those children. What could you talk about with the children during those times? What word games or rhymes or songs could you make up while preparing a meal, getting dressed to go outside, or tucking a child in at naptime? Think of three new words you could teach children and help them learn to use them in the right situation (like the example Marti gave about teaching Erin the useful word “ambivalent” when she was about three years old).     WANT TO LEARN MORE?   ❉EARLY LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: INTEGRATING LANGUAGE LEARNING INTO EVERYDAY LIFE. Long before children enter formal education, they are constantly learning from parents and other caring adults who interact with them through language stimulation. Before they even begin to speak, babies are making sense of language, building a vocabulary and developing conversational patterns. So, to make sure our children have this important foundation, do we need to be fluent in English, have a house full of books or know formal teaching strategies? Dr. Alisha Wackerle-Hollman shares reassuring answers to these questions and more.   ❉PROMOTING LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN: INSIGHTS AND GUIDANCE. Language skills are essential to academic learning, positive relationships and clear thinking. Parents have a crucial role in promoting language development in children through simple, everyday interactions from infancy to adulthood, whether or not English is the primary language at home and whether or not a child is bilingual. Dr. Maria Sera shares research-based information to help you provide a solid language foundation for your child's needs.