Following My Child’s Lead in Play and Interest
“How do I teach my baby to talk?” This is a question parents ask when they are concerned that the hearing loss will delay or prevent their child from learning to communicate. Two important things parents can do immediately include: (1) Putting on the recommended hearing equipment and stimulating their baby’s hearing and (2) Observing what their baby is interested in and attaching sounds or words to that experience. This is called “following your child’s lead.”
When you follow your child’s lead you:
- Show your child how to pay attention
- Learn more about your child’s interests and stages of development
- Discover “teachable moments”
- Get opportunities to match your child’s actions and thoughts or feelings with real words
- Increase your child’s self esteem and confidence
How do you follow your child’s lead?
- Get close to your child
- Observe what your child is doing, thinking, and feeling
- Resist the temptation to direct your child to something else
- Use a sound, word, or phrase that goes with what your child might communicate about that experience
“Following your child’s lead” does not mean letting your child do whatever they want without any limits. For example, there are times when you need to redirect your toddler for safety reasons. There are times when it is appropriate to enforce routines and to guide your child with acceptable choices. Being able stick to your rules and just acknowledge what your child wants to do or how he feels is sometimes helpful in preventing a tantrum.