This activity gives your child a chance to play independently with markers or crayons in a controlled space. Today’s activity: Use a large box that your child can sit inside comfortably to color on the inside of the box.

Painting is fun. It’s another way to practice holding a writing tool and using eye-hand coordination. Today’s activity: Use a small bowl of water for your child to dip the paintbrush in. Paint on colored construction paper or a cardboard box. The wet area turns dark, so you child can make a work of art without a mess. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills.

At this level your child will develop a pincer grip with index finger and thumb, move arm across midline and scribble with a variety of writing tools. Today’s activity: Practice using pincer grip, picking up objects and putting them into a container with a slot or small opening. Use objects like craft sticks, pompoms, corks, paint swatches, scarves, straws, playing cards.

By the end of this level, your child should look at books with you for at least 5 minutes. They need to learn that time with books is pleasant. The trick is to be done before your child starts squirming away. Today’s activity: Gradually increase the time your child will stay with books by making the pages really interesting and doing just a little bit more per page. Touch and name pictures or do an action like driving the truck or a sound effect like beeping.

Children at this level like to look at books on their own. If it’s one you’ve read with them, they will look for favorite pictures or turn pages back and forth. You might hear them talking out loud as if they are reading. Today’s activity: Model how to handle a book every time you read together. Include getting the book and putting it away as part of the routine of using books. Have 2 or 3 books available on a shelf for the child to use on their own.

Children at this level are not able to use all the speech sounds. We want your child to learn that their speech is effective. Don’t make them try to repeat the word “better.” Focusing on articulation is for later, after they are communicating more. Today’s activity: When your child says something, always show that you understand their meaning. You can repeat the word as a way to show that you know what they said. This gives them a good model of the word.

Asking for information is an important function of communication. When you model the question and then the answer, they learn they can go to you to get information. Today’s activity: When you hear a noise, act like you’re listening carefully and ask, “What’s that?” Use the hands-up gesture along with the question. Look around to show you are trying to figure it out. When you find the answer, name it. If you don’t know, model the gesture and words, “I don’t know.”

When your child is interested in something, they are more likely to want to talk about it. They will be interested in the word you use to label it. Today’s activity: When your child is interested in something, get their attention by being excited and asking, “What’s that?” When they look at you, then model the word that names the object.

Your child is learning how to coordinate their movements in more precise ways. For speech, they need to coordinate all the muscles from their chest up to their mouth. They need to control air flow from their lungs, turn their voice on and off, and move their tongue to many places in their mouth. Today’s activity: Take turns blowing a feather or tissue paper back and forth. Make it a fun, turn taking game. Vary it by blowing through a straw.

When your child uses animal or car sounds, they’re expressing a meaning. You understand what they’re talking about. That’s communication. Use your child’s natural interests to engage them. They’ll participate more often and for longer periods of time when they like the topic. Today’s activity: Model animal sounds, machine sounds and other environmental sounds that refer to things of interest to your child. Reinforce their use of the sounds by responding to their meaning.

Put your thumb and fingers together to mime an eating movement. Use lots of modeling before you start to expect your child to use the gesture. Today’s activity: Model “eat” when you are opening the fridge or cupboard to get food. Hold up the food and say, “eat.” Give them the food and say “eat.”

“High five” is a great example of how we shape a new gesture. People naturally make the offer and then wait. Always give your child a chance to make a response on their own. If they don’t respond, then give them a little help to show them what to do. Today’s activity: Use “high five” as a greeting and to celebrate when something fun or good happens. You can throw balls into a hoop or basket and celebrate when it goes in. Encourage others to use the gesture as a greeting with your child.

This gesture is made with both arms, hands up and out to the side. You can include a shoulder shrug. This was introduced in earlier activities when you ask, “Where is…?” You look around and use this gesture as you ask the question. Today’s activity: Model frequently as you search for something. “Where did it go?…I don’t know.” Where is it?…I don’t know.” Ask the question and give the answer with words and gesture.

Hold your flat hand palm up and toward your child. Say the word “wait” as you make the gesture. Model the gesture frequently. Pause or do one short thing and then do something with your child. Today’s activity: Add a “wait” into common activities. You might interrupt an activity like dressing or playing, say “wait, move away briefly to do something then come back. Do this many times during the day to model the use and demonstrate the meaning of the gesture.

The gesture for “stinky” is waving your hand in front of your face, while making a face and saying “Pew!” Its function of communication is to entertain. Many children learn it because it’s funny and memorable. Today’s activity: Use the gesture whenever something smelly occurs. Be dramatic. You can also use it as a comment during pretend play or when reading a book. Or take turns smelling each other’s feet and commenting.

Your child needs lots of models and experience to understand and use a head nod or thumbs up for “yes.” When your child moves their face away from offered food, we shape that movement into meaning of “no.” There isn’t a natural movement that comes up naturally for “yes.” That’s why this gesture takes longer to develop. Today’s activity: When you offer an item, ask “Do you want this…?” If they reach for the object you can say, “Yes,” and model the gesture. Or test our the temp

“My” is a pronoun, another type of word to add to your child’s vocabulary. It’s a word that has a lot of meaning for your child! Today’s activity: Model a gesture (or symbol) as you say the word “my” by placing your flat palm on your chest. When sharing a toy, say, “Jimmy’s turn. My turn.” When your child chooses from 2 offered items, say, “Jimmy’s cheese” as you hand it to him and “”my cheese” as you eat your piece.

The word “more” can come in handy at many times and places to ask for something to be repeated. Model a gesture along with the word. Remember your child needs LOTS of models before they begin to use a word. Today’s activity: Model “more” for requesting objects by having a collection and giving them one at a time. Model “more” for requesting actions when swinging, sliding, tickling, running.

Your child needs lots of your modeling before they express a word. You usually can’t practice today’s word several times in a row (because you’re just all done once!) but your child can experience it a lot during a day. “All done” is considered one word because your child understands it like its a two-syllable word. Both parts have to be there to make the one meaning. Today’s activity: Model “all done” whenever you end an activity or put something away.

Your child needs to learn a variety of types of words—verbs, nouns, adjectives—so they can combine them when they’re ready to make 2-word combinations. Verbs (action words) can be used to describe or request. At this level, you need to do lots of modeling. Your child needs to see and hear the word used frequently before they’ll start to use a word. Today’s activity: Focus on modeling one new verb each week. Keep using the older target words as you add a new one each week.

Your child needs to learn the power of communication and how they can use it to get the result they want. When you consistently respond to their meaning, you reinforce their use of language. Reinforcement strengthens the skill, as they are more likely to use it in the future. Today’s activity: When your child uses a gesture or sound in a consistent way, always respond to the meaning you think they intend. Model gestures or signs frequently to give lots of examples of what they mean and when...

By the end of this Level, your child should express 16 meanings with 16 gestures. When you consistently respond to their meaning, you are reinforcing their use of language. Reinforcement strengthens the skill; success makes them more likely to use the skill again in the future. Today’s activity: When your child uses a gesture or sound, always respond to the meaning you think they intend. Model gestures or signs frequently to give lots of examples of what they mean and when to use them.

An important way to mediate vocabulary learning, is to use short sentences and emphasize a key word. Use any other gestures or support that help your child notice the important object or action. Today’s activity: Use singe words or two-word combinations. Pick one target word for an activity and look for many reasons to use the word when your child is paying attention the item or action.

Children can learn about making choices by building on the turn taking activities. Help your child get used to the idea that choices are limited––after you take one, the other one goes away. The activity also gives you the opportunity to model the words “big” and “little.” Today’s activity: Hold up a small piece of cheese and say, “Little.” Then hold up a bigger piece and say, “Big.” Hold out both pieces and say, “Take one.” When you child chooses, name the size and then eat th