The Interaction Coach

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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 Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

Children at this level are not able to use all the speech sounds. They use consonants at the beginning of a word more often than to one at an end of the word. It’s often hard to understand their speech. 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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

Asking for information is an important function of communication. Children learn how to ask questions from your examples. 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.” Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Blowing helps your child learn to coordinate their airflow and round their lips. 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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

When you rchild uses an animal sound or car sound, they’re expressing a meaning. You understand what they’re talking about. That’s communication. Take advantage of your child’s natural interests to engage them in communication opportunities. 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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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.” Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

Send your questions to mail@interactioncoach.com. “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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Your child’s understanding of this gesture comes in handy when your child is older. Help them get used to the idea that there will be a little time to wait but if they are patient you will get to them. 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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

Your child needs lots of models and experience to understand and use a head nod or thumbs up for “yes.” “Yes” is harder to learn than “no.” When your child moves their face away from offered food, we can 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 temperature: “Is it hot?…Yes.” Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

“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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!

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. Learn about the parent course — Help your child talk: Six strategies that boost your child’s communication skills Get the checklists that list all the podcast skills and activities. Help more parents find the podcast—leave a review in your app. Thanks!