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Your
Toddler is a Listener
This is a part of a series of
articles based on the book 'How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability'
by Dr. Lauren Bradway and Barbara Albers Hill
Enhancing existing
listener skills
The idea is to give your toddler
as much aural stimulation as possible. Make her listen to tapes of nursery
rhymes and children songs at home and when driving. You can develop her
conversational abilities by encouraging her to be more descriptive about
her experiences and to explain the things she says. Try to avoid too much
baby talk. Speak to your toddler in using slightly complex sentences so
that she will outgrow baby talk faster. Ensure that your toddler has plenty
of opportunity for social interaction with other children her age. It may
be a good idea for her to join a playgroup and to invite other children
over from time to time. Make her play messenger girl between you and your
spouse, other siblings, family and friends. Make time to read aloud to
her and buy her a picture dictionary that you can go through with her to
expand her vocabulary. Make your toddler feel a part of your daily routine.
Talk to her while your doing your chores and describe what you're doing.
Buy her books that have built-in voices and sounds that can be activated
by pressing certain pictures in the books.
Developing looker
skills in listener toddlers
The aim is to make your toddler more
receptive to visual stimulation and to enhance her ability to visualize.
You can teach her to be more observant. Look at an object together for
a few minutes and put it away. Then you and your toddler should take turns
describing it. Take her for an outing and point out new sights and various
other details to her. Make your child do a little exercise to rest her
eyes. She should cup the palms of her hands over her eyes so that any light
is blocked and then close her eyes for about ten seconds. Another game
will help your toddler to focus. Roll a lightweight ball to each other
and ask her to keep her eyes on the ball. Put off the lights and tell your
toddler a story in the dark. This will help her to imagine better. You
can also play shop with her using pretend money and pretend objects in
order to build her visualizing skills. Give her glue sticks, large crayons,
old bits of paper and felt, plasticine, and washable markers so that she
can indulge her creativity through craft.
Developing mover
skills in listener toddlers
The best way to do this is by encouraging
as much outdoor activity as possible. When playing in the park, toddlers
usually run, jump, and climb and this encourages the development of their
gross motor movements. If you have the space, an inflatable pool is a good
purchase. Make your toddler walk along a two-inch by four-inch wooden plank
with his arms outstretched. Sing and act out the song, "This is the way
we touch our toes…" Pretend that you and your toddler are in a marching
band with instruments like the drums and cymbals to keep time. You can
also march to music with your toddler to improve his coordination. Act
out routine actions like shaving and brushing your teeth and ask your toddler
to identify what you're doing. Make a playhouse complete with "doors" and
"windows" using old cardboard cartons. Crawl inside with your toddler and
play house.
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