Talking to communicate with you and others

At age three children can express their feelings, emotions and communicate what they wish or need using language. They quickly learn a combination of gestures and words for communications.

TIPS AND ACTIVITIES, YOU CAN USE WITH YOUR THREE YEARS OLD

• Ask your child to articulate their emotions or that of friends and adults: for example, ask who’s crying: baby is crying!

• Ensure your child understands simple information, such as naming parts of their body, objects in the house, names of people and so on.

• Always provide answers to your child’s questions even if repeat asking as this is how they find out new information: What is that? It’s daddy’s phone!

• Play games that involve acting on simple 2 to 3 steps instructions (i.e. sit down and drink your juice, please)

• Ask your child what’s this or that? As this is a fun way to learn the names of things in the house and familiar places (the phone, Nanny’s house!)

• Play games that involve grasping the meaning of ‘in and out’, ‘over and under’

• Teach your child and ask him/her to say own name and age

• Play words games to help your child verbalise words in singular (I, me) and some plurals (cars)

• Share conversations with others and involve your child using 2 or 3 sentences in conversations