Talk to me Mama
The Gift of Words: How Do Children Learn to Talk?
NCFL Presentation Nov. 2021
Math Talk with Babies and Young Children
Purpose
This website is aimed at increasing the language experiences parents have with their babies and toddlers. We hope the blog makes clear that learning to talk is not the same as learning to read, and that while schools may teach a child to read, moms and other adults at home teach a child to talk. A child’s vocabulary before age 5 is important to success in school, at work, and in life.
Parents may share with each other what works and what their children are learning when they learn new words. (It is not always what we think they are learning!) The blog will explore simple ways for parents to add language to their time with their children. We will focus on easy strategies that don’t take more time, just more words: say-what-you-see techniques, expanding children’s words that name their pre-mathematical thinking, authentic/inauthentic questioning, phonological awareness through singing, and storytelling.