Support your child’s language development at home with easy, evidence-based tips. Learn how everyday routines can boost communication skills naturally.
How do you feel about these sayings?
Home is where the heart is!
Come home to roost.
Home is the feeling of a constant warm hug.
No place like home.
Home is any four walls that contain the right people.
Did you catch the common word in each of those phrases? Right! HOME
We are focusing today on just that! Not how to decorate or DIY. (I wish I was better at that!) Instead, how you can use the supports already existing at home to enrich language development.
Helping your loved one build strong language skills starts at home. Everyday moments are powerful opportunities to foster communication. Whether you’re reading a bedtime story, cooking together, or just chatting during a walk, you’re laying the foundation for lifelong success in listening, speaking, and learning. And, the good news is, it is never too early…or too late!
Here are a few easy ways to support language development at home:
1. Talk Often, Talk Clearly
Narrate your day, describe what you see, talk about a quick “Do you know what I heard?” and respond to sounds or words, even if you are with a child who is not using real words yet or an adult who has cognitive impairment. Frequent, responsive conversations help connect sounds to meaning.
ASHA: The Importance of Talking to Your Child
2. Read Together Every Day
This is a great one for kids, but also the principles can be applied to people of any age. Reading aloud builds vocabulary, comprehension, and listening skills. Choose age-appropriate books and content and ask open-ended questions to encourage interaction.
ASHA: Reading Tips for Parents
3. Play with Language
Songs, rhymes, and word games make learning fun. Repetition and rhythm help to retain new words and practice sentence structure. For older kids and adults, they should not be left out either. Play a board game or a card game! Tell jokes! Puns and dad jokes are great, even though you might get a groan. That funny TikTok reel can inspire a dance party or a laugh and a memory of days past.
ASHA: Language Development Through Play
4. Limit Passive Screen Time
Let’s face it, social media can be a bottomless pit sometimes. Just like everything in life, we have to strike balance and find what enriches and what can pass by. Interactive conversations matter more than screen time. Use media together and discuss what you’re watching or hearing. Of course, for our youngest loved ones, we want to limit screen time, opting for face-to-face and interactive experiences. However, older teens and adults live in an immersion of screens, so find ways to talk, interact, and connect even if there is a screen to turn the passive to active.
ASHA: Screen Time and Communication
5. Model Good Communication
Speak slowly, use clear sentences, and expand on attempts to communicate. Try to use vocabulary that is already known with some new vocabulary or information added or requested. For example, if a young child says “dog,” you can say, “Yes, the dog is barking!” For an older adult whose communication is disjointed, you can further clarify by asking, “Did you mean___?” or “Tell me more about ___”. Try to avoid simple Yes/No questions and opt for more open-ended questions.
ASHA: Tips to Encourage Speech and Language
Supporting language at home doesn’t require special materials—just time, attention, and plenty of communication. To boil it down to a simple analogy, we don’t gain strength at the gym just by going in and standing for an hour. The same is true for language; it is about building strength that can’t be seen in a muscle shirt. Remember, it takes time and intention, but it is worth it!
If you’re ever concerned about your loved one’s speech or language development, a licensed speech-language pathologist can help. Learn more at asha.org
(ASHA is the American Speech Language Hearing Association, a national organization dedicated to making effective communication a human right, accessible and achievable for all.)
Learn more at mtapractice.com
Let’s build bridges, not barriers.
