This week in therapy, I noticed a lot of my toddler’s vocabularies have grown, yet they are still asking for items by using the object's name. I’ve been having conversations with parents on tips and tricks on how to improve this skill. Don’t be afraid to teach your child to say “I want”! It’s not demanding, when it’s from a two year old. Using the word “want” is a great way to expand utterances, work on the pragmatic function of requesting, and more. It is also a highly motivating word as children are always ‘wanting’ things.
You can address this skill in multiple ways:
1.Offer choices. Ask your child do you “want cookie” or “want chip”? If you child responds “cookie”, repeat “want cookie”.
2.Model. If your child uses the single noun to request an object “bubbles” add the word “want” such “want bubbles” before handing the item away.
3.Request. If your child is holding an item ask them for the object using the same language “I want book”.
You can practice this skill throughout the day as we are always requesting items.
1.Bath time- ask which toy your child WANTS to play with
2.Getting Dressed- ask if they WANT the red shirt or the blue shirt
3.Bedtime- ask what story they WANT to hear
4.Mealtime- ask what food they WANT to eat.
5.Play time- ask what toy the WANT to use
Be sure to be okay with either decision when giving options. You do not want your child to make a selection and then withhold that item from them. They could make them hesitant to ask again. Remember, you want to reward their language attempts! As always, have fun with it!
Talk soon, Kim
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