As you play games with your child, you might be tempted to ask lots of questions about what they're doing. However, they may not always have the answers at this stage.
It's often better to describe what they’re doing as they play, so they hear the words and link them to their actions.
This can work really well during sensory play, as you can describe how things look and feel as well as the actions your little one makes, like the family in the video below.
How asking fewer questions and describing actions helps children to learn
It helps them to:
- Enjoy chatting without the pressure of lots of questions
- Link your words to their actions and learn new words more quickly
- Learn the language they need to talk about what they’re doing
Instead of asking lots of questions as you play, try to describe what they're doing and name and describe the items they're playing with.
As you play, talk to them about how different things feel, for example, 'fluffy cotton wool' and 'crunchy tin foil'. This can help develop and build their vocabulary.
Describe what they're doing with it - 'you're sticking it in the middle of your picture'.
