Language Tips for Little Turkeys

It’s November and that means one thing, turkey time is upon us! There are many ways to enrich your preschooler’s speech and language skills during this time of the year. I’ve listed some of the most important preschool language concepts and how you can work on them with your child in a fun and engaging way.

Sequencing and Predicting

Prepare your child for Thanksgiving by reading a classic book like “Turkey Trouble” by Wendi Silvano. Reading a book together can help a child get excited about the upcoming holiday.

• While reading, be sure to point out the order or sequence of the story. You can describe the order of events by saying something like, “That’s so funny! First the turkey dressed up like a like a horse, then he dressed up like a cow!”

• Understanding and using early sequencing concepts is important because this is how a child will eventually tell his own stories and understand stories that others tell him or he reads. When he’s older, this is how directions will be given to him in school.

• If your child is an older preschooler, you can practice the concept of making predictions.

• You could ask, “First the turkey dressed up like a horse but the cow knew who he was, so then he dressed up as a cow but the pig knew who he was … I wonder, what do you think the turkey is going to dress up as now?”

Many preschool books are repetitive, so children can start to understand patterns in stories and can make predictions of their own.

Describing

During the big day you can talk to your child about what you’re doing. If watching the parade on television is a tradition, you could talk to your child about what they are seeing on the television.

• This is a great time to work on descriptions. You could say, “Wow! Those floats are very, very big balloons, the balloons we see at birthday parties or the store are so small!”

• Since San Diego tends to be a warmer than New York City, you could talk about cold, warm and hot. You could say, “Yikes! Those people are wearing winter hats, gloves and coats! It must be so cold outside there. I bet it feels like a freezer!” Bring your child over to the freezer and have her feel the inside.

• With descriptions, it’s helpful to use the opposite word to help a child truly understand the language. After feeling the freezer, you could say, “It’s warm inside our house and the oven is on so it’s even warmer, it’s hot!” Bring him to the oven so he can feel the difference in temperatures.

• Descriptions are important because understanding and using these words makes language much more complex and specific.

Feeling

You can talk about the concept of gratitude and thankfulness.

• Be aware that most young children can understand this in terms of favorite items. They may be thankful for their favorite stuffed animal or toy.

• You can explain that being thankful is a feeling. You are thankful because something or someone makes you happy and warm inside.

• You can tell them what you are thankful for and how that thing or concept makes you feel.

• Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to focus on feelings. Emotions are the key to communication and making connections with family members and friends.

Happy Turkey Day!