Daily Routines: Easy Ways to Add Language

Adding Language to Everyday Activities

We frequently hear about language milestones that sound like, “By X age, a child should do Z.” Common milestones include the expected number of words, types of words, and types of sentences. Milestones are important to determine if a child has a delay or disorder, but what can you do to support meeting these milestones? I can help with that!

Let’s talk about daily routines. Daily routines are simply routines that occur… you guessed it, every day! Common daily routines include eating breakfast, brushing your teeth, or taking a bath. These routines are perfect opportunities to model language. Below, I describe three easy ways you can model language to support your child’s language development.

1. Boost Vocabulary

Boosting vocabulary is easier than you think. We can boost vocabulary by using specific language or specific words. Rather than saying, “Use this to wash your body.” Try saying, “Use the soap to wash your body.” When modeling language with your children, it’s important to model specific vocabulary words to support their comprehension and use of a variety of words.

Using specific words is easy if you think about word groups like adjectives, verbs, and nouns. Let’s think about words in these groups for the daily routine, bathing.

Adjectives: dirty, clean, soapy, slippery, fresh, wet, dry, sudsy

Verbs: spray, scrub, rinse, lather, wash, splash, dry, wipe

Nouns: soap, towel, shampoo, conditioner, loofa, body parts, handle

The words above can be used during bath time to expand your child’s vocabulary. It is a lot easier to think of a variety of words when you break it down into categories. Keep this trick in your back pocket for your next bath time!

2. Sequencing Information or Storytelling

Storytelling and sequencing information go hand and hand. Developmentally, sequencing information comes first. The way we start sequencing information is by using “first, then” statements or directions. Let’s try with the same daily routine, bathing.

"First, wash your hair. Then, rinse your hair."

This example sequences two events or actions in a clear way using the transition words “first” and “then.” Once the basics of “first, then” sequencing is mastered, you can add steps or events.

"First, we turn on the water. Then, we add the bubbles. After that, we get in the tub."

OR

"Now, we will use the shampoo to wash our hair. Then, we will rinse our hair in the water. After that, we can drain the tub and dry off."

Don’t forget! When modeling language, it is helpful to repeat what you say. You initially say the sequence before doing the actions. Then, you say each step while you doing the task. After completing the actions, you repeat what happened. This not only models the vocabulary words 3 times, but it also supports comprehension and use of future tense (i.e., “we will wash”), present tense (i.e., “we are washing”), and past tense (i.e., “we washed”).

Stating the events in a clear, sequenced fashion supports your child’s story comprehension and storytelling by modeling how to organize events in the correct order, use transition words (i.e., “then” or “after”), and describe actions.

3. Model Expected Grammar

Modeling grammar sounds overwhelming to many parents, so let’s break it down. Focus on modeling pronouns (i.e., she, he, my, you, etc.), “is” versus “are,” and correct verb tense. Check out the examples for your bathing routine below.

Modeling Pronouns

“You are washing your hair all by yourself”

“I am turning on the water all by myself”

Modeling IS and ARE

“We are splashing.”

“The soap is slippery.”

“The toys are wet.”

Modeling Verb Tense

“You will take a bath.”

“You washed your hair.”

“We are drying your arms.”

Shows how easy this daunting task truly is! Simple, yet critical to supporting language development.

Need help implementing language strategies at home? Email thespotwithmskellie@gmail.com to schedule at home parent education.