Hesperian Health Guides
Preparing to talk
To help your child send messages with his body (gestures)
 Where’s your mouth?
This child is learning that pointing sends a message.
Try playing games that use gestures. | |
| Explain what different gestures mean. | |
 Don’t just cry. If you want to be picked up, Barasa, raise your arms like this. |
 Good going, Barasa, that’s it! |
To prepare your child for learning to talk
I’m washing the floor, Kam San. You can hear the water splash when it hits the floor.
Talk about any work or activities you are doing and how you are doing them.
Here is another example:
 Now let’s pull the mud... |
 ...and poke it... |
 ...then push it. |
| Tobar’s brother is using words to describe a game that Tobar likes to play. | ||
Now give me your other hand.
If you use the words for body parts and common objects over and over in your everyday activities, your child will learn what the words mean before he can say them.
Talk about things you do and about everyday objects.
A child who has difficulty seeing cannot see how other people express their feelings, like fear or joy. He needs help understanding what feelings are. Encourage him to feel your face and his own face to learn how feelings are shown there.
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 That scared you, didn’t it? |
| Talk about feelings and emotions that you or your child experience. | |