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How to help your preschooler develop communication skills

Talking with young children is one of the most important ways they learn about their world and themselves. Therefore, it makes sense to participate in as much positive communication with your child as possible.

For preschoolers, those 3 to 6 years old, there are many good ways to encourage communication growth.

According to the University of Missouri Extension Program, the following are good suggestions for positive communications with your preschooler:

· Ask preschoolers questions about their daily experiences. For instance, “Tell me who you played with at child care today?”; “What did you do?”

· Ask preschoolers questions about their feelings— negative and positive. Then discuss the possible reasons they might be feeling they way they do.

· Make sure your preschooler has plenty of opportunities to engage in fantasy and pretend play.

· Make connections between the spoken word and writing with your preschooler. You can do this by labeling simple objects in your home, having your child tell you a story and you write it down, allowing children to write their own stories or thank you notes, or having children collect things from the environment that have words on them (cereal boxes, etc.).

· Don’t interrupt when your preschooler participates in self-talk. It helps the child focus on what he or she is doing.