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Building Conversations
Affirm
to support turns and stretch
download the pdf
 Part
of communication is showing that your partner's ideas are
important to you. You may want to continue a conversation
by encouraging your baby to take another turn. You may not
get the message the first time. You may not immediately
think of a way to respond. You may want to add something
to your response to let your baby know you are interested
and approving.
Tiny babies make lots of funny sounds.
It is not always clear how to answer. As a parent, you have
many ways of showing your baby approval and support.
- You can keep your eyes on your baby
while the two of you communicate.
- You can smile and nod.
- You can let your face show the same
feeling that your baby is showing.
- You can add small words, such as
"yes," or "okay" to your response.
- You can wait expectantly for more
communication.
Let's see some examples of these strategies.
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Did you
notice how the baby vocalized and looked at Daddy? Then
he smiles and answers. He says, "Yeah, is that
right? Uh-huh. What else do you think?" He also
copies her. All of this encourages her to take a turn.
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This
baby really likes to babble. Her mom encourages her
by smiling, looking and making positive comments. They
are having fun with communication. |
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 Babies
and toddlers are not always easy to understand. When they
begin to say words (often around 12 months of age), their
early attempts can change a lot. Toddlers use jargon - a
mix of jibberish and a word attempt or two. In the next
movies, you will see examples of times when babies and toddlers
are not clear. Notice how parents affirm and keep the conversation
going. The little boy has a hearing loss and the little
girl has normal hearing. Notice that all the babies are
unclear at times. Their parents become good meaning detectives!
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Notice
he tries to say, "bee." Mom smiles and then
she stretches his idea, saying, "Is that the bumble
bee?" She gives him chances to practice new words
too. |
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on image to view movie
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When
this little girl "talks" on the phone, she
is producing jargon. It sounds like she is talking,
but the words are hard to understand. The mother shows
interest, and then picks up on the one word she follows
(baby). She says, "Oh, did you see the baby?"
Then she invites her toddler to go back to the conversation,
"Say hello to grandma." |
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on image to view movie
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