You might not get to spend as much time with your grandkids as their parents do, but that doesn't mean that your time spent together can't be a fun learning and bonding experience with them.
All the games you play with them can be great opportunities for them to learn lots of new words.
In the film below, speech and language therapist Nicola Lathey explains some ways you can help them to listen to and understand new language as you play.
Today we're going to talk about how you can encourage your grandchildren to learn and say new words.
Unpacking the shopping can be a brilliant way to encourage them to taste new foods, but also learn new words. Talk about the food and use a strategy called "Say what you see". Think about what the child is thinking about as they touch the food and you put their thoughts into words. Let's have a look.
What's that? A Banana? No, is that a banana? It's an onion, isn't it? Yeah, you're peeling it. Just drop it down there. Can you peel? You going to peel the onion, a bit?
Your grandchild might also like to have a choice about where they put the items. So, for instance, you might say, "What shall we put in the fridge? Shall we put the yoghurt or the banana? Which one goes in the fridge?"
What's that?
Orange
Orange, yes, an orange. And they can go in the fruit basket with all the other oranges. Put it in there. Thank you. That's great.
A little one that's enjoying themselves and having positive interactions is going to be the child that learns. So get down, join in and have the best fun you possibly can.
An easy way to teach grandchildren words
Everyday activities like unpacking a shopping bag can be a great chance for your grandchild to hear new words and learn to build sentences.
When you take items out of the shopping bag, name each one. Let them hold the items and feel what they feel like.
Try 'saying what you see' - as they look at and feel the items in their hands, give words to the thoughts they might be having e.g. 'That's an onion, you're peeling it' or 'That's an orange, it goes in the fruit basket.'
Children learn best when they're able to take the lead and learn about the things that interest them. It can be a good idea to give them choices, for example, where to put items. So you might ask them 'We've got a yoghurt and a banana, which one goes in the fridge?'.
Plenty of eye contact can help children to engage with an activity, so get down to their level and meet them face to face as you chat and play.
Following your grandchild's lead
Children learn best when you take notice of the things that they're interested in and talk to them about those things as they explore and play.
Using daily routines to teach grandchildren
Everyday activities like washing hands, having meals together and even doing the laundry can all be great opportunities to teach little ones new words.
