Parent Reading Tips For All Big W Free Books
Big W Free Books PLUS FREE Teaching & Talking Tips Download Printables
Big W is giving away FREE Books for 12 weeks to help impact childhood literacy. To help boost the impact even further SpeechNet is offering FREE Teaching and Talking Tips downloads for each FREE book.
What is inside each Teaching & Talking Tips Download Printable?
- Each Teaching & Talking Tips Download is written in our unique FOCUS SYSTEM Format (What is our FOCUS SYSTEM? See below!)
- Each download is broken down into two levels:
- 1) Boosting Early Words & Ideas for UNDER 24 MONTHS & LATE TALKERS
- 2) Boost Speech, Language, Literacy & Cognitive Development from 24 MONTHS to PRIMARY SCHOOL
- In these downloads you will receive pages++ of information and tips broken down into an easy to read and understand format that will inspire you with ideas that you can put into practice today.
- Use these Teaching and Talking Tips while reading. The download helps boost speech, language and literacy skills while reading
Children's Books Educational Resources
Visit this page each week to download all the FREE Teaching & Talking Tips Printables as they are released!
Teaching & Talking Tips:
Hush Little Possum by P. Crumble
FREE DOWNLOAD
Teaching & Talking Tips:
If You're Happy and You Know It! by P. Crumble
FREE DOWNLOAD
Stay tuned!
More Free Printables to come!
Follow us on Facebook to see when they have arrived!
Keep reading for More Ideas & valuable information!
Teaching & Talking Tips:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
$2
Teaching & Talking Tips:
Where's My Teddy by Jex Smith
$2
What is our Unique FOCUS SYSTEM?
Each letter of the Word "FOCUS" refers to an aspect of communication that is important for communication & learning development.
FOCUS as a word was chosen as itself encompasses what we want carers to do. We want carers to learn the key strategies that help them to "FOCUS" on developing their child's communication and language development at all ages and stages of learning.
The "F" in FOCUS
Simply refers to the over all goals. That is, the "focus" is on communication and it's importance. One or more key learning goals will be identified as the focus for each product or service.
The "O" in FOCUS
It is important that parents and carers Observe children to help determine the child's "strengths and the potential areas that may benefit from a boost". The "O" for observe also means we need to help a child's ability to observe the things, people and actions in their everyday environment so that skill at observing the things they see and hear in their environments. That is, the "Observe" concept encompasses factors that help the carers and child FOCUS on developing Speech and Language at the correct level for their present skills and modelling one level above.
The "C" in FOCUS
Draws attention to the verbal and non-verbal pragmatics or "use" of communication. The "C" in way refers to the Conversation between people. It Helps carers develop and boost Social & Self-esteem Skills in children.
The "U" in FOCUS
Puts the FOCUS on Understanding skills - receptive language skills. Areas that may be highlighted could include: Receptive vocabulary, concept development - logical reasoning, attention skills, following instructions, Blank level of questions, auditory and visual memory skills,
The "S" in FOCUS
Concepts encompassed in this letter involve speech sound development, oro-motor skills, expressive language skills (eg., saying sentences).
The unique FOCUS™ system is at the heart of all our Online Programs, Printables, Books & Apps. It is based on state of the art research and knowledge, and is only available through SpeechNet.
Specific F, O, C, U, and S components appropriate for each stage of development have been developed in detail by Dr Sandra McMahon, Speech Pathologist, PhD for all of our products. These have been systematically developed by synthesising the research and knowledge regarding milestones expected at each stage of development, and methods and techniques known to enhance and optimise development of communication at the different ages and stages. See our Online Programs, Printables, Apps and more in our SpeechNet Shop. Pop & Top beautifully illustrated Sound Adventure books are also available for sale at our Shop.
Online Program
See how Focus on Toddler Talk can Start Boosting your child's Speech and Language today!
Contact Us
Contact us and an experienced Speech Pathologist will answer. We are here to help!
Ideas for Home
Early Intervention Activities, Resources & Ideas for home.
Checklists
Developmental Milestones & Online Checklists
Games & Toys
Educational Games and Toys. With Printables!
Books
Educational Book resources with Printables
Non-Verbal Communication Development in Children: The power of the point
Non-Verbal Communication Development in Children: The power of the point
Who has been bossed around by the power of the point! Did you know that if children do not point from an early age, it can be a red flag for later social and/or developmental delays? A point to indicate something or someone specifically is a key non-verbal communication gesture that parents are recommended to look out for. This simple gesture is a foundation expressive language skill for babies and toddlers.
Children are typically pointing from 12 months of age.
The point has power!
A point can mean:
- Look!
- I want that!
- Not that one, that one
- I want you/ I need you
- That is the same as we saw before
- Oh, you want me to show you I understood you (Where is the dog?)
- And SO much more
If by 12 months children are not using the point gesture for all of these social interactional communication intents, then it is important to see if you can boost or encourage this non-verbal communication skill.
Children’s hearing & vision should always be checked to see if there are any reasons for concern!
If children are crying or whinging for something, then manipulate their finger so they are pointing at the thing you have guessed they want.
At the same time as you take their hand to format this important non-verbal gesture, help them point while saying “you want that ____, show me___”.
Play a game saying – “look” and exaggerate your pointing each time you show them something e.g. the light, the flower, the puppy
If they vaguely reach out or half-heartedly point – reward them for “pointing” by getting excited that they “told you something” – “OH you want the cup!!” Good showing me “and move their hand again into a point to reinforce that is was the non-verbal gesture that was good!
For further ideas on how to boost early verbal and non-verbal communication development in children take a look at our “FOCUS on TODDLER TALK” – it has heaps of video of Dr Sandra McMahon, Speech Pathologist, PhD explaining & demonstrating in easy to understand terms early foundation skills for talking and learning.
Online Program
See how Focus on Toddler Talk can Start Boosting your child's Speech and Language today!
Contact Us
Contact us and an experienced Speech Pathologist will answer. We are here to help!
Ideas for Home
Early Intervention Activities, Resources & Ideas for home.
Checklists
Developmental Milestones & Online Checklists
Games & Toys
Educational Games and Toys. With Printables!
Books
Educational Book resources with Printables
You may also be interested in...
Take a look at our amazing new eProgram!
A Speech and Language Developmental Program that helps get your
Toddler Talking & Learning
From First Words To Long Sentences
Toddler Talk has over 70 VIDEOS - Videos include: Video tutorials with personal voice over, video examples & explanations from Dr Sandra McMahon PhD, Video demonstrations of games and activities taken from actual speech therapy sessions. Video explanations of goals of each activity and explanations at three different ability levels.
With Toddler Talk Receive Resources.... Worksheets, printables, information printouts, scripts, resources.........
Toddler Talk is Available for you to start right NOW!: Delivered to you through the SpeechNet Portal. This educational Online eProgram is available to you right NOW 24/7!
Work through the program when it suits you no appointments needed. You will have full 24/7 access to the eProgram for 12 months from the date of purchase. Let's get started TODAY!
Why is my 2 year old not talking yet in sentences?
Why is my 2 year old not talking yet in sentences?
2 year old not talking yet in sentences even though saying lots of single words? A large expressive vocabulary burst is typically seen when a child is between 18 months and when they become a two year old. Once approximately 50 spontaneously spoken words are reached, toddlers tend to begin talking in 2 and 3 words sentences. The 50 words however have to come from a range of word categories from things (mum’s bag), actions (mum eat), describing words (yukky) to social modifiers (Ta, here, me, Hello) for sentences to emerge.
Expressive language in the baby period is known for the start of the first set of clear words that can be functionally used by the baby to Express themselves. Expressive language in the toddler period is then about expanding this spoken vocabulary and it is the beginning of children joining words together to portray more meanings than single words on their own can do. If a two year old is not saying 2 words in a sentence or phrase they may be at risk of being a late talker.
Some two year old children can have 50 or even 500 words but are still not using 2-words or 3 words in sentences. When this happens, it is important to consider:
Speech Intelligibility
Expressive language in the toddler period can be closely linked to early speech development. Some children find it difficult to build their sentences when people are not even understanding their single word attempts. Speech delays can impact on grammatical development which is an important aspect of expressive language development. For example, the /s/ sound is important for sentence development. The /s/ sound indicates how many (cat vs cats), ownership (Dad’s keys, tells us an action is happening “The boy’s running”). While two year old children might not be able to say the /s/ sound 100% correctly, they will often have an approximation of the sound to mark grammatical words.
Communicative Intent
One question to ask is whether the two year old or older child is using their spoken words for a range of social needs (e.g., asking questions, telling you things, commenting, rejecting, requesting objects, requesting actions). As social language builds the children need to develop sentences to help express their new ideas. If a child’s social language is not developing (e.g., early signs of autism) to age expected levels, they may not have the drive to build sentence skills.
The Type or Range of Words Being Said May Be Too Narrow
If a 2 year old or older children only say “thing words” (i.e. names objects such as nose, eyes, ball, cup, table, car) it is hard for them to formulate early sentences. You can express a meaning of ownership with two thing words (e.g., car key) however without action words, describing words, pronouns it is hard for them to build their expressive language skills. Just saying “ball” can not express as much even 2-word sentences (kick ball, my ball, bounce ball, big ball, where ball).
How can I check if these skills are developing enough to support a Toddler’s Expressive Language Skills?
- Speech Development - Check out our speech sounds checklists here
- Communication Intent - This is covered in our Speech Therapy Based Online Program FOCUS ON TODDLER TALK!
- Number & Range of Spoken Words – The spoken word counter has pictures and videos that you can show your toddler to see just how many words they have. This online checklist will add up the number of words across a range categories so you can see if your toddler is using a range of words they can use to combine into sentences.
- If you are concerned about a child’s expressive language development it is important to talk to your doctor, paediatrician and/or a child speech pathologist.
Online Program
See how Focus on Toddler Talk can Start Boosting your child's Speech and Language today!
Contact Us
Contact us and an experienced Speech Pathologist will answer. We are here to help!
Ideas for Home
Early Intervention Activities, Resources & Ideas for home.
Checklists
Developmental Milestones & Online Checklists
Games & Toys
Educational Games and Toys. With Printables!
Books
Educational Book resources with Printables
You may also be interested in...
Take a look at our amazing new eProgram!
A Speech and Language Developmental Program that helps get your
Toddler Talking & Learning
From First Words To Long Sentences
Toddler Talk has over 70 VIDEOS - Videos include: Video tutorials with personal voice over, video examples & explanations from Dr Sandra McMahon PhD, Video demonstrations of games and activities taken from actual speech therapy sessions. Video explanations of goals of each activity and explanations at three different ability levels.
With Toddler Talk Receive Resources.... Worksheets, printables, information printouts, scripts, resources.........
Toddler Talk is Available for you to start right NOW!: Delivered to you through the SpeechNet Portal. This educational Online eProgram is available to you right NOW 24/7!
Work through the program when it suits you no appointments needed. You will have full 24/7 access to the eProgram for 12 months from the date of purchase. Let's get started TODAY!
Toddler Activities: Encouraging Questions Through Play
Toddler Activities: Encouraging Questions Through Play
FOCUS: Train sets
Toddler Activities - encouraging questions through play. Wooden and metal toys resembling trains were first made in Europe in the 1860s and they have never stop delighting generation after generation ever since. They are likely to be in nearly every speech therapy and early child care centre.
Why? The answer is easy.
Train sets no matter if they are wooden or electronic are great fun and bursting with learning potential. From fine motor skills (putting tracks and trains together), first sound play (choo choo), complex ideas (“if we put the bridge here we can attach the curved track so that ……”) and imaginative play (“Let’s pretend the train didn’t stop at the station so …..”). There are video series and books galore about trains allowing you to role play the stories watched or read.
oBSERVE
How interested is your child in trains in general. What is
it that they like? Is it that they like to build the set, watch the trains go,
imaginative play, the love of the train characters? Is it all of these. By watching
what type of play with the trains encourage more vocalisations or words, you can
adapt your play to match their particular interests. It can be easy for
adults or older children to take over the construction of complex sets. It is
important to find a balance between letting them experiment and showing them
how pieces can go together.
Communicating with others
Building a train set can require “team work”. Listening to
each other’s suggestions and reasons for putting pieces together is important.
Countering with different ideas can be stressful for some children if they like
to do things “their way”. Taking turns to decide where pieces go or demonstrating but
not insisting of changes can provide chances to grow team building skills. In
addition building some of these complex train sets can be hard work and so it can build resilience! Train and car sets can also encourage
children to identify and find ways to “ask” for help.
understanding of language comes before talking
Language skills can be boosted while setting up the trainsets
and/or playing with he ready-made one – OH that is why it is OK that the play room is often taken up with train sets and train tables!
Linking early literacy awareness can be achieved when setting up a train or car set.
The way to do this is by pointing out to a toddler the instructions (this is a particularly good idea when there are pictures in the instructions). Even pointing to the picture on the box that they can copy when constructing are early literacy skills.
The link
to the “written material” to actions they are interested in can lay foundations
for a love of reading. By seeing how good the track can be when the instructions are followed, highlights the importance of learning to ready.
Involving children in the construction is a great way to build auditory attention and the ability to follow instructions.
These can be as easy or as difficult as your toddler can cope with (e.g., “more, more track, more, pass me more track” to “If the next piece is a curved piece then put two more curved pieces together before you add a straight piece”).
In our FREE DOWNLOAD – HOW TO GROW
INSTRUCTIONS AS YOUR TODDLER’S LANGUAGE GROWS – I provide you with examples of
questions from Blank Level 1 questions (Where’s the train?) to Level 4
questions (Why do you think this draw bridge has this lever?). The download gives examples of the types of questions you can use to boost language for children aged between 2 and 5 years of age. The listed questions can be used
when building trainsets, playing with them or reading a story about a train.
spoken Speech & Language
Encourage imitation of fine motor skills by modelling how to join pieces together or how to manoeuvre the trains. Imitation of motor actions (things we do with our hands) generally comes before imitation of speech or words.
Encourage exclamations (“uh Oh” when the trains fall off; “bang!” If the trains crash) and of course all the train sounds (choo choo, toot toot)
Encourage responses to questions – this might be pointing,
miming, sounds, words or sentences. Some children may use a combination all of
these to “answer” a question. See our FREE TRAIN DOWNLOAD to see examples of easier and harder
questions you can ask. You might need to say the answers so they can copy you
first!
Encourage all the words listed in the vocabulary section below
* Thing/Object words: track, engine, station, all the environmental items in sets (e.g. trees, stop signs, lights, witches hats), carriages, cargo, bridges, overpasses, ticket machine
* Action words – rolling, pushing, driving, attaching, stopping, starting, stuck, broken, joining, falling off track, jumped over
* Describing words – colours of the different trains/carriages, fast, slow, tall, short, long, curved, straight, heavy
* Maths words – size, shape, sequencing of steps (first this then second that), longer, shorter, bigger
* Pronouns/people words: he goes here, She is waiting for the train, your train/ my carriage,
* Place words: on/off track, over bridge, under overpass, next to crossing,
*Social words: help (if they can’t work out to set up the track ), thank you/ta, please (asking for more track).
* Question words: Which track?, What is this?, Where does it go?, When the train goes over…?, Who is going to have a ride? Our Train DOWNLOAD in the red box provides ideas of what questions you can ask the child but also praise if you child actually asks you some of these questions.
Online Program
See how Focus on Toddler Talk can Start Boosting your child's Speech and Language today!
Contact Us
Contact us and an experienced Speech Pathologist will answer. We are here to help!
Ideas for Home
Early Intervention Activities, Resources & Ideas for home.
Checklists
Developmental Milestones & Online Checklists
Games & Toys
Educational Games and Toys. With Printables!
Books
Educational Book resources with Printables
Take a look at our amazing new eProgram!
A Speech and Language Developmental Program that helps get your
Toddler Talking & Learning
From First Words To Long Sentences
Toddler Talk has over 70 VIDEOS - Videos include: Video tutorials with personal voice over, video examples & explanations from Dr Sandra McMahon PhD, Video demonstrations of games and activities taken from actual speech therapy sessions. Video explanations of goals of each activity and explanations at three different ability levels.
With Toddler Talk Receive Resources.... Worksheets, printables, information printouts, scripts, resources.........
Toddler Talk is Available for you to start right NOW!: Delivered to you through the SpeechNet Portal. This educational Online eProgram is available to you right NOW 24/7!
Work through the program when it suits you no appointments needed. You will have full 24/7 access to the eProgram for 12 months from the date of purchase. Let's get started TODAY!
SHARE THIS BLOG
With other Parents & Educators.
Tell us in the Comments your ideas for train sets.
Click on the links below to view some of our favourite train sets available from Amazon*.!
Melissa & Doug Stacking Train - Classic Wooden Toddler Toy (18 pcs)
NB: *These are just some examples of train sets and are affiliated links.
Melissa & Doug Stackable Train: Talking with Trains: Sounds. words, questions and more with trains
Everyone can play together with these trains
Red Flags for Receptive Language Delays in Toddlers
Red Flags for Receptive Language Delays in Toddlers
As we noted receptive language delays in toddlers are often missed until they start more formal schooling. To really know if a toddler is understanding spoken words, it is important to recognise when they are being good “guesses” rather than showing that they truly understand a word.
Receptive language delays in toddlers can be masked by their clever “detective skills” of reading the clues around them. Toddlers can guess the understanding of words from clues such as:
The situation
(e.g., “come up” as you pick up the keys and get up to move)
Hand Gestures
(e.g., “get the ball” as you point to the object you were playing with; “give it to me” when you have your hand out stretch to receive the object).
Your eye pointing
(e.g., you may glance at the thing you want them to show you)
Body gestures
(e.g., You may give clues by shaking your head “no” as you ask “Is it a dog?)
Obvious next steps in a routine
(e.g., “Shoes off” when you are getting ready for a bath. Are they following the spoken words in the direction or just “understand” what is expected in that situation)?
Because of their clever ability to read clues, many parents, without realising, attribute higher understanding skills then they really have.
Looking at the developmental milestones for your child’s age will assist in thinking about whether there are receptive language delays in toddlers. Remember the ages listed below are estimates and also very generous.
These are RED FLAGS meaning the child should have had the skills at earlier ages than listed below.
Flag: Not doing what you ask a lot of the time/ Not Following Directions
1 year old
Not Following 1 step Directions
e.g., Give me the spoon
2-3 year olds
Not Following 2 step Directions
e.g., Find your shoes and give me the bag
Flag: Understanding of words is poor or not progressing (poor Receptive Vocabulary)
1 year old
Doesn’t correctly point or look at named everyday objects, toys or pictures
e.g., I see a bird
2-3 year olds
Doesn’t point or look at less common items
e.g., Find the elephant
Flag: Understanding of Concepts is poor or not progressing
1 year old
Doesn’t complete instructions with early concepts
e.g., Put it in vs on
Flag: Ignores or Poor at Answering Questions
1 year old
Not answering simple Yes/No Questions with head shakes
e.g., More cheese?
2-3 year olds
Ignores or makes errors that involve later concepts
e.g., Put it next to vs under the toy car
Receptive language skills are essential for communication because they are foundation skills for learning in all areas of development. Children will present with expressive language difficulties if receptive language delays are not address early.
How to help with Receptive Language Delays in Toddlers
Monitor understanding stills and not just the toddler’s “talking” skills. Keep the “learning” fun and part or your everyday moments. As Toddlers are learning from all their interactions with you grab, some ideas from our “language Moments” video tips for parents, apps and free downloadable ideas.
Online Program
See how Focus on Toddler Talk can Start Boosting your child's Speech and Language today!
Contact Us
Contact us and an experienced Speech Pathologist will answer. We are here to help!
Ideas for Home
Early Intervention Activities, Resources & Ideas for home.
Checklists
Developmental Milestones & Online Checklists
Games & Toys
Educational Games and Toys. With Printables!
Books
Educational Book resources with Printables
More Information on Receptive Language
Our Recent Posts