Toddler Language and Literacy
After completing an activity please fill out the Activity Completion Log.
Listen and Support
Listen to your child as he begins to express his needs. If necessary, add some words to build on what he says.
Pay attention to feelings that suggest he has a need that he cannot properly express in words.
Take his hand and let him guide you when he cannot convey his need with language. Help him use words to express himself. Such as, “You did need help with the buggy. I’m glad you came to tell me.”
Show patience and support as you work to understand his needs.
Respond to your child’s needs with appropriate attention. At times you will act quickly and decisively. At other times you can offer a leisurely, less intense response. Your reaction will help him gauge the importance of his needs.
Help him think ahead and plan what he needs. Example: “What will you need to take with you when you go to Auntie’s house?”
“Pretend Phone Calls”
What you’ll need:
1) Toy phones/ Pretend phones
What you’ll do:
1) Show your child the phone and what the phone does. Explain what the buttons are for and how they are used.
2) Model talking on the phone and show your child to speak with you using another phone. Engage in a conversation.
3) Encourage your child to have pretend conversations on the phone.
Letter Hunt
What you’ll need:
1) Letters
2) Corn Meal
3) Small container/storage tub
4) An answer key
What you’ll do
1) Pour the corn meal into the small container/storage tub.
2) Hide the letters into and throughout the container.
3) Create an Answer Key by writing the letters on a piece of paper.
4) When your toddler finds a letter they will match it on the Answer Key with the correct the letter.
5) You can change the answer key to lower case letters to have your toddlers match the upper case to lower case.
Teaching Strategies
Listen for the Word
18a. Interacts during reading experiences, book conversations, and text reflections
Why It’s important
Children enjoy listening to stories that have predictable and repetitive words, phrases, and sentences. Through these stories, your child develop word and sentence awareness and feel confident as he reads or recites the familiar parts of the text.
Materials
Book with a repeating word, phrase, or sound.
What You Do
1. Introduce the book to your child. Talk about the cover and ask your child to predict what the story will be about.
2. Read a few pages of the story, and pause at the repetitive word or sound. Emphasize this part of the story by changing your tempo or tone, or by making the sound from the story.
3. Explain to your child that you want him to listen for the word in the story and make the sound when he hears it. Alternatively, suggest that he may listen for a pause and insert the repetitive phrase. When you hear me say the word snore I want you to make a snoring sound.
4. When the story is finished, discuss your child’s predictions about the story. Read the book again, and ask your child to supply the word or sound each time it appears in the book.
5. Encourage him to read the book again at a later time.
6. Use this listening strategy when reading other books. Encourage your child to perform an action or make a sound when he hears a specific word or phrase.
Alphabet Tunnel Play
What you’ll need:
1) Car toys
2) Masking tape
3) Colored cards
4) Markers
What you’ll do:
1) Cut your paper into even cards and then write an alphabet letter on each strip. On one side write a capital letter and on the other a lowercase letter. (Make sure that when you bed the card into a tunnel shape, that the letters are readable)
2) Once all of the cards are written out, tape them to the floor.
3) Have your toddlers grab their favorite toy cars.
4) Talk about the letters as your toddler drives their car under the tunnels. See if they can call out the letter they are driving their car under.