Talk with and listen to your child.
When you talk with her, give her time to respond. Be sure to make eye contact.

Respond to your baby's gestures, looks and sounds.
When he puts his arms out to you, pick him up, kiss him and use simple words, such as "Come uppy-duppy" or "Want up?" or "Do you want up?" in a questioning voice.

Integrate conversation into daily activities.
Talk with your baby during diapering, meals and bedtime. "Here we go into the bathtub. Your arms, legs, and tummy are getting all wet. Rubber Ducky is having a bath, too."

Narrate what you do as you go through your daily activities.
This will help your child connect words to objects and actions he experiences in his world. "Mommy's got to wash the dishes now. This sticky soap makes lots of bubbles, see?"

Label your child's activities.
"You are a great clean-up helper!" or, "You are making that tower so tall!"

Communicate acceptance and validate feelings.
"You don't like going to bed. It's so hard to end the fun."

Help your child develop a "feelings" vocabulary.
Provide the words for your child's experience. "I know you are sad because Billy had to go home."

Encourage pretend play.
Children often express feelings more freely when they're pretending. For example, a child may feel more natural talking about teddy bear's emotions than his own.

Make your requests clear, simple, and appropriate for your child's age and ability.
For a one-year-old you can give one-step directions like, "Go get the ball." For an 18-
month-old you can give two-step commands like, "Please go to your room and get your
shoes."

Be a good role model.
Your child is watching you very carefully. If you talk to others with kindness and respect, he will likely follow your lead and adopt your manner and tone as he becomes more verbal.

Take a walk with your child.
Take walks with your child and talk about what you see. Compare big and little houses, different color flowers, different sounds you hear. With a preschooler, ask open-ended questions. "Why do you think the sky is blue?" - "Why do you think birds chirp?" These kinds of questions help children develop good language and thinking skills. Don't worry if you don't know the answers to all of the questions you ask. In fact, this opens up an opportunity to find the answers together.

READ, READ, READ!

.. Cuddle together for quiet times with a book.
.. Encourage your older baby to turn the pages and to point to what she sees.
.. Ask your older toddler how the characters might be feeling and wonder together
what will happen next.
.. Let your child choose the books. This will likely make her more attentive.
.. Allow babies to explore books with all their senses-touching, mouthing, etc.