Language Strategy #4 - Following Your Child's Lead

Following a child's lead:  This strategy comes down to being responsive to a child's interests and communication attempts. When a child is attempting to communicate, they are motivated to convey their wants/needs/desires.  The more successful they feel with these attempts, the more likely they will be to continue these initiations. The strategy is simply noticing what your child is interested in and talking to them about that topic.  If your child is coloring, try commenting about their picture, "That is a tall tree." or asking an open-ended questions, "What color are you going to use next?" "Where are you going to draw the puppy?"  You can use following the child's lead in combination with all the strategies that are listed to really promote your child's communication skills.