20 Communication Tips Every Parent Should Know

Your daily interactions with your child are powerful opportunities for language development. These 20 evidence-based strategies, used by speech-language pathologists, will help you maximize every conversation, play session, and routine activity to support your child's communication growth.

Foundation Strategies: The Big 5

1. Get Down to Their Level

Physical positioning dramatically impacts communication quality.

How to Implement:

• Sit on the floor during play
• Crouch or kneel when talking
• Use chairs that put you at eye level
• Lie on your stomach for tummy time conversations

Why It Works: Eye-level interaction promotes eye contact, helps children read facial expressions, and makes you more approachable for communication.

2. Follow Your Child's Lead

Let your child's interests guide interactions for maximum engagement.

How to Implement:

• Watch what captures their attention
• Join their play without taking over
• Comment on what they're doing
• Ask questions about their interests
• Let them choose activities when possible

Why It Works: Children learn best when motivated and engaged. Following their lead ensures high interest and longer attention spans.

3. Wait Time is Gold

Pause after speaking to give your child processing and response time.

How to Implement:

• Count to 5 silently after asking a question
• Look expectantly during pauses
• Resist the urge to fill silence
• Show you're waiting with facial expressions
• Celebrate any attempt to communicate

Why It Works: Processing language takes time. Waiting gives children opportunity to formulate responses and builds communication confidence.

4. Use the OWL Strategy

Observe, Wait, Listen before responding.

How to Implement:

• Observe: Watch your child's actions and expressions
• Wait: Give them time to communicate
• Listen: Pay attention to all communication attempts

Why It Works: This strategy ensures you don't miss communication attempts and respond appropriately to your child's needs.

5. Model Without Demanding

Provide language models without requiring repetition.

How to Implement:

• Say words your child might want to use
• Describe your actions and theirs
• Think aloud during activities
• Offer choices with words modeled
• Celebrate when they attempt the words naturally

Why It Works: Pressure-free modeling reduces anxiety and allows natural language acquisition through exposure.

Language Expansion Techniques

6. The Plus One Rule

Add one word to your child's utterances when responding.

How to Implement:

• Child says: "Ball" → You say: "Big ball!"
• Child says: "Go car" → You say: "Go in car"
• Child says: "Want cookie please" → You say: "Want chocolate cookie please"

Why It Works: Provides achievable language models just beyond current ability, promoting gradual growth.

7. Expand and Extend

Build on your child's communications with richer language.

How to Implement:

• Child: "Doggy!" → You: "Yes, the brown doggy is barking loudly!"
• Add descriptive words
• Include emotions and reasons
• Connect to past experiences

Why It Works: Exposes children to complex language structures while maintaining conversational flow.

8. Self-Talk and Parallel Talk

Narrate your actions and your child's activities.

Self-Talk Examples:

• "Mommy is cutting the apple"
• "I'm looking for your shoes"
• "I need to stir the soup"

Parallel Talk Examples:

• "You're stacking the blocks so high!"
• "You found the red car"
• "You're jumping like a bunny"

Why It Works: Provides constant language exposure connecting words to actions and objects.

Daily Routine Strategies

9. Create Communication Temptations

Set up situations that encourage communication.

How to Implement:

• Put favorite toys in clear containers they can't open
• Give small portions requiring requests for more
• "Forget" important parts of routines
• Pause during familiar songs or stories
• Offer choices throughout the day

Why It Works: Natural communication opportunities are more motivating than forced practice.

10. Establish Predictable Routines

Consistency creates language-learning frameworks.

How to Implement:

• Use the same phrases for daily activities
• Create verbal routines for transitions
• Develop special songs or chants for tasks
• Maintain consistent sequence in routines
• Let children fill in familiar parts

Why It Works: Repetition in meaningful contexts supports language pattern recognition and production.

11. Make Every Activity a Language Opportunity

Transform mundane tasks into learning moments.

Examples:

• Grocery shopping: Name foods, colors, categories
• Laundry: Sort by color, size, owner
• Cooking: Sequence steps, describe actions
• Bath time: Body parts, action words, concepts
• Car rides: Spot and describe things outside

Why It Works: Real-world language use is more meaningful and memorable than isolated practice.

Interactive Strategies

12. Use Focused Stimulation

Repeat target words naturally throughout activities.

How to Implement:

• Choose 1-2 target words per week
• Use targets 10+ times during activities
• Emphasize targets slightly when speaking
• Create activities featuring the targets
• Don't require child to say the words

Example with "up": "Let's go UP the stairs. UP, UP, UP we go! Your arms are UP high! The balloon is floating UP!"

Why It Works: Multiple exposures in varied contexts support word learning and generalization.

13. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Move beyond yes/no questions to encourage elaboration.

Instead of: "Did you have fun at school?" Try: "What was the best part of school today?"

Instead of: "Do you want milk?" Try: "What would you like to drink?"

Why It Works: Open-ended questions require more complex language and encourage storytelling skills.

14. Recast Without Correcting

Provide correct models without highlighting errors.

How to Implement:

• Child: "Her goed to store" → You: "Yes, she went to the store"
• Maintain natural conversation flow
• Emphasize corrected part slightly
• Continue the conversation
• Avoid saying "No" or "That's wrong"

Why It Works: Preserves communication confidence while providing correct language models.

Technology and Book Strategies

15. Make Books Interactive

Transform reading from passive to active experience.

How to Implement:

• Let child turn pages
• Point to and name pictures
• Ask prediction questions
• Relate stories to child's life
• Let child "read" familiar books to you
• Create different voices for characters

Why It Works: Active engagement with books builds vocabulary, narrative skills, and phonological awareness.

16. Limit and Leverage Screen Time

Use technology strategically for language development.

How to Implement:

• Co-view programs and discuss
• Choose educational, interactive content
• Turn off background TV during play
• Use video calls with relatives for practice
• Create digital stories together

Why It Works: Active screen use with adult interaction can support language, while passive viewing may hinder development.

Social Communication Strategies

17. Teach the Power of Communication

Help children understand communication's purpose and power.

How to Implement:

• Respond immediately to communication attempts
• Show how words get needs met
• Model requesting, protesting, commenting
• Celebrate successful communication
• Create reasons to communicate

Why It Works: Understanding communication's power motivates increased attempts and effort.

18. Support Peer Interactions

Facilitate successful communication with other children.

How to Implement:

• Arrange playdates with slightly older children
• Coach through social situations
• Model appropriate greetings and farewells
• Practice sharing and turn-taking language
• Celebrate social communication successes

Why It Works: Peer interaction provides different communication challenges and motivations than adult interaction.

Emotional and Behavioral Support

19. Acknowledge All Communication Attempts

Value effort over accuracy in communication.

How to Implement:

• Respond to gestures, sounds, and attempts
• Show you understand partial messages
• Ask clarifying questions respectfully
• Thank child for communicating
• Never pretend you don't understand to force speech

Why It Works: Positive reinforcement of attempts encourages continued effort and reduces communication frustration.

20. Stay Patient and Positive

Your attitude shapes your child's communication confidence.

How to Implement:

• Celebrate small victories
• Focus on progress, not perfection
• Keep interactions fun and pressure-free
• Take breaks when frustrated
• Remember every child's timeline is different

Why It Works: Positive, patient interactions create safe spaces for communication risk-taking and growth.

Age-Specific Applications

For Infants (0-12 months)

• Focus on strategies 1-5, 8, 15
• Emphasize eye contact and turn-taking
• Use parentese (high-pitched, slow speech)
• Respond to all vocalizations

For Toddlers (1-3 years)

• All strategies apply
• Emphasize strategies 6, 7, 9, 12
• Focus on vocabulary building
• Support two-word combinations

For Preschoolers (3-5 years)

• Emphasize strategies 11, 13, 14, 17
• Work on conversation skills
• Support narrative development
• Practice social communication

For School-Age (5+ years)

• Focus on strategies 13, 15, 16, 18
• Develop complex language
• Support academic language
• Build metalinguistic awareness

Creating Your Communication Plan

Daily Implementation Schedule

Morning Routine:

• Use parallel talk during dressing
• Create choices for breakfast
• Practice greetings

Play Time:

• Follow child's lead
• Use focused stimulation
• Model new vocabulary

Meal Times:

• Ask open-ended questions
• Describe foods and actions
• Practice conversation turns

Bedtime:

• Interactive book reading
• Review day's events
• Quiet conversation time

When These Strategies Aren't Enough

Seek professional evaluation if:

• No words by 15 months
• Limited progress despite consistent strategies
• Loss of previously acquired skills
• Frustration with communication attempts
• Family history of communication disorders

Conclusion

These 20 strategies form a toolkit for supporting your child's communication development. You don't need to use all strategies all the time – choose what feels natural and works for your family. The key is consistent, positive, language-rich interaction.

Remember, you are your child's first and most important teacher. Your daily conversations, play sessions, and routine interactions are building the foundation for lifelong communication success. Trust your instincts, celebrate progress, and enjoy the journey of watching your child's communication bloom.