This is a two part post
I.Walkie talkie buggies starts out the discussion on the talking with your baby habit.
II Walkie talkie parenting.
[tag]Communication[/tag] starts when they are babies
“Talk To Your Baby, the early [tag]language[/tag] campaign of the National Literacy Trust, is tackling children’s poor communication skills by encouraging all parents and carers to talk more to babies aged 0-3 years. Reports and surveys confirm concern from headteachers, Ofsted and early years professionals that too many children have poor language competence at entry to nursery.”
Source: https://www.literacytrust.org.uk/talktoyourbaby/smalltalkarticle.html
To redress this the [tag]literacy trust[/tag] suggest teaching about language acquisition in the last years of school so future parents understand the importance of talking to their children.
To facilitate this they have produced a pack of free information for download.
“The pack contains:
- A quiz and fact sheet, which act as a fun introduction to the benefits of talking to babies.
- The Baby’s First Word toolkit, which is an initiative to encourage the collection of babies’ first and second words and the stories behind them in order to stimulate thought and discussion on the subject of communication.
- A [tag]babysitting activities[/tag] sheet to put the theory into a practical perspective.”
The most talked about campaign is the “Talk to your baby” from the National Literacy trust.
They encourage parents to use walkie talkie buggies, ones which face them. Early years professionals believe that buggies that face outwards are contributing to the poor language and communication skills of many children. The manufactures of strollers make a valid point that toddlers like the stimulation of seeing other things than their parents face. Also that communication is best left for times when face to face time can be appreciated on all sides. Whilst I sympathise and agree to an extent…
I just wish there was more choice.
I want to be able to get a forward facing or ‘me facing’ stroller at an affordable price so I can decide which way my child faces. Some days we could have the long stroll into town; through the park; in the forest and point out things together and other days just put me head down and push through and let them discover things themselves.
Whilst there are many more out there now than when I started with my first child in 2003 the prices are not for everyone. The popular Bugaboo’s Chameleon and Gecko and the Stokke Xplory set you back a tidy sum when compared to the other strollers.
The best way to learn language is to spend quality time [tag]playing[/tag] and [tag]talking[/tag] to your [tag]baby[/tag]. This routine of easy talk gets more interactive and fun the older they get. It’s easy to stick in music or listen to your favourite podcast during the car shuffle or to talk on the phone pushing the stroller. [tag]Sing[/tag] rhymes or sing-a-long with your child to their songs; traditional or modern ones.
As suggested on Jumping Monkeys Bill Child’s produces a music podcast for kids that parents will love.
Remember to sometimes stop and engage that little bundle all snuggled up. They love the rise and fall of your voice. Remember that toddler pointing- identify it, describe it, ask and answer questions. All too soon they’ll be at that “Why?” stage.
Develop the walkie talkie habit when they are young . Give them an opportunity for their communication skills to explode.
For more tips on communicating with your child go to the Literacy trust.
********Do you have a walkie talkie stroller/buggy?**********
How do you or did you generate talking moments in your day with your baby/toddler?
What things do you talk about? Where do you have your best [tag]conversations[/tag]?
I’d love to hear your views.
[…] presents Walkie talkie parenting posted at Play-Activities.com, saying, “You may not have a walkie talkie buggy but you can […]