Any tips for encouraging my 2 yo to speak?

[TheBlonde]

Any tips for encouraging my 2 year old to speak?

I'm finding his lack of words very frustrating at the moment. He is doing lots of pointing at things and saying "this" so I will tell him the names of objects etc but he doesn't actually attempt to repeat any of them

You're frustrated ... but is he?! If he's communicating well with you in other ways, he's probably very happy with the situation - he'll speed up when he's good & ready, I bet.

Obvious stuff, so I'm sure you've already tried it, is:

Lots & LOTS of book reading - not nec reading the book, just pointing and naming. Obviously, he'll understand lots before he talks, so asking him to point to x,y,z can help.

Label everything - ie give yourself a running commentary - "I'm just putting mummy's water into mummy's cup" etc (avoid you/me for the minute as they are difficult concepts to grasp)

Encourage pre-verbal communication (eg pointing!)- it basically gives them the idea that it's worth communicating with you - eg. would you like an apple or an orange ? (DS points to orange) Oh, you want the orange, there you are.

Children who are exposed to lots of word-based games/sing nursery rhymes a lot tend to me more verbal

So, in other words, talk lots yourself ... and enjoy the silence before you know it you'll wish they would just SHUT UP again

My ds was slow to speak but had a huge receptive language - knew all his colours, numbers obscure animals etc etc as he asked whats that all the time. His language just suddenly appeared all at once and I don't think anything would have made it happen sooner. He just went from about 6 words to stringing several together! It will come at its own pace. Just carry on doing lots of talking.

funnypeculiar - I don't think he's frustrated, it's just me!

ds2 is similar (2 in a few weeks) but has a huge understanding of language, makes up his own signs for words, knows colours (by the names of the wiggles ) etc

I know from teahcing children with poor language skills that one of the best things that you can do can't remember the name for it....argh
Basically, if they say 'this' to you you say: 'Oh so you want the red crayon to do some drawing with?' and fill in the gaps.
So, for example, if ds2 does an eating action to me, I say 'Oh it's blue like Anthony from the Wiggles? Do you want the blue pencil, ds2?'

IYSWIM

if you're interested, babytalk by sally ward I found excellent, but if you don't fancy a read, talk, talk talk, give him planty of time and avoid background noise esp if it's important

ernest - Thanks for the book recommendation but it looks more like a programme to follow from birth - is it?

As the mother of a 4-yr-old who never stops talking and a 2-yr-old who has yet to start, can I recommend that you enjoy the quiet while it lasts?

Your ds will probably go from not saying anything much to suddenly saying loads in the space of a week or two. He's just getting it all straight in his head first.

Just keep talking. And saying what you want him to say. Ds points at his juice beaker and whines "uuunnnhhhh!" loudly, and I say "Juice please!", hand it to him, and say "thank you".

well yes and no. she does start from early (can't remember) but it is basically etting aside half an hour a day 1-2-1 that's led totally by your lo, no background noise. she just gives lots of tips for improving your communication with dc, so that dc's speech development is optomised. you could start at whatever age. also gives tips for best toys, books for each age/stage and lots of general info. I didn't follow the programme, but my 3 have learned to talk just fine, lol. As is the norm I think, you spend the 1st 2 or 3 years encouraging them to speak, then the next 10 wishing they'd shut up. Then they do shut up and you're talking to the wall.

Maybe see if you can borrow from library, I liked it, but was too lazy/busy/disorganised/crazy with 3 lo to do half an hour 1-2-1 every day. But still enjoyed book.

otherwise, just talk talk talk, and laugh when you find yourself wishing he'd shut up!