Where is your nose?

[Hatetidyingthehouse]

Whenever a particular relative comes over, she is obsessed with asking my toddler to point to his nose. I feel like I should be coaching him constantly on the names of body parts and other objects.
I obviously talk to him but in a more natural way. Is this the right thing to do?
I must add he is 15 months, has good understanding I think but no proper words.
Do you 'coach' your toddlers?

I must add that he will not point to his nose

I always have. Where's your nose? What colour is the ball?

Not in a hothouse way but just as part of normal interaction.

Yes! Where is the red car? Can you show me your eyes? Where's daddy? I wouldn't call it coaching but it's all learning and they are chuffed when they get it right. I do talk rubbish with them too, though.

I'm guilty of the constant chatter and questions with my now 26 month old. It's more like playing a game than an interrogation though!

It used to make him pleased as punch to point to my nose, his nose, daddy's nose, teddy's nose.... etc etc!

Talk to him however you like :) I never did anything like that either, the constant "What colour's this? What colour is that? Can you see something red? Ooh there's a cow. What noise does the cow make?" feels forced and unnatural to me. But I'm a chatterbox so I was always rambling on to DS about something other. He's nearly six now and knows all of his body parts, colours, numbers, shapes and animal noises (among other more important six year old knowledge like every component of minecraft) so I think he's done just fine

DS was quite funny when he learned the concept of counting things, he kept pointing at me and saying in a very earnest tone "Mummy got one head. My got one head. Birden (cat) got one head."

We used to do 'how big's xxx?' 'Soooooo big (arms in the air)'

And pointing to various body parts

They are just games

Tbh, sometimes I run out of stuff to say. So, if I'm in a lull of playing, I will ask my ds about his body parts. Something to do and something to talk about. Nothing about coaching.

I think I do the point to your nose thing but it just felt natural to me DS is 2.5 now so can hold a convo now but when he was little I just asked him questions and told him the answers for something to say. I still do it sometimes I taught him his name by doing it (didn't set out to) but when someone says whats your name he says 'johnsmith2mummyslola' because I would say whats your name it's John Smith, what age are you your 2, whats mummy's name it's lola I swear I don't mean to it just happens!

Isn't it just playing/interacting rather than coaching?

I used to play "mummy's nose, DD's nose" (pointing at each nose) then "where's mummy's nose?" and repeat for various body parts. It was a favourite game as she was dosing off in my arms in the evening... She would have been between 12 and 18 months I think.

However, on the parenting course I've just done, they recommend not asking your child closed questions (ie questions to which you know the right answer) as it can be like testing them. Instead you should tell them information, so "look, there's a blue car" instead of "what colour is the car?"

Think that's v normal. IMO the earlier they can communicate the less tantrums you have to endure!

DD has just turned 16m and will point to nose (loves to squash it!) and eyes, ears, mouth teeth, and names them. She has quite a lot of words.

I do think it's important with teaching to talk that you have some normal conversation so they learn the sing song sounds of talking. But also teaching single words, such as "car" with pointing, and then increasing to "big car" and then "big red car", always staying just 1 step ahead. Imagine if you tried to learn a different language by someone just normal paced chatting all the time.

We do games pointing out colours and animals etc. and anytime in the car I'll point things out for her to look at. I don't see this as OTT coaching, just teaching them to talk. Did the same with DS, he was an early talker too.

I'm guilty of that too. Not much to talk to 15 month olds about so I naturally start explaining, teaching etc.
Yes, I'm a 'where's your nose?" Kinda gal.

SHIT! That's not you Dsis is it?

I always did this but DS1 would never ever point to his bloody nose. I think at this point the only thing he would reliably point to was his willy .

Do these threads make you feel any better?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/behaviour_development/1448954-16-5month-has-no-f-ing-idea-where-his-body-parts-are-problem?msgid=31182806

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/behaviour_development/1406941-Is-it-normal-that-14-month-old-cant-point-to-body-parts-or-to-me-DH-What-can-I-do-to-help?msgid=30130835

Ha ha oh god this is me right now!! 21 month old, good understanding of things but doesn't talk beyond Mama, Dada, caca, izzit, GARARRRR - that kind of thing lol. So I am trying to teach him body parts at the moment and he can just about touch his nose.

He can wave, clap, point and dance when asked. I feel like I'm trying to train a monkey

I do this with mine....I tell them what everything is, can they say it, what noise does a sheep make....it just happens. But now DD is 25 months and knows so much and says so much, I tell myself it's been a good thing. You do what comes naturally I guess.

Oh and singing head, shoulders, knees and toes seemed to help