Daily activities provide many opportunities to develop your child’s language skills. iPads and television are entertaining, but they aren’t engaging in a back-and-forth communication exchange that promotes learning expressive language skills. Instead, time would be better spent by going out for a walk and talking about everything you see. A trip to the grocery store is another simple example of how to incorporate language learning in a daily outing.
Instead of having your child sit with an iPad in the grocery cart as you shop, involve him in the shopping experience. Let him hold the grocery list and talk about the items as you put them in the cart. I.e., “Oh, look at those red apples. They look tasty. Let’s get some. I’m going to get five. Help me count.” Help your child cross off the items on your list as you find them. Even if they can’t read yet, you are exposing them to environmental print. Reading the signs as you pick up the produce or the labels as you pick out the food items is a wonderful way for your child to make the word-to-object connections. Shopping this way will take a little more time but will definitely be time well spent. Let’s go shopping!