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BabyTalk: Strengthen Your Child's Ability to Listen, Understand, and Communicate
Parents profoundly influence their child’s language development, including their ability to listen, understand, and communicate. From birth to three years is the crucial window of opportunity during which a child’s learning potential is at its fullest and most formative. Now with this amazing book, parents can use the revolutionary BabyTalk program to maximize their baby’s language skills– and provide a solid foundation for later learning– in just thirty minutes a day !
A simple and fun one-on-one program created by a renowned speech and language therapist, BabyTalk is based on extensive clinical experience and is firmly rooted in natural parent-child interaction. What’s more, it fits into the normal pattern of your child’s play! You’ll discover how to best talk to your child–and what to talk about–at each stage of development, including how to
• CREATE an environment in your home that most benefits your baby’s development
• NURTURE your child to become a confident communicator
• STRENGTHEN his or her ability to concentrate and retain information
• STIMULATE your child with specific toys and books at each stage
• RECOGNIZE problems that may hinder language development
• PRESENT games, play ideas, and words to stimulate the imagination
Use BabyTalk to give your baby a lifelong advantage for learning!
A simple and fun one-on-one program created by a renowned speech and language therapist, BabyTalk is based on extensive clinical experience and is firmly rooted in natural parent-child interaction. What’s more, it fits into the normal pattern of your child’s play! You’ll discover how to best talk to your child–and what to talk about–at each stage of development, including how to
• CREATE an environment in your home that most benefits your baby’s development
• NURTURE your child to become a confident communicator
• STRENGTHEN his or her ability to concentrate and retain information
• STIMULATE your child with specific toys and books at each stage
• RECOGNIZE problems that may hinder language development
• PRESENT games, play ideas, and words to stimulate the imagination
Use BabyTalk to give your baby a lifelong advantage for learning!
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
42 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 22, 2009
A friend recommended this book because my 3-year-old is showing significant speech delays. It didn't take long at all to read this book since I didn't even have to read the entire book -- just the introduction and the relevant age group.
Briefly, this book is common sense. Anyone who takes naturally to talking to their children will not need this book. For the rest of us, this book will help establish a pattern of communication between parent and child that will not only encourage speech, but also development in other areas. This book is for anyone who thinks they could use some guidance, whether your child is showing any actual delays or not.
The Baby Talk program asks you to find 30 minutes every day to totally focus on your baby/child. There should be no distractions, no TV, no music playing on the radio, and no other children. This is something you can do whether you work or stay at home. It may be more difficult if you have multiple children, but can still be done. In those 30 minutes, you follow your baby/child's lead. You talk about what they are doing or interested in. You do not tell them what to do. You do not try to get them to talk as this can cause stress. Each age range has slightly different instructions but the overall structure stays the same -- 30 distraction-free minutes with you and your child. Outside of those 30 minutes there are some additional suggestions, but the focus is on those 30 minutes.
The book's author suggests that some children in speech therapy end up doing poorly because someone is trying to force them to talk. This book proposes a more natural and safe way to encourage communication between parent and child.
I have not been doing the program for long. I intend to update my review when I see some changes, but the first few days of doing the 30-minutes with my 8-month-old and 3-year-old have been fun and rewarding. The simple suggestions for how to talk to and interact with the children during that time have helped loosen me up. I'm a quiet and reserved person and needed some prompting for what to do and what to say.
If you're a mom of a child aged 0-3 and would like a few tips on encouraging communication, this is a great book. I especially recommend it for anyone whose kids seem a little behind.
Briefly, this book is common sense. Anyone who takes naturally to talking to their children will not need this book. For the rest of us, this book will help establish a pattern of communication between parent and child that will not only encourage speech, but also development in other areas. This book is for anyone who thinks they could use some guidance, whether your child is showing any actual delays or not.
The Baby Talk program asks you to find 30 minutes every day to totally focus on your baby/child. There should be no distractions, no TV, no music playing on the radio, and no other children. This is something you can do whether you work or stay at home. It may be more difficult if you have multiple children, but can still be done. In those 30 minutes, you follow your baby/child's lead. You talk about what they are doing or interested in. You do not tell them what to do. You do not try to get them to talk as this can cause stress. Each age range has slightly different instructions but the overall structure stays the same -- 30 distraction-free minutes with you and your child. Outside of those 30 minutes there are some additional suggestions, but the focus is on those 30 minutes.
The book's author suggests that some children in speech therapy end up doing poorly because someone is trying to force them to talk. This book proposes a more natural and safe way to encourage communication between parent and child.
I have not been doing the program for long. I intend to update my review when I see some changes, but the first few days of doing the 30-minutes with my 8-month-old and 3-year-old have been fun and rewarding. The simple suggestions for how to talk to and interact with the children during that time have helped loosen me up. I'm a quiet and reserved person and needed some prompting for what to do and what to say.
If you're a mom of a child aged 0-3 and would like a few tips on encouraging communication, this is a great book. I especially recommend it for anyone whose kids seem a little behind.
November 29, 2018
I am on going with this book as I am reading each section at a time. (They are 3 months apart).
I have been trained in teaching English to young people, so a lot of the activities are intuitive to me. This book is great for me to check in at where my daughter should be at and what I can do to help her language acquisition.
I can't comment from a perspective of a parent whose child is having problems.
I have been trained in teaching English to young people, so a lot of the activities are intuitive to me. This book is great for me to check in at where my daughter should be at and what I can do to help her language acquisition.
I can't comment from a perspective of a parent whose child is having problems.
July 21, 2021
Pretty basic information on how to help your kid develop their vocabulary and speak early on. But it was good to read this info by a scientist, as I used to think my older kid would never ever speak and I was worried like crazy - it turns out she was perfectly OK and was simply working on building her passive vocabulary first. 6 months later I can't make her shut up ... :')
May 27, 2020
This is a brilliant book and I would recommend it to any parent! Based on science and written by someone who was a highly qualified Speech and Language therapist, it's broken down by age and into different sections so you only need to read one chapter every few months.
This is without a doubt with one of the best parenting books I have read.
This is without a doubt with one of the best parenting books I have read.
November 17, 2020
This is a brilliant book, only slightly dated, and it works. Started when my baby was months old and worked my way through it. Brilliant practical advice that has helped my son be a great communicator with a huge vocabulary.
December 27, 2022
It gives the basics how to communicate as a parent with newborn till the school age, the main principal is simple - just take time and talk to your kid!
The book is chaptered by kids age, therefor it's easy to find the suitable age and read the needed part.
The book is chaptered by kids age, therefor it's easy to find the suitable age and read the needed part.
June 20, 2013
My kid is a chatterbox who speaks (according to this!) well above average, so this wasn't really useful to me. The general idea is very good, I think, and it's certainly something to do to pass the time with your baby at home. However, I didn't agree with some finer points, like never asking a toddler "what's this?" as you point stuff in a book - my kid loves doing that. (I can see how it wouldn't work for more verbally challenged kids, though.) The book also doubles as a "development stages" book, which can be interesting, and it's fun to see how speech develops. Still, it was pretty dry and repetitive, though I don't think you're meant to read more than one chapter at a time. I'm sending it to a friend in the hopes she likes it more than I did.
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March 10, 2010I did not find this useful and quit after a couple of chapters. (Now I'll probably feel dumb if my child has speech delays.)
September 21, 2013
The book is really awesome. I wish I could have a baby of my own to improve his/her abilities. Dr.Sally Ward is amazing mother. I love the book and I'm sure you will love it too. <3
February 2, 2015
Only read half but keeping it beside bed to read as children get older.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews