Modelling Language

Modelling means to demonstrate. If your child is not using words, interpret what he/she is trying to communicate and then say the word for him/her to hear. This will help your child to learn the word that goes with an object or action. You can do this by labelling or naming objects, pictures or actions that interest your child. For example, while you are dressing your toddler, he/she may reach to a pair of socks. You could then say the word ‘socks’ with a gesture or action. Another example would be when your child is looking and reaching for a ball and you could model “ball…a big ball”.

Increase comments by using different types of words

• Naming words e.g. dog, bus
• Describing words e.g. small, blue, quiet
• Action words e.g. run, eat
• Feeling words e.g. angry, sleepy
• Location words e.g. in, out, on
• Social words e.g. hi, yay
• Belonging words e.g. yours, mine, mummy’s
• Question words e.g. who, where

These may be modelled as one word or a short sentence. You need different types of words to make 2-word combinations and most importantly you need a verb (action word) to make a sentence.

Verbs Pave the Way for Language Development (hanen.org)

Gogate, L., & Maganti, M. (2017). The Origins of Verb Learning: Preverbal and Postverbal Infants' Learning of Word-Action Relations. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 60(12), 3538–3550. https://doi.org/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0085

Let’s watch…

• What types of words will you model with your child?
• What are some examples of these words?