It really is simple – just talk! Language modeling can be as simple as rephrasing your child's sentence from "her riding" to "she is riding." It is important to take every opportunity to model language with your child. You don't need a degree in speech-language pathology (although it does come in handy) to model grammatically appropriate sentences to your child. Here are some terms and examples to help you get started:

Self-Talking: This refers to talking about everything you are doing, seeing or hearing while they are happening. For example, while walking down the street you say, "I like pushing this stroller. It is hard to push the stroller up the hill. Look at that beautiful flower. I like the smell of this flower. I hear the birds singing."

Parallel Talking: This is when you talk about everything your child is doing while he/she is doing it. For example, your child is playing with a doll. You say, "You have a little doll. Oh, you are feeding the doll. I like the way you are rocking the doll."

Expanding an utterance: This refers to adding words to your child's sentences. By expanding your child's sentences you are modeling advanced grammar and expanding vocabulary. For example, your child says, "See the train." You expand this sentence by saying, "Yes, I see the big, black train driving on the tracks."

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