How Parents Can Support

Social Communication Development

Why is Social Communication Development Important? moment count for your child’s learning. Moments in activities that
Good communication development starts in the first year of life you are already doing can add up to minutes and hours that support
and goes far beyond learning how to talk. Communication develop- learning and development.
ment has its roots in social interaction with parents and other care- How to Support Learning and Development
givers during everyday activities. Your child’s growth in social com- in Everyday Activities
munication is important for your child to connect with you, to learn
Research has identified specific supports that parents use that foster
language and play concepts, and to set the stage for learning to read
social communication development. These supports can be organized
and future success in school. Good communication skills are the best
into three layers much like the layers of a cake. Like making a layer
tool to prevent behavior problems and make it easier to work through
cake, it’s important to set up the first layer before adding the second
moments of frustration that all infants and toddlers face.
and third layers. Here are a few tips for supporting your child’s social
communication layer by layer.
1st Layer: Create a learning moment.
Find or create learning moments in your
everyday activities.
Learning moments are when you and your child are sharing atten-
tion on a common agenda or participating in an activity together.
Some activities are just for fun. Activities such as diaper changing or
hand washing are necessary but may not be motivating for your child.
Adding interesting materials or other supports can help make neces-
sary activities more interesting and fun.
Learning can Happen in Everyday Activities
Infants and toddlers learn by doing. They learn about their world
and how to interact with others by exploring and participating in
activities around them. Everyday activities and routines provide an
incredibly rich source of learning opportunities for young children.
Everyday activities can vary widely across families and cultures, but
there are many common activities that families share. Despite differ-
ences, most families spend time eating, caring for each other, doing
family chores and running errands, playing, going on family outings,
and learning from books or other fun activities together. When you
take a close look at how your family spends time, you will find mo-
ments for learning where you least expect it. By taking advantage
of the ordinary events of everyday life, you really do make every

Offer your child a productive role and predictable steps.

Roles for a young child can be as simple as holding or dropping
something and within an everyday activity have an important pur-
pose. Your child can hold a new diaper and hand it over when you’re
ready for it. Your child can help wipe up the high chair tray and toss
a napkin into the trash to mark being “all done” with snack. Allow
your child to grab a washcloth from the closet, pick out a favorite toy,
and toss them into the tub to get ready for bath time, and help turn
the light out when bath is over.

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 Balance your turns.
Try to give your child a turn after each of your turns. Your child’s
turn will be a simple action or sound at first and later will include
words. Once you have an activity going, your child learns that you
each take turns with your actions, sounds, and words. This back and
forth volley between you and your child actually lays the groundwork
for later conversation.
Make your messages clear.
When you notice and respond with language, you help your child
see that the two of you are exchanging ideas and information. Chil-
dren often understand language before they can talk. When you use
language that your child needs to listen to, like “Where’s your fork?”
or “give me shoe!” with an open hand, you teach your child that
paying attention to the gestures and language of others is important.
When giving an instruction, say it like you mean it and try to say it
only once before helping your child to follow through.
3rd Layer: Model, expand, & keep moving!

Use your position to your advantage. Model gestures, words, and actions
Once you and your child are sharing an activity and keeping turns
Positioning yourself in front of your child makes it easier to watch
going, you can start adding new gestures, words, and play actions.
each other and to share a common focus, such as during a social game
When your child notices a bird outside the window, you can model
like peek-a-boo or “I’m gonna get you” or when playing with a toy
new words like “I see red bird!” or “bird go bye bye”. When playing
of interest. When you are close by and looking at what your child is
looking at, you create a learning moment that you can enjoy together.
Talk about what your child is looking at.
For infants, use very simple words about what your child is doing
or paying attention to. These moments that you use words about your
child’s experiences are critical for language development.
2nd Layer: Make it fun and keep it going.
Encourage initiation.
Pay attention to your child’s subtle signals like reaching toward a
window, showing you a sippy cup, or making noises when the cat
walks by. These are your child’s earliest attempts at sharing their ideas
with you. You can also encourage initiation by stretching out natural
pauses to give your child practice communicating their own ideas. with toys, you can show your child that the stacking rings can be
tapped together to make an interesting sound, or can go on your head
as a silly hat.
Extend the activity and roles
Stretching the middle of activities can give your child more turns
and more new roles. With a ball, you can roll it back and forth,
bounce it, or use it to knock down a tower. You can also involve your
child in the transitions between activities. You can offer new roles
when you say “Time for diaper. Come! Let’s find wipes”, or “give
Mommy keys, time to go to the store!”.
Expect more as your child grows
When your child is happy and having fun is the best moment to
expect more. Hold out for better communication. When your child is
fussy, try to understand what is wrong and offer support.
Modeling new words and actions, expanding routines to include
new roles and transitions, and raising expectations as your child
grows will give your child a jump start on learning. Effective social
communication skills will help your child be successful both at home,
going out in the community and in future school environments.

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