Parenting Tip #3
USE UNEXPECTED DOWNTIME TO TEACH CHILDREN LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Singing together is an excellent way to expand vocabulary and enjoy music. Examples of songs loved by children under age two include: Wheels On the Bus, Old McDonald Had a Farm, If You're Happy and You Know It, Eensy Weensy Spider, or Pat-a-Cake. Be ready to sing the same song many times before the child joins in.
• Add children's favorite songs as they become older. Children learn many new songs in their child care classroom that parents can learn and sing with the child. Other possibilities are: A Sailor Went to Sea, Miss Mary Mack, This Old Man, Yankee Doodle, and Where is Thumbkin, Five Little Speckled Frogs, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, The Ants Go Marching.
• Sing along with the radio. Your voice is more interesting to your children than any recording artist. Also add an air guitar or hand jive.
• Make up a song about your family.
• Recite poetry. Remember lines you were forced to memorize in school and use them to expand language.
• Describe in great detail your expected day at work. List everything you expect to complete and how you will accomplish each event.
• Describe the reason for the traffic delay. If there has been an accident, make up a story about what happened and why safety is important.
• Tell a story about when you were a child. These are usually favorites of children and are a great way to develop a family history.
• Play I Spy
• Count the red vehicles, trucks, vans, white cars, etc.
• Look for birds and ask, "If you were a bird, where would you fly?"
• Predict the weather by looking at the sky. "Why do we think it might rain?" "When will the rain stop?" Describe the clouds.
• Recite nursery rhymes such as Humpty Dumpty, Mary Had A Little Lamb, Jack and Jill, Little Boy Blue, Old Mother Hubbard, Three Little Kittens, and What Are Little Boys/Girls Made Of.

We're at child care and only 15 minutes late. What a great way to start the day!