Intentional Disciple Making

Riding the bus or car with your young child are valuable moments for learning. Ask the child what he sees, encourage him by asking questions like “Why do you think that man is running?” A toddler may answer, “afraid” or “car bump”. Sometimes they may not answer, wanting to hear the answer from the adult. But the child is listening and will share his own thoughts as he gets older.
Stuttering is part of the exploratory stage in learning to speak. Serious stuttering, however, should be given attention. A trained speech pathologist will most likely look for the following signs: multiple repetitions as “ma-ma-ma-ma-mommy”; prolongations as repeating initial sounds. The child may stretch the first sound of the word as in “t-t-ttable” and other indications as fear and avoidance of difficult words or a trembling mouth and vibrating jaw
When the child starts to talk, we discover a lot about the way he feels and how he sees things. Ages I to 5 are the years when the parents or adult figures (the teacher, aunt, or cousins) should praise the child for the steps he takes in order to learn to communicate. Learning to speak well and with confidence can be developed early enough with the help of parents and teachers who are aware of the importance of language in child’s development.