This week, practice adding just one word to what your child says or communicates.
The +1 rule means you take what your child already says, gestures, or communicates, and model one step above it.
If your child points to milk, you say:“Milk.”
If your child says “milk,” you say:“More milk.”“Cold milk.”“Milk please.”
If your child says “go,” you say:“Go car.”“Go fast.”“Ready, go.”
If your child says “mama,” you say:“Mama help.”“Mama up.”“Mama come.”
The goal is to give them a model that is close enough to what they can already do, but slightly expanded to support learning (think Zone of Proximal Development)
Try this once a day during:
Snack
Play
Bath
Getting dressed
Going outside
Inside the classroom, we talk more about strategies like this and how to use them during everyday routines without turning everything into a lesson.