General Parenting

All parents want to help their children succeed in life – and helping a child develop the best possible language and literacy skills is a key to success. The better a child’s language skills and the larger her/his vocabulary, the more success s/he will experience in learning to read and write.

Regardless of whether or not you are concerned about your child’s communication development, there are many things you can do every day to help her/him develop the best possible language skills.

But don’t be tempted to reach for flashcards or buy an expensive computer program or special toy to help your child. And don’t feel the need to insist that s/he say words and answer questions. That’s not what helps children learn to communicate. Children learn when they are having fun with you, communicating about anything and everything that interests them. It’s what you say and do when you talk with your child that helps him learn.

You Make The Difference® Parent-Child Interaction Program, developed by The Hanen Centre, gives parents the tools they need to make a difference during their child's early years - a difference that enriches the parent-child relationship and sets the child up for future success, both inside and outside of school.