When children participate in interactions that go back-and-forth many times, they have more opportunities to hear and practice language. Children learn the most from talking about their ideas, so let the child take the first turn to start an interesting conversation. Then, follow the child’s lead to keep the interaction going! Here are some fun ways to build back-and-forth conversations.

Studies show that back-and-forth interactions between an adult and a child actually change a child’s brain and lead to better language outcomes. In this video, The Hanen Centre’s Executive Director, Elaine Weitzman, talks about what the research says about the power of high-quality interactions, and describes the critical ingredients that make these interactions possible. In Part 2 of this video, we show you the difference Hanen strategies can make to help your interactions with young children blossom into beautiful conversations – where the best language learning takes place!

Silence in a conversation may feel empty, but it's not! In fact, there's so much happening while you wait for your child to take a turn, and these silent pauses are important for supporting your child's communication.

The sensations your child craves or avoids are called “sensory preferences”. When you recognize and work with your child’s sensory preferences, you can create situations that make it easier (and more fun!) for them to interact with you. A great way you can do this is with something called “people games”.

The best way to build a child’s language is to have conversations that go back and forth a number of times whenever you’re together. Children who have more conversations with adults develop better language skills and are more successful at school. Here are some fun ideas for you to try.