Self and Parallel Talk in Play

5 Things to Know or Do:

1. Child-centered language stimulation strategies can be used with children to help them learn and expand their communication skills. They are appropriate for ALL children (typically developing and those with communicative impairments or delays) and can be used in many different environments. The focus is on the child’s interest and what he/she is doing, seeing, and feeling. 
2. One language stimulation strategy is self-talk. This is where an adult focuses on describing what they are doing, seeing or feeling during a shared activity with a child.  An example of this is “I put spoons in the dishwasher.” or “I’m putting spoons in the drawer.”
3. Another language stimulation strategy is parallel talk.  This is where an adult focuses on describing what the child is doing, seeing or feeling during a shared activity with you.  An example of this “You are putting spoons in the drawer.  You are helping.”
4. Self and parallel talk allows a child to hear vocabulary that matches the objects, feelings and actions that they are currently experiencing together. 
5. With very young children, an adult will want to use short utterances that highlight the name of the objects and actions to help your child attend to important vocabulary (for example, “Roll ball to me”).  With older children, an adult will want to use more descriptive words or use words to describe thinking (for example, “I wonder what would happen if I kicked this ball super high?”).

 3 Children Read Alouds

1. 1.  Feelings by Todd Parr (Fairfax County Library English | Spanish) The Feelings Book vibrantly illustrates the wide range of moods we all experience. Kids and adults will appreciate Todd Parr's quirky intelligence as he pays special attention to the ever-changing, sometimes nonsensical emotions that we all feel. 
   2. The Little Engine that Could (Fairfax County Library) Everyone loves The Little Engine That Could, the classic tale of the determined little engine that, despite her size, triumphantly pulls a train full of toys to the children waiting on the other side of a mountain.
   3. Pete’s a Pizza (Fairfax County Library) When Pete's in a bad mood, his parents cook up a crazy way to cheer him up - they pretend to turn him into a pizza. And after some stretching, whirling and twirling, the pizza's bad mood is soon bubbling over into laughter.

4 Sites to Visit

1. How to Help Your Child Talk: Become a Narrator (playing with words 365)
2. The Importance of Play in the Development of Language Skills (Atlanta Speech School)
3. Using Self- and Parallel Talk to Enhance Communication Skills (Teachstone)
4. Self-Talk, Parallel Talk and Expansion: Explained for Parents (Speak. Play. Love. --speech & language activities--)

 2 Videos to View

1. Parallel Talk in Play (pbs.org)
2. Self and Parallel Talk Examples (youtube)

 1 Point of Research to Access

1.  Language Stimulation Techniques for Three-Year-Old and Four-Year-Old - Children: Patterns of Language Development (SFA ScholarWorks)

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