My thirteen month old daughter is on the verge of talking as she has a lot to say in "baby talk". My daughters Great Aunt keeps her while I am work, and its just the two of them, and my daughter absolutley loves her and seems to clearly enjoy her time there. I read to my daughter once or twice a day, usually in the evening, and I was just wondering how to ask her Great Aunt whom I pay monthly, to see if she reads to my daughter. I believe that if she got in a little bit more reading in a day then she would begin to talk.
You can ask her to read to her since you pay her, because reading is always a great thing to do. However, it won't necessarily make her talk more. Some talk early, some later, and it's just the way they're wired.
R.,
Bring a bunch of books that you would like her to read and tell her that they are your daughter's favorite ones. Hopefully she will get the hint and read them to her. If she doesn't get it, tell her "I would really appreciate it if you could read to ______ to improve her language skills. I've heard that it helps a lot, plus _____ loves to be read to."
Good luck and keep reading. I read to my son every night before bedtime. He's 3 and knows all of his letters and numbers up to 20. And.....his speech is above average.
T.
R.,
Ask her to tell you what she did that day- Bring her favorite books and tell her that you have started a new routine that she really enjoys before lunch,nap bed, whatever you want to say and then ask her to read them to her.
Molly
Of course it's okay to ask. Or maybe bring her your child's favorite books and tell her she loves to read them with you. It can't hurt.
You need to have honest and open communication with any caregiver of your child. This is always a bit harder when the caregivers are family, because nobody enjoys rustling and feathers, but if you are paying her to care for your daughter, she should be caring for her in a way that makes you most comfortable. I agree with the other posts about bringing a bunch of books over there (leave them if you have enough at home too). Just simply state that your daughter has recently discovered the joy of being read to, and you would greatly appreciate it if she could find a little time each day to do a little reading. Most likely she is going to have no problem with it, but if it turns out she is majorly offended from the suggestion, then it may be time to find a more receptive caregiver. There are going to be much harder subjects to approach soon (discipline anyone?) so the more open your communication the better it will be for your daughter. Good luck.
Hello,
You know you might want to address your aunt in more of a asking "her advice" type way. For example bring up the subject, say "you heard that reading to her may help her to talk faster what do you think"? Ask her her opinion... Tell her that you are concerned and what does she think..make her feel that she has a say and that you are asking for "her expertise".
Explain how fun and relaxing it is for your daughter to have reading time at home and ask if she has read to her yet. I would also suggest talking more TO your daughter, for example when you hand her something say what it is and have her watch your mouth, she will try to copy you.
I have a 6 year old and she was pretty slow in walking and talking. I put her in a christian preschool and she now goes to Valley Christian elementary and talks up a storm. She is still a little slow with reading but I hired a tutor. Every child has their own timeline of growing. You don't have to rush it, you are doing the right thing by reading to her. Don't worry =)
L.
YOu could just tell her that you noticed that your daughter always seems to be really happy when you read to her. if you don't want to just come out and say hey could you read to her. You could also bring some books over to her and see what she says.
Good Luck
A.
As I recall all of the difficult conversations that I have had with childcare providers, making a simply inquiry is something that should be easy to do. I would go with Catherine's suggestion, or ask her directly. Perhaps say, "Isabelle was very responsive to the book Goodnight Moon last night, are there any books that you read to her that she responds well to?" But overall, seems like you need more open communication if you hesitate asking simple questions such as this one.
I think you could bring one or two of your daughter's favorite books and tell your aunt, "I was reading 'Hop on Pop' to Baby last night and she absolutely LOVED it! So I brought it along today in case you have time to read it to her in between your other adventures."
Also keep in mind that 13 months is pretty young to be saying all that much. Your daughter is busy absorbing lots of sounds and words, and at some point she'll be able to say them. Reading does help expand the baby's horizons, as does any kind of interaction. It's a great sign that your daughter loves her caregiver and babbles a lot. She'll be talking in full sentences before you know it!
I run a home preschool and read a TON to my kids. They love it. Just ask. Worst case she says no I hate reading I doubt that LOL. Reading to a child is SO helpful with their learning to talk and reading themselves.
