Tips to Make Your Child Smarter

Read to them

1. Read with expression
   •  
     Change your voice as you read aloud
   • Make sounds, noises
2. Keep it short and fun
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     Pick a time when you and your child are in a good mood
   • At first your child may not seem like he/she is paying attention, but they are still hearing your voice
      
   • It’s okay to change the words or skip some
      
3. Show them the book: Point to objects in the pictures and name them
    
4. Even with babies, ask questions about the story – “Where’s the cat or What sound does a cat make?” pause, then answer the question
   • This helps your child learn new words
   • They also learns that conversation is about “taking turns”
5. If they are talking, repeat and affirm child’s answer
6. Read favorite stories again and again
7. Have books your baby can play with – board books
8. Share books every day
9. Even just a few minutes every day is important
10. Carry a favorite book in your diaper bag; and pull it out to read together whenever you have time

Talk to them - That’s how they learn to talk

1. Speak slowly and clearly: Helps train their brains to identify individual sounds
2. Repeat words:  Strengthens neural pathways for language
3. Respond to what your baby says to you
   • Says “ma-ma.” Answer with “Yes, mama is here.”: Speak face-to-face with your baby. They watch your mouth to match shapes with sounds

Sing songs and do fingerplays

1. Children learn through repetition
• They will learn to follow directions from chants like “Head and shoulders, baby...”
• They will also learn things about themselves and the world--their body, spiders, buses, etc.
2. They learn to talk by hearing the sounds of words and rhymes