This
past weekend I had a blast hanging out with my sister’s and also my niece and
nephew. It was so amazing to see how
much they had grown and how intensive their vocabulary had gotten since the
last time I had saw them. My nephew,
Josiah is Tee-Tee’s little monkey man, and he is is 2 years old. My niece
a.k.a. my punkin Nylah, is 20 months old and those two little people just light
up my life.
Friday
my sister’s and I decided to get together, cook, and watch movies. I was
sitting down in the floor and my niece and nephew went over to Tee-Tee Tam and
just started playing and talking. Tee- Tee Tam was bouncing Nylah on her leg,
when Josiah walked up and said, “Tee-Tee, do me. I wanna do it.” My girlfriend
and I looked at each in amazement because usually my nephew is very quiet and
does not say very much. My girlfriend
turned and looked at Josiah and said in response, “Okay Jo, Tee-Tee can bounce
you and Nylah. Is that fine? See you guys are sharing time with Tee-Tee”.
Josiah ad Nylah laughed so hard and had several back and forth exchanges with
all of the adults there, which made for a good time.
I
felt my girlfriend did a wonderful job in connecting the importance of sharing
and taking turns. I also appreciated the fact that real words were used and that
she disregarded their age and communicated with them as if they were older. I
could see that because the adults surrounded by my niece and nephew were
talking and being very expressive that it made them want to be a part of the
conversation and engage in real-life conversations. In looking back at the situation with my
girlfriend, our niece, and nephew, I could see that she incorporated the
following strategies, as presented in the article “Communicating with Babies”.
The strategies included (2011):
·
Acknowledge the baby by name
·
Wait for the baby’s response
·
Include your observation of the baby’s
response in your next message
·
Say what you see or think you see and
include those responses
I believe because Tee-Tee Tam
acknowledged and referenced both children, that it allowed them to feel
important and included in the conversation.
I also believe it allowed them to make connections and see the
importance of sharing and taking turns, which would aid them in future situations. I will never say that I am the most effective
communicator, so by competing this assignment and looking over the articles and
resources provided, that it has furthered my knowledge on the importance of
effective communication. I feel as if the more I learn, the more insight I can
offer the families and children I reach every single day.
Reference
Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011).
Communicating with babies. YC: Young Children, 66(2), 48-50.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete
database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=60001533&site=ehost-live&scope=site
.jpg)
Sha'Keema,
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that when talking to babies in words instead of baby talk, will allow them to begin to form words of their own. Not to mention it gives them a sense of belonging and security. Spending time with children is precious and not discriminating between them is even better. This allows siblings or friends to not develop jealousy or insecurities. Thank you for sharing
What a great communication example. I feel as though it is extremely important to engage young children in communication. Young children are so aware of their surroundings and are constantly taking everything in. By exposing them to more language they are more likely to take it in an understand
ReplyDeleteFirst, your niece and nephew are adorable! Second, I love the way Tee Tee Tam acknowledged both kids (especially the older one). Being the older brother/sister can sometimes be challenging because the attention is often placed on the younger child. However, Tee Tee Tam made them both feel important and valued both of their interests. I'm sure now, your usually quiet nephew has built up a trust with TeeTee Tam and will always feel comfortable opening up to her. What a great strategy to long-lasting communication. I agree that she did a great job! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you guys had a blast. I appreciate seeing and hearing adults talk to children like they are people and not like they are babies. I often hear people saying different things to children as if they are not capable of talking but I realized early that we can add words to the vocabularies of toddlers the more we take the time to talk to them. It is good also to see the trust that the toddlers have put in you guys and learning how to communicate.
ReplyDelete