The Preschooler

Say What?

As a parent of a young child, I am sure you have had more than one experience where your child has said something that you do not fully understand. Either the words have been pronounced incorrectly or your child may have used the word in such a way as it was not intended to be used. Either way, your child may not understand that she has made a mistake unless you correct her. There is no need to say to your child, “No, you don’t say ‘foots’, you say ‘feet’.” Instead, simply rephrase what she has said, but in the correct way. “So you stepped in the water with both feet.” It may take a few times, but your child will quickly catch on to the correction. Make it a point to use the mispronounced and misunderstood words or phrases during your everyday conversations with your child.

If your child continues to mispronounce a word, have your child look at your face while you say the word. Have her attempt to say it as you did, but do not make her try it over and over until she gets it right. It may take awhile.

If a word or phrase continues to be misused, it is okay to point out the correct way to use the word, but use this as a last resort, and do so in a calm voice so that your child knows that your are not mad about her mistake and that it is simply part of the learning process. Give your child an opportunity to practice using the word by encouraging her to name other examples. You could ask, “Do ducks have foots or feet?” “What else has feet?” “That’s right. Bears have feet.”

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Written by BRWI Staff on September 25, 2009