Skill 3 – Communicating: Why these three –parent speak, look, gesture– matter. (p.112)
They form the foundation of children’s skill in communicating.
The way we talk, the expressions on our faces and in our eyes, what we look at, even our gestures are the basis upon which learning to communicate is built.
We have to learn what we want to teach – if we promote communication skills in our children, we have to develop them in ourselves. (p.113)
Parent-speak and parent-look helps babies use these cues and clues together to begin to differentiate among a range of emotions.
Action 1: Create an environment at home where words, reading and listening are important. Children learn what they see and live. A great quote from Galinsky’s mother “If you stop learning, you stop living”. (p.142)
This is a Mini-Message by Dr. Darlene Clemens, summarizing one topic from Mind in the Making, by Ellen Galinksy. With permission of Ms. Galinsky to Dr. Clemens, and of Dr. Clemens to Mark Baumann.