ADVICE RATING |
 4.58 (Highly recommend) from 23 votes (934 Visits) |
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Learning language - forced choice (also good for mono-syllabic teenagers!) |
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by MumKim  (August 2006) (rank 12th) |
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There are a range of techniques that we as parents can use to help our child develop language. One of my favorites is the 'forced choice'.
For example "do you want banana or apple?"
With a very young child you could show
the items as you say them to help the child understand the question. Good for encouraging first words. By saying the words you have provided your child with a
model of how to answer the question and thus increased their chance of experiencing success.
For a child using two word sentences you could offer slightly longer choices eg "Do you to go to the park or the beach".
You can also use forced choice questions when sharing books with your child eg “what will happen next?" pause " will the dog eat the sausage or run away?....". By doing this you are showing your child how to answer the questions.
One of the things I most like about forced choices is that they can not be answered with a simple yes or no.
Advantages of force choice
- Narrow the range of options the child needs to focus on
- Provide a model of the word or phrase they need to use to answer the question
- Give parents the chance to control the complexity of the question and response
- Can be used to simplify the question so the child can understand it.
- Increase the child’s chance of experiencing success.
- Can’t be answered by just a yes or no.
