Sit dog, sit! Using the family pet to develop language

A few posts back, I think I wrote something along the lines of "never, ever, ever (ever, ever) wanting a dog." Well, sometime this summer that changed, and all I could think about was wanting a dog! So after some persuading the hubby, we got Bodi, a fluffy black Cockapoo with a sweet heart, sloppy kisses, and sharp little teeth. I had to quickly teach my kids the appropriate way to show him who is boss. So, within the past three weeks my children have heard me say "down" and "sit" about 3,000,000 times. And guess what, my 16 month old now looks at Bodi and says "da" (down) and "tit" (sit), words he was not saying before. Repetition, repetition, repetition! Sometimes a child needs to hear a word many times before he will try to say it, and then he will have to say it many times before he can pronounce it correctly. So if there is a word you really want your child to say, make sure he hears you say it frequently! And if it is a really hard word, find a way to simplify it, such as nana/banana, papa/grandpa, or tato/potato. Accept a close approximation of the word (da/down), and praise him for his attempts! What word do you really want your child to say? Happy Talking!