Magical Words to Jumpstart Speech

Speech Therapy Pratiksha Gupta January 21, 2016

What are the magical words to jumpstart speech?

There are four magical words that I always carry in my speech bag, and they are – one, two, three, start!
As you can guess, this set of words can be used every time you want your child to do an activity or start any action (even talk!)
This set of words if used carefully, can even entice and motivate a non talker to jump on her first word! Just like other words in the speech therapy world, its more about how and when you use them than what they mean.
The magic begins when the child hears the word – ‘start’.. the numbers ( 1, 2, 3 ) act like a preparatory set for the child to get ready for some speech.

You can start by preceding any exciting activity by these words. For instance, speak out these words and do something that the child loves (sing her favourite song, toss her in the air, swing on your arm, play peek – a- boo etc.). The idea is to reinforce this set of words when the child is happy and automatically she would learn that something new and exciting will begin soon.

I use these words before starting any sort of game/activity/rhyme etc with the kids. They can just read my eyes and wait for me to say the word ‘start’. You will often find that kids start copying you by saying out these words out loud in unison with you.
Consistency is the key like always. You might have to use these words hundreds of times before your child understands what you are aiming at.