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Wait!

Waiting gives your child time to think about what you have said/signed and to respond accordingly.

 

Think about it

Why should I allow wait time?

How does using wait time help my child learn?

wait for it….

Give your child plenty of time to process your request or message (up to 8 seconds). You may be surprised with the response! Even if your baby doesn’t answer, she gets the idea that there is a space reserved just for her response!

 

Here is what you can do

  • To let your child know it’s her turn, give her an expectant look, lean in, raise your eyebrows, tilt your head, and pause.

  • You can ask your baby, “Where are your shoes?” You look at her with an expectant look, lean towards her, and pause…you know your baby will not respond because she does not know where her shoes are, but that’s okay because you will look for the shoes together. When you find the shoes, say/sign, “Oh, here are your shoes! There were in the closet all along.” You may want to introduce the “LOOK-FOR” sign in this situation.

  • As you are changing baby’s diaper you ask, “How did you sleep little man?” You look at him, tilt your head and raise your eyebrows as you pause and wait. Then you respond for him, “You slept for 8 hour straight last night, I’d say you had a FANTASTIC night’s sleep!” You may want to introduce “SLEEP ALL-NIGHT” sign.

  • Closure - When reading a familiar book or singing a familiar song like “Twinkle Twinkle” leave off the ending of a line, pause, and wait to see if baby can complete the line. You can use sign language or spoken language in this fun activity.

  • Use another adult as a model - Ask baby, “Where would you like to go this afternoon? To the park or to the library?” Pause, wait, lean in. If no response, ask Daddy the same question. Let Daddy respond, “I’d like to go to the park.” Then ask baby again.

  • Communicate often with your child’s early interventionist, teachers, audiologists, speech pathologists, and other professionals to make sure your child is communicating and learning at the same rate as other children.

  • If your child is not learning and communicating at the same rate as other children, contact Babies Can’t Wait, Ga. PINES, your local school system for children over 3 years old, or Georgia Mobile Audiology for resources.