They Understand You. Now Help Them Speak.

I once sat with a teacher who looked puzzled. She whispered, almost in frustration:

“He can hear me. He responds when I call his name. He even follows instructions. But he won’t say a single word. What do I do?”

I smiled because I knew this teacher’s frustration was wrapped in hope. She had already noticed something crucial: the child understood. That’s where the story begins.

Understanding before speaking

For many children, language doesn’t bloom all at once. They build receptive language (understanding) long before expressive language (speaking). Think of it as filling a cup — comprehension fills it drop by drop until it overflows into speech.

When a child “gets it” but can’t yet “say it,” our role is to gently bridge the gap.

🔶 Model the words

Imagine a boy pointing at his water bottle. Instead of silently handing it over, you say: “Water. You want water? Here’s your water.”

Research shows repeated modelling builds pathways in the brain — each word you speak becomes a tiny invitation to try.

🔶 Honour what they already use

Children communicate with gestures, sounds, even facial expressions. When you acknowledge and expand on these, you validate their effort. 

For example, if a child claps for “more,” you can say, “More? You want more biscuits? Okay, more.” That’s how you turn signals into speech.

🔶 Create space, not pressure

Pause. Don’t rush to hand the toy or snack. That short wait signals, “You can try.”

Research on interaction shows children are more likely to attempt words when given a natural pause.

🔶 Play with rhythm and rhyme

Songs, rhymes, and playful repetition lower anxiety and make speech fun. 

The brain clings to rhythm like Velcro — it remembers patterns faster than single words.

🔶 Strengthen the muscles of speech

Sometimes the challenge isn’t just language — it’s motor skills. Chewing, blowing bubbles, or tongue exercises support the muscles that form sounds. 

Strengthen the body, and you support the voice.

🔶 Build consistency across home and school

When parents and teachers echo the same strategies, children experience predictability.

Consistency is one of the strongest predictors of language growth. And if progress is slow, speech therapy can add structured support.

☘️

The heart of it all? Patience with purpose. A child who understands but doesn’t yet speak is not “behind.” They are simply on the verge of a breakthrough.

And when that first word finally comes, it’s not just language. It’s connection. It’s courage. It’s the voice we’ve all been waiting for.

☘️

Maybe you’ve seen a child like this. What’s one small way you can make space this week for their first word to emerge?

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