The Joy of Language: The Guide to Language and Learning for Parents and

Do you know how babies learn to use speech sounds? Do you know how they figure out which sounds are words? What are the best ways to teach your toddler to use sentences? How can you make sure your child becomes social, friendly and caring? How many words should your child know by 3? How well should your preschooler speak by 4? How can you provide the best experiences for beginning reading, writing, spelling and math? What should you look for when choosing a preschool or caregiver? How can you share the joy of speech, language and learning with your child?

The Joy of Language: The Guide to Language and Learning for Parents and Caregivers will lead you through every aspect and every stage of speech and language development. It answers all your questions about how your baby, toddler and preschooler will learn through language and experiences. As this book explains, children first learn language - then they learn with language. And each chapter of The Joy of Language ends with a "Share the Joy" section - simple and effective ideas for encouraging and teaching speech, language and learning. Learn with your child, and Share the Joy!

Think about some questions you might have about how your little one will learn to communicate and learn with language. The Joy of Language answers these - and many more:

Why does my child have difficulty pronouncing some sounds? Should I be using sign language with my baby? What should I do to increase my child's vocabulary? When will my child learn more complicated types of sentences? How do our brains "understand" social situations? How do mothers and fathers speak differently and affect language development? Should I bring my child up bilingual if I can? Can I teach my baby/toddler/preschooler to read? Should I focus on phonics when my child is very young? How do writing and spelling develop? How can I help my child develop an interest in mathematics? Can T.V. or other media help my child's language development and literacy? What are some disabilities that can affect my child's speech and language? How do I find the best preschool or caregiver for my child? The Joy of Language should be a go-to resource on child development for parents, caregivers, preschool teachers, speech-language pathologists, early childhood educators, early intervention specialists and teachers of child care courses. And it is the ideal present from grandparents, family and friends for baby showers!

The Joy of Language is an invaluable resource for your child development library. You don't need expensive toys and programs to provide the best for your child - you only need to know how to encourage the communication skills that are the foundation of social and academic success.