One upside to Daylight Saving Time is the sense of adventure and wonder we can create by exploring the evening with our children (and it’s only six o’clock)! Rachel Cole’s book, City Moon, inspires me to imitate a mother and her young son as they take an evening walk around their neighborhood to look for the moon.
What I appreciate most in this book is how the child narrator describes the small details in their walk using specific language: banging the big front door, crane our necks, wait to cross the street. We know the boy has heard his mother use these same words many times before, words he is now using himself to describe what’s familiar in the nighttime world and to ask questions about what’s new (reflection, same moon). What a beautiful way to illustrate how kids learn and practice language!
In therapy sessions with young children, I work to create meaningful routines with varied but predictable language and repeat routines over numerous sessions, gradually speaking less as my clients talk more. Sessions parallel the natural, routine-based language learning that young children do daily, such as bath time and driving to daycare.
As a parent, City Moon reminds me that it’s not that difficult to create additional meaningful routines to boost language, curiosity, and connection with our young children. It’s as simple as putting on a coat and stepping outside.