My little Animal!

My littlest learner, Nixon, is really starting to understand language these days!  He can use it when he signs, when he wants something (using usually his pointing finger and a squeal) or when a certain "someone" messes with him (using his SCREAM!)

His first words were Momma (thank you very much!) and Elmo!  Yep, ELMO!  He has never seen an episode of Sesame Street or Elmo's World, but this boy has been to Busch Gardens just about every week for the past 6 months and Elmo is everywhere!  We even got a picture with that furry, red thing and his buddy Big Bird.  Being that it was the cutest picture EVER, it made the fridge!  But I never knew THAT picture being up there would help Nixon say his very first word!

Think about how many times you walk in and out of the kitchen as a mom?!  And I don't know about you, but I usually have a baby on my hip!  So EVERY time we would pass that fridge, I would stop, point and say names of people in THAT picture..."Elmo, Big Bird, Nixon, Jax and Addie (my niece)"  After about 4 days of this, Nixon started pointing and saying "Elmo".  Ta DA!  Who would have thought?  So....

...I pulled out these amazing animal cards, slapped a piece of magnetic tape on the back and put them on the fridge.  And EVERY time we walk to and from the kitchen, we stop and talk about the pictures.

Sometimes we talk about their sounds, maybe their colors, or the word/name/letters printed on the animal card.  Just talking to your child can be an amazing thing!  It's so cool the language (good and bad) that they can pick up from us!

Something SO simple has become SO effective!  The best confirmation that this lesson is working is when Nixon reads a book with Jer or I, he is pointing and saying animal sounds!  Yippy!  Happy Mommy/Daddy and a Happy Teacher!  Way to go, Nixon!

We have, now, added pictures of family members back in Texas.  I think I need a BIGGER refrigerator!

Happy Learning with your Littlest Learners!