Pragmatics is the understanding and use of social language. There are several ways parents can help children use language appropriately in social situations:

· Ask questions or make suggestions to help your child use language for different purposes. For example:

1. Comment- “What did you do?” or “Tell me about…”

2. Request- “Tell your friend…” or “What do you want?”

3. Question- “Ask me…”

· Respond to your child’s intended message rather than correcting the pronunciation or grammar: but provide an appropriate model in your own speech. For example, if a child says, “That’s how it doesn’t go,” respond, “You’re right. That’s not how it goes.”

· Take advantage of naturally occurring interactions to increase use of different language functions. For example, practice greetings at the beginning of the day, have children ask their peers for things, have children request items they may need, rather than automatically providing them.