I’m no expert on toddlers and infants, I admit, but as I still have some boys running around the house in that age-range, this review of peer reviewed research translated into guidelines comes in handy.

From their website where you can download the whole report:

This project addresses the school readiness of infants and toddlers by providing early childhood teachers with a guide they can use to support children’s language and communication development. Many early childhood education programs focus more on general quality and less on the specific interactions between children and teachers. These interactions are important for fostering language and communication skills among young children as these early skills are linked to children’s later achievement in math, reading, and science, making them critical for school readiness and academic success.

The project created More Than Baby Talk: 10 Ways to Promote the Language and Communication Skills of Infants and Toddlers, a brief guide that describes ten practices that early childhood teachers can use to foster language and communication skills among infants and toddlers. The guidelines are based upon the latest research findings on optimal adult-child interactions for promoting strong language and communication skills among young children.