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Life with LENA
 Before the LENA System, I was just going about my business and not even talking about what my daughter and I were going to do.
Then, I realized that instead of just keeping our plans to myself, I could say all those things out loud.
Even with the reading that I was doing, I realized there was no reason not to read it out loud.
Since that realization, my word counts and turns have been consistently in the 90th percentile.
Sometimes parents think it has to be kids’ books but at this age, if you give it an interesting inflection it doesn’t really matter.
Maile’s just responding to the interaction and the fact that I’m there and she’s hearing different word patterns.
LENA hasn’t necessarily changed my parenting as much as it has enhanced my parenting.
We still do the same things but there’s more vocalization and she just talks up a storm now.
She is so comfortable with hearing me talk and hearing other people talk to her that now she is more interested in participating. 
- Rebecca, mother of Maile Rose, 7 months
Albany, NY
Since using LENA I’m definitely trying to narrate things a lot more.
I think the main thing is to explain things when I’m grocery shopping or cleaning the house.
I don’t just say, ‘I’ve got to wash the dishes,’ I say, ‘
I have to wash the dishes now because I made them dirty.’ I know that helps.
I like being able to plug [the LENA] in and look at Ethan’s Conversational Turns and just be able to watch that and encourage him when he talks.
In the first month, he was in the 60th percentile.
It was really cool to see his Conversational Turns go from the 63rd to the 94th percentile.
That’s been really exciting and it’s been nice to see that he’s getting that vocabulary and is comfortable using it.
- Crystal Adams, mother of Ethan, 15 months
Woodstock, CT
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Ask the Expert
Dr. Khanh-Van Le-Bucklin is the Director of the Pediatric Residency Program at the University of California, Irvine. She received her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and completed her residency at Stanford University.
My daughter has shown a very unique interest in colors, more so than my other children. Would you suggest letting her use painting computer games or should I let her run loose with her own paints? She is young and I worry she will try to eat the paints!
Painting provides a unique opportunity for children to develop their motor skills, creative abilities, and language capacity. Here are some tips for making the experience safe, fun, and educational:
- Let your child actively paint with you rather than use a computer painting game. Computer games cannot offer the rich educational experience that you can provide.
- Use nontoxic paints. I like to paint with nontoxic watercolors or water-based, non-toxic acrylic paints.
- If your child is too young to use a brush, I recommend nontoxic finger paints.
To maximize Adult Word Counts, Conversational Turns and your child’s language potential, here are some ideas:
- Talk about objects with the same color as the paint being used. "I’m painting with green. Grass is green. Leaves are green. Your eyes are green."
- Talk about what you and your child are painting. For example, "Right now, I’m painting a circle. I’m going to make this circle into a flower." "Can you tell me about your painting?" If your child is preverbal, you can say something like, "Wow! That’s a lovely painting! I like the orange squiggle you made with your finger here."
- You can share your feelings about the experience. "I love to paint flowers. Flowers are so pretty and full of life." "I’m having a great time painting with you. Let’s do this again next week."
Now grab some paints, let your creative energy flow, and talk, talk, talk! These precious moments with your child will produce lasting developmental and bonding effects that will endure long after the activity is over and the paint on your canvas has dried.
Submit a question for our experts: Click here.
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In the news...
the latest and greatest on child development research
- The Power of Birth Order, Oct. 2007
A TIME Magazine article states that birth order significantly - and statistically determines certain traits in firstborns and latterborns, including IQ, height and weight, and career path.
Read more
- New study finds baby DVDs and Videos may hinder infant language development, Aug. 2007
Rather than helping babies, the over-use of such products actually may slow down infants eight to 16 months of age when it comes to acquiring vocabulary according to a new study by researchers at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
Read more
- Ambitious parent spend on educational toys, Nov. 2006
The worldwide market for "edutainment" toys was $1.7 billion dollars in 2005. The numbers could increase to $5.5 billion by the year 2010 according to a Herald Tribune article.
Read more
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Did you know?
Research shows that, parents talk more to firstborn children and daughters and less to latterborn children and sons.
Is your child hearing enough? Click here to learn how LENA can help you.
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Talking Tips
For talking tips, and a new, fun and easy Talking Tip of the Month, visit www.lenababy.com! |
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