After many nights of reading Dr. Seuss books to my twins, I have realized something amazing: Many of the speech and language skills your 24- to 36-month-old toddler is learning can be seen in Dr. Seuss books -- and they’re as easy as A, B, C!

Oh, the things you can think of when you’re only 2! A toddler can think about the meaning of words and how to understand two-step commands. At 2, your toddler starts to understand the differences in meaning, like "pup in cup, cup on pup," or "pup up, brown down."

By the time your toddler is 3 years old, his vocabulary will continue to grow and expand from 800 to more than 1000 words. What a great time to develop his vocabulary by reading aloud to him. You can read about trees, bees and knees. And knees on trees!

Label, Label, Label
"One thing that stands out in my mind from one of my child development courses, is that even at 18 months of age, children can learn (and understand) four new words a day!" says Lori Mobley, childcare provider of children birth to 6 years old and mother of children ages 4, 16 and 17.

"When I’m talking to the children, I label everything -- a door knob, a seat, a table, a toy -- everything!" she says. Mobley adds that she tries to educate parents on the importance of labeling. "I stress to the parents about labeling and talking constantly to their children. I tell them, ‘Talk-talk-talk.’ You can’t talk enough!"

"Parents and caregivers can learn to expand and model children’s language at this age. In other words, build upon the language your child is using," states Claire Rice-Fenstermaker, M.A., CCC-SLP speech-language pathologist and mother of two, ages 10 and 13.

"Between 2 and 3 years is a very important time to watch your child grow in the area of language development," says Rice-Fenstermaker. "So videotape your child singing a song or telling a story and enjoy those moments that seem to go by so quickly."

Remember, your toddler is living in the "world revolves around ME" stage of development. What he sees and does is very important. Take advantage of this developmental stage to encourage language.

Model language by using "parallel talk." Parallel talking is when you talk about everything your child is doing while he is doing it. For example, while your child is playing with a doll, you could say, "You have a little doll. Oh, you are feeding the doll. I like the way you are rocking the doll." When you’re walking down the street, talk about what he sees, hears or smells.

Another way to model language is by using "self-talk." This refers to talking about everything YOU (not your child) are doing, seeing, or hearing while it’s happening. For example, take a walk down the street together and say, "I see a red car. The car is driving fast. Look, that birdie is flying in the sky." Self-talk is also great for describing what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. For instance, "I swung ‘round the corner and dashed through the gate. I ran up the steps and I felt simply GREAT!"

Experiencing Language
"A helpful hint at this age level is that understanding and processing of language is more effective when done through experience rather than sitting down with flash cards," says Rice-Fenstermaker. "This age group LOVES cooking. Cooking is a great way to help your child follow directions, learn names of ingredients (i.e. milk, eggs), learn about measuring (1,2,3), stirring, pouring, cooking, and of course, eating."

Also, it is important to model language by "expanding." Expanding language refers to adding words to your child’s sentences. By expanding your child’s sentences, you’re modeling advanced grammar and encouraging new vocabulary. For example, your child says, "See the train," you expand this sentence by saying, "Yes, I see the big, black train driving on the tracks." Expanding keeps the conversation going, clarifies a topic, and adds new information.

"Expanding on language that your child is learning about is important," says Rice-Fenstermaker. "If your child is learning animal names, a trip to the zoo is a great idea. Follow this up with taking pictures of the animals and making a book. Use the pictures in the book to name the animals and talk about something special about each animal. For example, ‘It’s a monkey and it likes to swing on the trees."

Rice-Fenstermaker says parents need to realize that communication exchange does not always mean asking your child questions. "Just verbalizing about the situation is helpful. Such as, ‘I see you really like those potato chips. I like potato chips, too!’ In other words, keep in mind that too many questions can be overwhelming to your child and at times it’s all right if he just listens," she says.

At this age, your toddler will start to develop his social use of language. Social language includes greeting others, taking turns, looking at others when talking, and answering questions. "Parents can be great role models when helping children develop social skills," adds Rice-Fenstermaker. It’s important to model greetings, how to participate in conversational turn taking, and answering questions.