What things can I do to encourage my 2 year old to talk. She just turned 2 2-27-09

Well I would suggest to do lots of fun things and she might say something but if she doesn't take her to a theripest

She will talk when she is ready. Right now she is just soaking up everything everyone around her says.

BTW, does she have any older siblings?

Children don't always begin talking at a set age you need to give them time, they are very clever and spend most their time listening to others and when they are ready they begin to use their words, don't pressure her to talk, although you could encourage her by talking through your actions, for example, 'Mummys cleaning' etc.

Good luck

We expect way too much of our children like not letting them be children. At age 2, a child BEGINS developing the ability for long term memory storage, but not conceptual thinking. That ability doesn't begin developing until puberty. Also, with the increasing average life span, nearly double in less than 100 years, there's an offset on the other end of life. Remember the Bible talking about a child of 100 years of age playing on the hole of the Viper snake?

Let him be a child. Far too soon you will miss this time. Despite all the supposed claims made by these so called "progressive day care" centers, I've yet to see a list of successful individuals who can actually say this is how they got their start.

In Praise of Stay At Home Moms

Try using a word board. Make/take pictures of her favorite items or activities and secure them to something... fridge with magnets, or laminate them and put velcro on back and stick them to a small piece of carpet. Point to the item pictured, say the word, and encourage her to do the same. When she says the word, she can have the item. My 6 year old son has autism and this is how we got him to say words. He just started talking recently. If you can't offer the item you are working on, offer something she likes for a reward. It sounds like a lot to do, with the laminating and velcro and all that but you only really have to do 5 or 6 items. Of course you can't do EVERYTHING in the house.
Another thing to try is not giving her what she wants if she is only pointing or motioning toward that item. This is hard to do and really frustrating but trust me, as a mom who went almost 6 years with a non-verbal child, it is necessary to show her there is a way to get what you want or need and she must try to ask for it.
Hope this helps.
Robin :)

Me again... sorry.. wanted to add that ANY attempt at speech for the item she wants should be met with LOTS AND LOTS of praise. That is the most important thing... letting your child know she is moving in the right direction and that she CAN do it.
:o)