Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain

The founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative, Professor Dana Suskind, explains why the most important—and astoundingly simple—thing you can do for your child’s future success in life is to to talk to them.

What nurtures the brain to optimum intelligence and stability?

It is a secret hiding in plain sight: the most important thing we can do for our children is to have conversations with them. The way you talk with your growing child literally builds his or her brain. Parent talk can drastically improve school readiness and lifelong learning in everything from math to art. Indeed, parent–child talk is a fundamental, critical factor in building grit, self-control, leadership skills, and generosity. It is crucial to making the most in life of the luck you have with your genes.

This landmark account of a new scientific perspective describes what works and what doesn't (baby talk is fine; relentless correction isn't). Discover how to create the best "language environments" for children by following the simple structure of the Three Ts: Tune In; Talk More; Take Turns. Dr. Suskind and her colleagues around the country have worked with thousands of families; now their insights and successful, measured approaches are available to all.

This is the first book to reveal how and why the first step in nurturing successful lives is talking to children in ways that build their brains. Your family—and our nation—need to know.

*Nominated for the Books for a Better Life Award*

• Speech and Hearing Science: Anatomy and Physiology (4th Edition)
• Language Development From Theory to Practice (3rd Edition)
• Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children
• The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
• Applied Phonetics: The Sounds of American English, 3rd Edition
• Language Development: An Introduction (9th Edition)
• Anatomy & Physiology for Speech, Language, and Hearing, 5th (with Anatesse Software Printed Access Card)
• Calvert's Descriptive Phonetics: Introduction and Transcription Workbook
• Fundamentals of Audiology for the Speech-Language Pathologist
• Lessons from the Classroom 20 Things Good Teachers Do