Q: I heard a pediatrician on TV say parents should use real sentences when talking to babies, even if they don't understand, and that toddlers should hear 21,000 words a day. How is this beneficial?

A: There's a lot of talk these days about the importance of talking to babies. Research shows that when parents carry on conversations with very young children -- even newborns -- it boosts their language development dramatically and helps them succeed in school later on.

A 1995 landmark study by University of Kansas psychologists Betty Hart and Todd Risley showed that the amount of positive conversation parents and caregivers have with children younger than 3 has a huge impact on their educational outcomes later.

They observed how parents of varying socio-economic backgrounds spoke to their children and found that by age 3, kids in upper-income families heard roughly 30 million more words than their poorer counterparts.

Their study launched others. Stanford University found that as early as 18 months, kids in different socio-economic groups show dramatic differences in their vocabularies.

States and localities created programs to help parents engage very young children with words. Providence, Rhode Island, launched Providence Talks. The program records what a child hears for a few hours each week and then coaches parents on how to build on the conversations.

Pediatrician Dana Suskind of the University of Chicago School of Medicine founded the Thirty Million Words Initiative to teach parents how to accelerate their toddlers' language learning. She's partnering with the Chicago Public Library on ways to help parents enrich the language they share with their young children.

In her book, "Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain" (Dutton, 2015), Suskind says the quality of interaction between adults and children matters. Kids aren't born smart; parents help them through verbal interaction. She stresses the "Three T's": Tune In, Talk More and Take Turns, and she suggests a mantra for parents: "Don't just do it, talk them through it."

California's First 5 program advocates that parents talk, read and sing to children starting from birth to stimulate a baby's brain cells to grow and develop, says Adizah Eghan of Oakland-based GreatSchools.org.

In addition, Eghan offers these strategies:

Ask open-ended questions. Don't ask, "Do you want water?" Instead, ask, "What would you like to drink: water, milk or juice?" to get your child to use more specific words.

Turn your child's words into sentences. If she says, "Wah, wah," say, "Oh, would you like some water?" as you hand her the water. Then, intentionally say, "Here's your water."

Include toddlers in family discussions. Family time -- dinners, outings, even cleaning up the house -- is great for rich conversations that allow you to use new vocabulary and model sentences.

As phones and tablets hop into newborns' cribs, Suskind is concerned about how much talk and interaction all parents, no matter what their income level, have with their children.

"Technology isn't going away," she says, "but we have to figure out how to make it our friend. The baby's brain is still developed by talk."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My daughter's class does a lot of writing. A recent assignment had kids keeping a "gratitude journal" of things they're thankful for. I found it oddly personal. The teacher explained that studies show that expressing gratitude helps kids become better students. Really?

A: A growing body of evidence suggests that having a "gratitude attitude" boosts learning. Gratitude is one of the nonacademic "soft skills" that researchers say can predict life satisfaction and high achievement.

Journalist Paul Tough put a spotlight on gratitude's effect on learning in his book "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character" (Mariner, 2013). The other traits Tough describes are self-control, zest, social intelligence, optimism, grit and curiosity.

Educators are taking opportunities to weave gratitude into lessons. Gratitude Works, a program from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), is based on studies showing that fostering gratitude can increase students' pro-social behavior, optimism, resilience and satisfaction with school.

Gratitude starts at home, says Andrea Reiser, co-author with her husband, David, of "Letters From Home: A Wake-Up Call for Success and Wealth" (Wiley, 2010). She offers these tips to foster it:

-- Make gratitude a family event. Take a moment each day when everyone notes something they are grateful for. "Whether it's a favorite toy or a birthday card from Nana," Reiser explains, "this daily tradition helps develop a positive frame of mind."

-- Model gratitude: "Set a good example by saying 'thank you' sincerely and often," notes Reiser. When kids see us expressing thanks -- to the cashier at the grocery store or the safety patrol officer at school -- they are learning how to express their own appreciation.

-- Don't shower kids with too much "stuff." Buying kids whatever they want, whenever they want, "dilutes the gratitude impulse and it can mean that they don't learn to value or respect their possessions," says Reiser.

-- Have kids pitch in when they want something. When kids save up their allowance or earnings, they have a stake in the purchase and better understand its value. It also teaches restraint and encourages kids to appreciate what they have.

-- Keep thank-you notes ready to send. There are opportunities throughout the year for kids to recognize and thank those who have done something special for them, says Reiser. It's important that they compose the notes themselves.

-- Shift the focus from receiving to giving. "When kids give their time and energy to help others, they're less likely to take things like health, home and family for granted," notes Reiser. Many families make service to others a holiday tradition.

California youth counselor Marissa Gehley suggests incorporating gratitude into family routines: "Thank your daughter for picking up her room or walking the dog."

She says it's helpful for children to hear "thankful words" often, such as, "We're fortunate to live in this cozy home," or "We are so grateful that Uncle Trevor got here safely," or "I really appreciate your letting me know."

To encourage young readers to be thankful for "the beauty that exists in each day," children's author and illustrator Tomie dePaola just published "Look and Be Grateful" (Holiday House, 2015). Find a spot for it at the Thanksgiving table.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Our high school offers SAT test prep, but nothing for the ACT. My daughter, a freshman, didn't take the PSAT in October because we're hearing colleges now pay more attention to the ACT. Which test should she take?

A: First, a note about the PSAT. "Most students don't take it until their sophomore year, so it's OK if your daughter didn't take the recent PSAT, which was the first administration of the new test," says Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher of The Princeton Review.

The PSAT doesn't count for college admission. It is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship, and very high PSAT scores -- combined with other factors -- can make a student eligible for other scholarships.

For the majority of students who take the PSAT, "the main benefit is to get practice for the SAT," says Franek. "Students shouldn't stress out about it. It is more important to get good grades and take the most challenging courses available: The most important factor in a college application is the student's high school GPA and transcript. Test scores are second in importance."

All colleges that require test scores -- that's about 1,900 of the 2,700 four-year accredited colleges in the United States, says Franek -- accept either ACT or SAT scores, and don't have a preference. And even if a student is applying to a test-score-optional college, ACT and SAT scores are used in determining awards for scholarships and grants, so there is a benefit to taking one of the tests.

So which test should your daughter take? Franek says the answer is simple: Choose the test she will do her best on.

Franek helps students figure that out every day: "At our offices and online, students can take a free, full-length practice SAT and ACT and get reports of how well they did on each test with guidance on areas to improve one's scores.

"Prep seriously at least three to four months before taking it. We encourage students to take the test in their junior year -- that way they have time to retake it in the fall of senior year, if necessary, for one reason or another."

The ACT overtook the SAT two years ago as the more-taken test. About 1.9 million students in the class of 2015 took the ACT; about 1.7 million took the SAT, and many took both, says Franek.

"Some states use these tests as part of their statewide assessment test," he explains. "For example, the ACT is given to all public school juniors in 13 states. The SAT is given as the public high school exit exam in other states, including Michigan, Connecticut and Idaho."

Franek describes the ACT as "more of a big-picture exam, more closely tied to what students are learning in school. It has a science section, and it tests more advanced math concepts.

"However, the SAT is changing. The new SAT debuts in March 2016 and will impact students in the class of 2017. It will be more similar to the ACT in format, scoring and test content."

To compare the two tests and to learn about the new SAT, go to princetonreview.com.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)