From birth, babies attempt to communicate. Every coo and gurgle is their way of conveying something they need or want.
Toddlers learn their language through sound-based interaction that involves two components: phonology and semantics. Phonology refers to the order of speech sounds while semantics refers to their meaning.
Reading to your child can help them build vocabulary and encourage language development. Browse books featuring vibrant pictures while discussing them together.
Talk to Your Baby
Studies have shown that how much language a baby hears during their early years can have a profound effect on their future communication skills. You’re your baby’s first teacher; talking regularly helps him or her learn to listen, respond, and eventually talk for themselves.
Babies and toddlers require repetition in order to understand language. In particular, they need exposure to different sounds and intonations including questioning and exclamation. Turning off television and music while speaking slowly so your child can follow along will help them focus on listening for what words you say.
Maintain a dialogue as you change their diaper or give them a bath, sing nursery rhymes and songs with them, name objects that interest them like animals or food items, shop with them together or go for walks together, ask questions that encourage responses from them and so forth.
Read to Your Baby
Reading aloud to your baby helps develop their vocabulary and understanding of words, letters, colors and shapes – even before they can talk! Even before age 2, babies who were read regularly often knew more words by age 2 than those who weren’t read regularly. Make time every day at bedtime, bath time and when playing to read out loud to your little one using books with large, colorful pictures and simple texts so you can pause and talk about what each picture represents; name objects in the book while pointing at them with your finger; pose questions such as “What does that?” and then provide answers!
Reading together provides parents and their children an opportunity to bond, introduce the world, and develop their child’s receptive language – their understanding of language and its context – through talking, reading, singing and interacting. Visit your local library for age-appropriate books for your little one!
Model Good Speech
Young children learn many aspects of speech and language from watching those around them model it, particularly their parents. Since parents serve as their primary models for language acquisition, it is essential that you model those aspects of communication which you wish for your child to pursue.
Examples of effective modeling:
Utilize correct pronunciation and sentence structure (for instance saying ‘going to’ instead of ‘gonna’);
Talking with your child about his or her activities and pointing at things with your fingers; as well as clapping and playing games like pat-a-cake and peekaboo; is all great ways of engaging them with what’s going on around them.
Add on to their statements by responding accordingly – for instance: “Oh yes! This car belongs to you!
Use descriptive language in everyday conversations: “That is such a beautiful painting!” and “That tower is huge!”.
Reading can help your child develop both expressive and receptive language skills, so picture books may be particularly effective for infants under six months. Reading with your child regularly is best!
Encourage Back-and-Forth Interactions
Babies and infants require language nutrition just as they require physical nourishment, such as being read aloud to or speaking directly to. Reading aloud with your baby and conversing can provide this nourishment – this form of interaction, known as “serve and return”, builds strong links in their brain which support language processing.
Respond when your baby reaches for toys or looks up at their mobile with sounds, eye contact or gestures to show that you are engaged with what they are doing – this will show your interest and encourage their curiosity and desire for communication.
Interactions between infants and adults that respond to sounds, looks, or gestures is essential to their development and learning. In brain development lingo this interaction is known as “serve and return”, mimicking conversation’s back-and-forth nature and creating pathways for further education.https://www.youtube.com/embed/gQeqVf8tGsU