Language is fundamental to your baby’s development. Every baby learns to speak by listening, playing with sounds and talking to others.
Babies first develop their receptive language skills (understanding), then expressive language skills (speaking). You can help develop both kinds of language skills by talking, watching, listening, playing and sharing books with your baby.
Table of Contents
Talking
- Talk to your baby often, speaking slowly, clearly and simply
- Emphasise common words/objects
- Use a variety of words
- Describe your surroundings
- Repeat words to help your baby to understand their meaning
- Imitate any sounds they make
- Take turns when talking and during play
Playing
Children develop their listening and speaking skills through play so play is very important.
- Create opportunities for your baby to play with other children their agee.g., join a play group
- Copy your babies sounds and movements
- Show them new actions and activities
- Choose age appropriate games that encourage exploration, problem solving and interaction between you and your baby.
- Finger games, soft dolls and stuffed toys, balls, blocks and activity boards all help to develop your baby’s fingers and hands, as well as listening and learning skills
- Listen to songs and rhymes. Repeating the same words will help your baby learn language and rhythm
Share books
Early reading promotes good language and thinking skills, preparing children for learning to read and write.
- It is important to read to and with your baby from birth
- Books with large, colourful pictures are best.
- Point to and name any people, animals, objects etc.
- Allow your child to explore books themselves and show them to you
Speech and Language Milestones
Each child develops their speech and language skills at different rates, however by he age of 1 most children:
- Watch your face
- Smile when you talk to them
- Respond to your attempts to imitate them
- Recognise familiar sounds, voices and people and respond to the same
- Enjoy books and music
- Begin to babble
- Recognise and respond to their name, basic commands – such as ‘no’ – and the names of familiar objects
- Begin to understand daily routines, such as bath/bed times
Most babies say their first words between 12 and 18 months. These may be word approximations (e.g. ‘ba’ for ball).
There is a spurt of language development when children turn 2 and have a vocabulary of around 50 words
At about two and a half they begin to put words together
By the age of 3, most children use three to four word sentences. They can be understood by familiar listeners.
By the age of 4, children use between four to five sentences that are able to be understood by everyone.
Conclusion
Supporting your baby’s language development is about creating rich opportunities for them to listen, explore, play, and communicate. Every child develops at their own pace, but by talking, playing, reading, and sharing everyday experiences, you give your baby the foundation for strong communication skills that will grow as they do.
Next Steps:
If you’re concerned about your baby’s speech or language milestones, consider consulting one of our speech pathologist (SP). They can provide guidance, evaluation, and support to help your child’s communication skills flourish.
Transform Life is a NDIS registered organisation that provide support for you and your family.
Book your consult with an experienced Therapist at Transform Life to explore how Positive Behavioural Support, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy can support you and your family.
