From the mother’s womb to first words, children have an amazing ability to understand and acquire language. Communicating is one of the ways that human beings connect and develop deep meaningful relationships. If you have children or have been around someone who is expecting, it’s common to see a hand on the baby bump, while a loved one talks to the little human inside. Some parents even play music for their child while they’re growing in the belly, talking to them about their favorite type of music or playing classical songs to sooth the baby.
Once a baby is born, this continues to happen, and mothers will talk to their babies or imitate the sounds the baby is making. This is a great way to introduce the baby to language, which leads to communication. Both are separate, but very much connected. Language is a system of communication that includes speech, writing, and gestures. Communication is the process of receiving and sending messages verbally or nonverbally. Have you found yourself questioning whether or not your child, niece, or brother is speaking according to the expectations? Are you finding yourself comparing your firstborn to your second baby wondering why they haven’t said their first word? It can feel very frightening to wonder what is wrong and if there is anything that can be done. There are easy ways for you to encourage your child or loved one to communicate if you have some concerns. If there has only been babbling and the child is beyond the point of speaking their first word, which typically happens by 12 months. The first thing that you can do is model for them. When teaching a new word, say the word often directly to the child, while facing them, and if it is a word that represents an object, use pointing while repeating the word.
When a child is watching a caregiver say or do something, they are actively learning! If you know that there are language delays formally diagnosed by a medical professional, it’s okay and recommended to repeat a word 10 times or more. I should add though, that this should be done while you’re going about your day in your usual routine. Let’s say that you’re cutting up oranges for breakfast, your little one is sitting in their highchair. That’s a great opportunity to repeat and pick up a slice of orange and say, “This ORANGE looks yummy! Mmm!”, while holding the fruit up to show what you’re talking about. It’s important to include the child in what is happening around them, and you can make it fun by making a song from it. I instantly think of the scene in Little Rascals where Buckwheat is singing, “I have two pickles, I have two pickles, hey hey hey hey!” If you don’t know what I’m talking about, let’s move on to the second way that you can encourage communication, which is hand-over-hand assistance. This is especially helpful for children who have a degree of blindness or whose motor skills are not typically developing. When you gesture or see them trying to make a movement, place their hand over yours to help them feel what they are supposed to do and how the body moves while doing it.
The goal though, isn’t for you to do this all the time, but rather to have the child get used to and learn what they can do. The hope is that eventually, they will point or clap after learning how to do so. This isn’t just for mothers at home. This is useful for teachers, friends, and anyone who works with kids, regardless of what your title is. One thing that children will pay attention to is exaggerated facial expressions and movements. Have you noticed that a child really pays attention when you speak louder and your hands are all over the place as you talk to them? It draws their attention when you are communicating with them, and this is another way to give them a little nudge. Don’t be discouraged if this doesn’t go the way you planned the first time or even the first few times. If it starts to feel stressful or like a chore, take a deep breath, hug your little one, and go back to it another time.
If it starts to feel stressful or like a chore, take a deep breath, hug your little one, and go back to it another time.
I’ll leave you to try this out, and if you are a family who speaks more than one language, by all means I highly encourage you to practice this in multiple languages. One thing to remember is that children learn best when something is fun! When you have fun while showing them new words or having them practice, include music, singing, clapping and different objects they can feel. Use the things that your child enjoys. If they show interest in cars or in colors, use that to teach them new words and talk to them while you do an activity together. The more you’re able to have fun and your child sees it, the more they will want to engage. If you have concerns and are worried about more serious speech delay, reach out to your pediatrician or ask about a referral for a speech-language pathologist.
For more activities on how to have your child learn and use words, you can visit:
For further questions, you can contact Corina De Leon Perez at deleon.corina@gmail.com
For a bilingual speech-language pathologist, check out @laleo.bilingual.therapy or @bilinguitos on Instagram!