Help My Baby Learn Community

Your baby’s language development over the first year is a tone of fun! Your baby is growing, learning, and learning how to communicate! 

 When babies say their first words varies from baby to baby and even between genders.  On average, babies typically say their first word around 12 months old and typically, girls’ language develops more quickly than boys’.   

Babies don’t magically begin to speak at 12 months old.  There needs to be a solid foundation of “pre-language” skills that gradually develop over the first year that set the stage and allow babies to be “ready” to say their first words. 

Here are 5 things that parents can do to help their baby’s language development:

1. Face-to-Face Play:  Face to face play lays the groundwork for all future language development, and it is the most important thing that a parent can do in order to promote their baby’s language development.

Babies LOVE interactive play with their parents, and it is never too early to start!  Babies will typically begin to be more responsive to face to face play around 2-3 months old, when parents begin to see the purposeful, social smile.   

Opportunities for face to face play include, but are not limited to every day routine activities such as changing diapers, getting dressed/undressed, bath time, playing with age appropriate toys, singing songs etc… 

2. Verbally Name Objects of Interest:  Babies will learn the name of the objects that are most important to them.  When they are focused on a favorite toy/object, parents have a perfect opportunity to teach the babies the name of that object.

Model the word, and say it often so that babies it is heard multiple times throughout the day.  There is a reason why common first words for babies are “Mama” and “Dada”. They are the words that they hear the most, mean the most, and are easier to say. 

3. Sing Songs with Hand Gestures:  Sing songs that are repetitive in nature (i.e. “Old McDonald Had A Farm”) and songs that involve hand gestures (i.e. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “Wheels On the Bus”).

Songs that involve hand gestures have the added benefit of babies observing and learning how to imitate the hand gestures that parents make.  Babies first need to learn how to imitate motor skills (i.e. hand gestures) before they will be able to imitate language skills.  

4. Reading Books:  Reading books that are repetitive, predictable, and have primary colors are very beneficial for babies.  Reading to babies is the beginning of developing their “pre-literacy” skills. It is also a great opportunity for parents to begin to gain “joint attention” with their babies as they are both focused on the same thing. 

5. Turn-Taking Activities:  Learning the skill of turn taking is the foundation for holding conversations.  Turn taking activities can be verbal in nature or can occur during play.

  Parents can imitate the sounds that their baby makes and then pause to see if their baby repeats the sound.  If the baby repeats the sound, parents can then repeat the sound again and start a true back-and-forth “baby conversation”.  

The keys to promoting your baby’s language development is playing with them one-on-one and talking to them.  Talk to them and talk to them often.  The more language babies are exposed to, the more they will be able to practice trying to imitate the sounds they hear.

 This is a very fun time for both parents and babies alike, so enjoy it and you will see the benefits down the road!