Language development is one of the most important milestones that a baby will achieve. According to Healthy Children, babies begin acquiring language skills at birth as they hear sounds and watch others carry on conversations. By the time a baby is about four months old, she will begin to notice differences in the sounds that other people make while talking. It is important for parents and caregivers to encourage language development in babies, reports Healthy Children, because as they begin imitating sounds they will need ample opportunities to practice their new skills. There are many language development tools that can make language development enjoyable for babies.
Books
Reading to children promotes language development and communication skills. Scholastic supports the use of books as a language development tool with babies by encouraging parents to use a variety of cloth and board books. Parents are encouraged to snuggle up with their baby and describe the pictures in the book. Activities such as saying the sounds that animals make will increase a baby's comprehension. Baby Center encourages the use of books with simple rhymes, such as "The Cat in the Hat" and "Fox in Socks" to promote good communication skills and enhance language development.
Songs and Chants
Babies enjoy hearing songs and chants, and Scholastic suggests that they are a tool that can promote language development. By the time a baby is eight months old, she will be able to bounce along with the rhythm she hears in a song or nursery rhyme. Scholastic encourages parents to play music and recite chants with their baby to promote successful language development. Examples of activities that Scholastic suggests include parents playing a Chopin waltz and dancing with their baby or reciting finger games that chant, such as "Open, shut them."
Labels
Seeing the written word is an important way to promote language development in babies. Scholastic encourages parents to label toys, food and books that are in the infant bedroom in order to expose babies to language. A related way parents can use labels is to share the interest of their baby when she points to something. Sharing interest enables a parent to respond to their baby by interacting through conversation. Telling a baby what she is pointing to can enhance language development by providing an opportunity for a parent to describe what the baby is looking at, including the label on the object.
