Although babies are not born able to understand and use language, they begin the process of developing language skills quickly. According to Healthy Children, shortly after your baby's first birthday, she will begin to understand everything you say. In order to help your child develop her language skills appropriately, you will need to adapt how you communicate with your child as she leaves her baby years behind and begins understanding language and using language to express herself.
Speak Clearly, Avoid Baby Talk
Baby talk does not influence language development because it does not teach your child what sounds language makes, says Kids Health. Your baby is listening to each word you say and storing it in her brain for future use, and it is important to say each word clearly and correctly in a regular tone of voice to make sure your baby repeats it correctly. Kids Health also recommends constant communication with your child. If she points to an object she wants, you should repeat back to her what the object is before you give it to her. This will teach her that everything has a name and will encourage her to speak when she needs to communicate. When you speak to your child, use correct pronunciation, but Kids Health says it is not necessary to correct your child when they mispronounce a word because this is a normal part of language development.
Read Books
According to Scholastic, it is essential that you read to your baby from birth and continue reading as she gets older and begins speaking on her own. Reading books exposes your child to a world of words and vocabulary that will influence her own ability to speak and communicate. Reading out loud to your child ensures that she hears the sounds that correlate with words, and will allow you tell your baby about the pictures so she can connect words with colors, animals and other things she sees. Scholastic recommends that you provide your child with lift-the-flap books, touch-and-feel books and chunky board books to encourage her participation in reading so she will start the process of learning language in an enjoyable way.
Sing Songs
Children love to hear music, sing songs and dance along to a beat. Scholastic reports that singing is an important way to help your baby develop her language skills because it helps develop sound awareness. Songs also promote the development of phonemic awareness, or the understanding that each letter represents a certain sound. Singing songs will allow your child to hear the sounds that make up language and will also encourage her to repeat those sounds on her own. Scholastic recommends singing your child's favorite songs over and over again to help her develop the ability to break words apart and blend words together.
