Vocabulary is used for expressing, describing and understanding situations and feelings. Vocabulary development begins in the womb as your baby begins to recognize your voice. Scholastic Parents states that with a rich vocabulary, she can express things better, think deeply, learn more quickly and may even read above her grade level in school. To understand how to encourage her vocabulary development as a baby, it is important to understand her milestones and how to engage her interest.
Birth to 4 Months
Beginning at birth, your baby’s only form of communication is crying. Although she isn’t using words yet, she is letting you know when she is uncomfortable, tired or hungry. She is able to hear your words during this time, which helps her to gain exposure to her language. As she approaches 4 months of age, she may begin to babble as she experiments with her voice.
4 to 6 Months
BabyCenter states that around 4 to 6 months of age, the words “mama” or “dada” may slip out on accident. Although your baby does not know how to convey meaning into his sounds, his babbling is beginning to sound more like actual words. His growing brain is holding all of the words he hears you saying to him, and he is starting to match those words with their meanings.
6 to 12 Months
Between the ages of 6 and 12 months, your baby will begin to combine consonants and vowels while making sounds. Her first word may also come out around this time. Rather than saying “mama” or “dada” on accident, she might say it with intent. Nouns typically come first in a baby’s vocabulary, so expect her to begin identifying objects in her world soon.
12 Months and Older
Your baby’s vocabulary will grow to contain more words by the time he is 18 months old, and before he reaches age 2 he will have a vocabulary of about 50 to 70 words. Scholastic Parents states that during this time, his vocabulary will grow rapidly. He may even begin to combine words into two-word sentences. As he reaches toddlerhood and continues to grow, his vocabulary will grow with him.
Encouraging Development
According to BabyCenter, speaking to your child extensively while she is a baby will help her to have a richer vocabulary in childhood. Make eye contact with your baby while you respond to her noises and talk about things that seem to interest her. Read and sing to her often, and expose her to new words as you describe your activities and think out loud. Praise her efforts to make sounds, and listen to her so she learns how to listen as well. KidsHealth also suggests that you use different voices to relate to your environment.
