Language Development Activities For Young Children

Certain language development activities can be fun and help accelerate your child's ability to communicate. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, language develops most intensively from birth to age 3, but it continues to develop through the school years. Late talkers often end up being as articulate as their peers. However, if you are concerned about your child's language skills, talk to your pediatrician or consult a speech-language pathologist.

Activities from Birth to Age 2

Talk to your child as you go about your day. Don't be afraid to use baby talk, whose scientific term is "infant-directed speech." According to a Carnegie Mellon University study, infants learned words 25% faster when caregivers used traditional high-pitched, sing-song baby talk as compared with adult speech.

Playfully encourage your baby to say simple sounds like "ba," "ma," and "da." And don't hesitate to read to your pre-verbal baby. You don't need to exactly follow the text. Just pointing to pictures of familiar objects and naming them can speed your child's ability to use language.

Activites from Ages 2 to 4

At ages 2 through 4, baby talk is no longer as appropriate, but you don't need to abandon it entirely. Just make sure to use the adult word at the same time. "Yes, you can have some wa-wa. Here's your water."

At this point, you can introduce slightly more complex books and stories, and it can be fun to make them part of your child's bedtime ritual. Most importantly, talk to your child. Listen attentively as she tells you about her day, and talk about what you are seeing and experiencing together.

Activities from Ages 4 to 6

At this point, many children are good conversationalists. Listen as your child talks about her day, and let her get creative and tell you stories. Encourage her to learn about categories by having her name five things you can eat or five favorite cartoon characters. Now is the also the time to encourage your child to talk about more abstract topics, like emotions, fears and hopes. Your interested attitude and questions will encourage your child as he expands his use of language.