Helping Children Learn To Talk: Part 1:Cooing & Babbling
Today I am sharing some parenting tips about responding to your baby’s babbling to help them develop solid communication skills to help them make strong connections in their minds and in their life.
Did you know that when babies start cooing and babbling they are really trying to communicate and this process begins the foundation for language development –and there’s quite a bit parents can do to help this process.
So many important connections are being made in your baby’s brain in the early months and years of life, including those that help them learn how to communicate! Even if the babbling and cooing doesn’t sound like much right now, your baby is actually talking to you. And they are also doing a lot of LISTENING to learn language and conversation skills. As with so many things in your child’s life, this is one area where YOU are their most important teacher!
So here are some tips that can help you set the stage for your infant’s healthy development of communication skills:
Pay attention. This may sound simplistic, but it’s so easy to get busy and distracted and not even notice your baby’s efforts to communicate with you. You don’t have to be one hundred percent focused on them every minute of the day—of course you have other tasks and people that you need to take care of —but be mindful of screen time and other distractions that can interfere with valuable opportunities to connect with and teach your little one!
Hold your little one close and make eye contact with them. If you’re not holding them (maybe they’re in their highchair or some other seat), try to be within a couple feet so they can see you clearly. This will help you connect. Your child will feel more important and loved, and they’ll be better able to learn!
Practice the “give and take” of conversation with your baby! Talk to them in gentle, loving tones—and then give them time to talk back to you. If they babble or coo in response, you can know that they’re enjoying it and trying to communicate back! Keep the pattern going for a bit. Imitate their sounds and facial expressions, and they’ll imitate yours!
This kind of interaction isn’t just for fun (even though it can be pretty fun!). It actually sends rich chemical and electrical impulses through your little one’s developing brain, reinforcing paths that will help them have meaningful interactions with you and the rest of the world in the future!
Play sing-song games like “Pat-a-Cake” or “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” Babies love these games, and again, they’re not just for fun! The simple language and rhythms can get their attention and helps them learn the rhythms of language. Not only that, it also helps them learn to think in abstract ways! That’s pretty cool, right!?
Tune into your baby’s cues. As much as they love talking and playing with you, they will eventually get tired. When they’re ready to move on to something else, they’ll probably signal you by looking or turning away. Their brains need opportunities to rest so they can process what they’re learning and reorganize!
So those are my five parenting tips for today! 1. Be mindful of your attention and screens so you can notice your baby’s babbling and cooing;2.come close to your little one and make eye contact with them; 3. practice “talking” back and forth; 4. play sing-song games; and5.try to pick up on when they’re ready to be done talking for the moment.
These things may seem simple or even silly, but remember: There’s a TON going on in your baby’s brain right now! In fact there are tens of millions of connections happening every single day! They learn from hearing your voice and imitating you. They want to try out the sounds and rhythms of language. Those gurgly sounds they’re making right now may not sound like much, but they’ll eventually become words and sentences! Communication is such a key skill in life—and YOU can help lay the ground work for strong language development and healthy relationships during these stages!
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