Although you can’t rush your child’s natural development, you can help boost their language skills. Some experts say that the best thing you can do is talk to your 1-year-old continuously throughout the day. You may feel silly initially, but this constant exposure to language will help them learn.
How can you help your baby learn to talk?
- Start baby-talk early: Research has shown that the earlier you start to introduce your baby to baby talk, the faster they can grasp and understand language. Baby talk is a childish way of framing words and sentences to make them more appealing to a baby. Babies, who are introduced to baby talk earlier in life, might have a wider vocabulary by toddler-hood.
- Sing: Toddlers love music, and singing is a great way to build language. Teach her plenty of simple songs, especially ones that rhyme. Singing helps to stir the little one’s interest in words and sentences.
- Encourage imitation: Let the baby copy your words and babble them out loud. It may sound gibberish, but as the baby steps into toddler-hood, their copying would become more accurate, and lay the foundation for meaningful sentence formation.
- Read aloud: Read to them throughout the day when you’re not rushed. Talk about what you’re seeing in the pictures, if you’re using picture books.
- Describe people and objects: Point at objects and tell the baby their names, and introduce the baby to people with their names or relation. Using nouns strengthens the object-noun association and significantly improves a baby’s vocabulary.
- Use a language that you are most comfortable with
- Follow their lead: If they are curious about something, they’ll want to know the words that go with it. Pay attention to what’s catching their interest, and talk about what they are seeing.
