Week 17: Best way to talk to help with language development

During the first year of your baby's life, he will prefer one activity above all others: having a conversation with you. Your baby is communicating through eye contact, facial expressions, crying, smiles, and touch. 

But we know that having a one-sided conversation can get a little boring and uninspired, but take advantage of everyday moments like mealtime, bath time, getting dressed, and playtime to talk to your baby and help develop his language skills.

Here's how:

Describe: Talk about what you are doing, where you are, and what you see. For example, when you are outside, describe the road you're walking down, the warm sun shining on your face, or the cool breeze blowing through the trees. Descriptive language is an excellent way to introduce new words.

Ask: Ask your baby open-ended questions (who, what, where, when, why). Even if your baby can't respond, your baby will benefit from hearing complete sentences, and new and descriptive words.

Respond: Listen to the sounds your baby makes and pay attention to the way he moves his body, and respond accordingly. For example, if your baby is turning his head away from a toy, you can tell him, "O, I see you don't want to play with that right now. What else can mommy give you that will make you excited?" and offer a new toy.

Read: A simple way to introduce new and unusual words and build vocabulary is by reading books. Picture books (or even books in a different language) will encourage you to come up with a new story each time, thereby introducing new words.

Repeat: Repeat words or echo the sounds your baby is making. This helps them understand that you are speaking the same language and that his actions will get a response from you.

Just remember to speak at a slightly slower pace so that your baby can hear the separation between words and sounds.

Refer back to Building your Baby's Brain - one word at a time for a refresher on how language can help build your baby's brain.

Start the development journey with MonkiBox. Montessori-inspired toys designed to give your child the best start.