Mums and dads, eager to have your baby talking to you? Experts have proven this- but we'll say it again. Storytelling is the key.
As parents, our children's development is very important. We enrol them to playschool and research different ways to help them learn faster
But did you know that according to experts, there is a simpler way to get your child to learn how to talk? And you'll be surprised to know that it's a basic thing you can add to your daily routine - just read to them.
When Do Babies Start Talking
According to Dr Michiko Caruncho, a developmental paediatrician from the Philippines, before your baby turns one, they are already trying to communicate with you through eye contact, facial expressions and hand gestures.
"Kahit before 1-year-old pa lang, your baby is trying to communicate with you. Staring, gestures, facial expression. Babbling is an important milestone. Finally, by 1 year old, that's when you can hear their first word," she said.
But to clarify, she said that not all children at able to speak by the time they are one year old. Some reach this developmental milestone a bit late, while some do it earlier.
Moreover, is there truth to the belief that girls are more advanced when it comes to speaking compared to boys?
"A little bit true to it. It's because girls are more socially inclined. Again very very small lang difference. Girls are in a faster range than boys when it comes to language, but there are also girls who reach this milestone slower than boys," clarified the doctor.
She also reminds parents that each child develops at their own pace. However, if your child is still not talking or can say no more than 50 words at age two, it's better to consult their doctor so they can refer you to a developmental paediatrician.
How Reading and Storytelling Helps
There's no going two ways about it - according to science, reading to your child helps them develop their language skills.
Based on an analysis concluded by researchers from Newcastle University, children who are often read to by their betters have better comprehension. Compared to other children, there is a significant gap between their ability to understand and speak.
According to James Law, Professor of Speech and Language Sciences in Newcastle, the benefits of reading to children have been recognised for a long time. But what is surprising was when they found out that it gives the children an advantage of at least 8 months.
And for children aged 5 and under, 8 months is said to be a big deal, especially when it comes to their ability to write.
"Book reading is a great way to expose children to new words, new sounds, and rhythm of language. Using a parentese voice (higher-pitched, sing-songy voice) with consistent repetition of words within some baby books is one of the best ways to get little ones vocalizing, babbling and saying real words!"
Tips to Make Your Child Interested in Reading
On their Instagram account, Speech Sisters gave some tips to encourage your baby to read:
- Adjust their position. If they can sit up it's better to have them sit in front of you. You can also hug him and have him face you so you are looking at each other. Why?
- So that baby can see your mouth movements and facial expressions while reading. They will be more interested when they see you mouthing the words. Also, it's good to see what your baby is looking at.
- Make reading interactive. Pretend to feed the characters in their story book. Imitate the animal sounds. Let your baby touch the pictures and point to the objects.
- If your baby's attention span is still short, you don't have to read the whole book. For the first times, you can only read the parts with fun sound effects and short words to make him more interested.
- It's all about body language. Use hand gestures while storytelling to get your baby's attention. "When you use a gesture and bring the word to life, this can help your child understand the meaning of a word," said the Speech Sisters.
- Favourite book? If your child wants to read the book over and over, that's fine! Repetition helps them remember the sounds and words in the book.
What Books Should You Read to Baby?
What kind of books should you read to your child?
You can read all sorts of books to baby, but that doesn't guarantee that he will be happy with all of them.
Since they are still exploring their senses, and teething, it's not a good idea to give them a book with lots of paper pages. He will just use it as a teether or tear them apart. You can invest in cloth books instead.
When they can hold a real book and can look at it for a few seconds without trying to eat it, you can move on to board books. They are more durable than paperbacks.
Aside from choosing the right material, also go for short but interactive books. Kids like books where they can touch different textures or hear sounds. Pop-up or pull-up books where they can use their hands are also entertaining for babies.
Remember, don't choose books with long stories and a lot of text. In fact, word and picture books (ones where the words are written in big fonts) are more recommended during this time.
According to Speech Sisters, books that have exclamatory words or words that are easy to remember and pronounce like "Uh-oh," "No" or "Yay" or even animal sounds are more beneficial. Books that repeat words are also good.
As your child grows, you can introduce books that have simple stories and more words into your storytelling routine.
How to Encourage Baby to Talk
According to the aforementioned study, it is important to hone language skills at an early age. This contributes to their cognitive ability, which can be more difficult to develop as they get older.
Often, when a child's language skills are not strong, they struggle in school. This is because they may have a hard time with comprehension, and it can be challenging for them to express themselves.
Strengthening language skills is important because it helps them speak, read and understand.
Can Screentime Affect My Child's Speech
Other parents think that letting their children watch a ton of baby videos on YouTube can help their speech. But according to studies, the result is actually the opposite.
"Today we see the negative effects of screen time on our children. For every hour that they are exposed to gadgets, they are becoming delayed. One study showed that children who get a lot of screen time are 6 times more delayed in developing their language milestones compared to other who have limited screen time," explained Dr Caruncho.
Her advice? Follow AAP's recommendation of no screen time for children ages 2 and under.
"(If they're on their screens,) They miss the opportunity to hear, speak and interact with mum and dad. Regardless if the show they are watching is educational. There is no back-and-forth interaction," she said.
Tips to Boost Baby's Language Skills
Aside from storytelling and reading to your baby, here are some ways you can help your child hone their language skills.
- Talk to them regularly so they get used to the back-and-forth concept of having a conversation.
- Introduce new words into their vocabulary. For instance, when you're playing with your baby, teach him the name of their toys or other objects in the house.
- Avoid watching TV while eating. Instead, it's better to make time for the family to talk. You can also take the opportunity to teach exclamatory words during mealtime like, "Yum," "Hungry," or "Yay!" when they're done eating.
- Instead of giving toys, buy your child books. But if you want to give your child a toy, steer clear of the noisy, battery-operated ones. It's the baby who should make noise, not the toy. Choose open-ended toys where they can use their imaginations such as building blocks or stacking cups.
Before you know it, your child will start talking. You can speed up this process by reading to them often. If you think that your baby is delayed in speaking or they are not reaching their milestones yet, do not hesitate to bring it up to your child's paediatrician on their next checkup.
Translated with permission from theAsianparent Philippines.
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