How to strengthen your child's language in everyday life
As a parent, you play a crucial role in helping your child develop essential skills such as balance and fine motor abilities in their daily life. Simple activities like rocking together or allowing your child to feed themselves are excellent opportunities for practice.
Equally important is your involvement in fostering your child's language skills. Supporting language development is not a complex task; it simply requires your time, a genuine desire to engage, and the energy to converse with and listen to your child.
To provide the best conditions for your child's language development, consider integrating small, straightforward choices into your everyday routine. Once your child reaches the age of one, the influence of your interactions on their language becomes more apparent.
At this stage, you will notice your child directing their attention outward, shifting their focus to the world around them. While initial language support revolves around eye contact, facial expressions, sounds, and shared attention, your child is now becoming increasingly aware of their surroundings.
You may observe that your child starts to point at various objects and people. This is an excellent opportunity for you to facilitate language growth. When your child points, you can enrich their vocabulary by naming what they are indicating.
For instance, if your child points to a glass of milk, you might say, “Yes, you are pointing at the milk. Would you like some milk?” This not only acknowledges their gesture but also adds context and vocabulary to their understanding.
Research indicates that children who point frequently and at an early age tend to develop their language skills sooner than those who do not. There are different reasons why a child points.
Sometimes, the pointing serves a “give me” purpose, as in when a child wants something specific and looks to you to help them obtain it. Other times, they may point with a “look here” purpose, seeking to draw your attention to something significant in their environment and hoping for interaction.
In both cases, when your child takes the initiative to point, it presents a valuable chance for you to introduce new words or reinforce words they already know. By responding to their gestures with clear language, you create a supportive environment for language learning.
Here are some focused ways to nurture your child's language skills between the ages of 12 to 24 months.