It’s pretty amazing when your little one learns to speak. From being unable to understand or say anything, you realise that your baby has now become a toddler who is able to communicate with you! Speech is one of the most important milestones that your child achieves, and you can help foster this development as his parent.
The early years
While language and understanding start to develop pretty much right after your baby is born, it takes a learning curve for your toddler to start communicating with you using language. Your baby’s brain develops the fastest between birth and age 2, while rapidly absorbing new experiences, knowledge, and information.
Remember that each baby is different and will develop at his own pace, but it’s always a good idea to monitor your little one to know how he is progressing.
Here’s how your baby will learn to speak
As your baby learns to speak there are further milestones that aid this process. These include:
- At the outset, your baby will be able to understand you. Babies can grasp concepts and instructions well before they can speak.
- By age 1, most toddlers will able to say their first word. Your child may not speak clearly at this stage but can make himself understood.
- At 2, he is likely to be able to string together 2-word sentences, such as ‘baby want’. From there, you can expect his language skills to take off, and by age 3, he can communicate in longer sentences.
Remember that a child’s language skills continue to develop, and they can learn right into young adulthood.
How you can help your child
When your toddler is developing language skills, repeated exposure to the same word or phrases can help him retain the information. As a parent, encourage your toddler when he speaks and practise words with him. When you repeat the words and encourage him to speak, your baby is more likely to respond positively and benefit from positive reinforcement.
Toys are another great way to develop your toddler’s speech. This is because a toddler uses toys to indicate an object or an action, which in turn gives a boost to their imagination and communication. Toddlers can grasp concepts such as shapes, colours, and size through simple toys such as stacking rings and building blocks.
While we live in a world wherein digital technology is everything, studies have shown that exposure to screens, be it televisions, laptops or mobile phones can hamper your child’s ability to communicate and lead to delayed development. It is therefore advised that a child under age 2 should ideally have no screen time, and a slightly older child needs to be monitored both for time and content.
In conclusion
You can really work with your child to help him develop speech and language skills, especially in his early formative years. Start off with activities that are engaging and which aid development, all the while keeping the experience light and fun. Enjoy this new phase with your little one!
