Early Speech
As soon as your child is born it can recognize your voice. Starting at about the eighth month of gestation, a child’s auditory nerves are developed enough to begin hearing your voice through the vibrations it sets off in your body. By the time they are born, your voice may be the only familiar thing they will find in this new world! It will be their connection to comfort. So clearly, speaking to your child as often as possible will be something you will want to do.What To Say
Now is the time to really “chat-up” your child. Come in close and let them hear your voice, while they can begin to make out the contours of your face, and what expressions do to it, and what they mean. Of course, once your child is a little older, they will begin to “talk” back. Give them their say! They’re not really talking, but practicing the give and take of conversational rhythms is one of the first steps in developing language. And the child’s gurgling and cooing, and even loud non-tantrum outbursts, are its way of learning to use its own vocal chords, lungs, tongues; the whole verbal apparatus.
So, What About Baby Talk?
If I use it to speak to my child, am I teaching my child to speak improperly? Studies actually show that baby talk increases children’s interest in speech, as its high pitched and sing-song and generally more fun to listen to than boring old adult speak. Also, because of how we stretch out vowels and use simple words in baby talk, it makes things about the language more easily understandable to the child.
Learning to speak is not just copying what we hear another person say. It’s far more complicated than that. Children don’t want to say exactly what we say. They want to find out the rules, so they can use words to express themselves to us.
Language
The beginning of true speech in infants occurs when they are anywhere from 10 to 18 months of age, though they can understand speech much earlier. They understand the words “mommy” and “daddy” at about six months, and those words are connected to the actual people, not just any man or woman. So even if your child isn’t speaking yet, they are still learning a lot about language from you. (If your child still has no words at around 20 months, your child may need to have a hearing test.)
Easy Breezy Does It
The most important thing about learning speech is that it can’t be pushed! Learning to speak must be fun for the child! It would be a shame for a child to associate discomfort with speech, and miss out on the joy of self expression. Children will speak when they have something to say, and not for any other reason! Any early stutter or lisping or use of sound substitutions will usually work itself out naturally by the time a child goes to school. If they should persist, people at the school should be counted on to offer guidance and speech therapy where needed.
Enjoy these first years as your child learns the joy of language! They are like sponges and will soak up all that is offered them, so be sure to offer them the best you can – your joy in speaking to them!
