The first 24 months are highly sensitive for an active language development of your toddler. How a parent nurtures his or her child during the period defines how the vocals of the kid shape up with every passing week.
“Babies are gifts or blessings from the above; A treasurable cute angel to value and to love!”
Children are God’s most innocent and priceless creations. That curious pair of eyes, fluffy cheeks, and an amused look is all that any parent wishes to see. So, when your cute little toddler utters her first words, a few heart melting drops are sure to roll down your smiling cheeks. Any parent will now start teaching the toddler small syllables to ensure their child’s proper language development.
However, a lot goes on during the first couple of years of your toddler’s growth. So, creating the perfect surroundings and nurturing your child with care will ensure a healthy vocal development.
Language development – the first month (baby steps)
Cry, smile, cry… A sound that is music to the ears of every parent. While the cries may not sound conversational, yet it’s your toddler’s way of expressing his/her likes and dislikes. She may be hungry, tired or she may not be comfy in her dress. Whatever be her expression, it hides in her cries.
The best way to respond to your child is to soothe her as fast as you can (an effective language development technique). Listening to your kid’s problems will build trust on you, and he/she will strive harder to express her needs and feelings to you. This effort will aid in the faster development of her vocal chords, and soon you shall hear a “mamma” or “dad” from her innocent lips.
Completing 6 months
The rapid development of the larynx induces those cute squeaky sounds from her vocals. Dr Kimbrough from the University of Memphis exclaims that kids tend to get attracted more towards those phrases comprising of more vowels. So, nurturing your child’s language development with an enthusiastic and jolly approach will push her to make more effort to speak.
“Kids love people who are all excited and jovial with them. In fact, their smiles express their joy. Be active and over-enthusiastic while responding to them,” said Dr Kimbrough at a press conference.
7th to 9th month (the first words!)
Ma-ma-ma…was this the first word? Well, partially yes. Your baby has started speaking in syllables. While she babbles away her new learned sounds, it might be impossible to distinguish that from the proper language. Assume this to be her final rehearsal before she steps on the stage.
Its time you must start associating sounds with objects. Speak out the word “doll” when giving it to her, or point towards his/her plate and say that its “food” as you feed her. Through this language development process, she will start identifying objects every time you utter a word. Follow her eyes, and observe whether she associates the right object on hearing a word. Experts call it “identifying your surroundings.”
Language development – completing 1 year
It is a period when your toddler’s half blabbers turn to half sounds. You may hear her expressing a bottle as “boo-boo” or a doll for any similar sound. Do not attempt to correct her. Instead, respond to her with the correct pronunciations. Over time, her speech will develop, and she will phase out her blabbers for the real words gradually.
In this respect, various apps are available that aid in precise language development of your child. These apps interact with your toddler through their visually attractive iterations and help the kid learn the correct vocabs.
Age of single syllables (months 12 to 15)
Your child gets attracted to anything that is fascinating and out of the ordinary. She might utter “dog”, “ball”, “ma”, and other similar wordings. While they may sound incredibly cute, you must respond to her with new words. This may seem a bit technical but reply with precise double syllable words. It will help her master her next stages of speech development.
Keep chatting and talking to her. The more you speak, the more words she will catch up; better will be her language development. Her inquisitive and curious brain picks up every word you speak; so, make sure to stay on a highly positive note every time you speak to or make a speech in front of the kid.
15 to 18 months (time for storybooks!)
By this period, most kids can utter at an average of 10 to 15 words expressing their needs, likes, and dislikes. This count increases rapidly with every passing week. Stack up your child with an excellent storybook or a narrative app that will read out stories to her.
Bedtime stories are ideal, to begin with, as not only does your kid get to hear new words, but also it helps them to create an image of their surroundings. While reading out to her, be slow and precise. Let her grasp each word correctly before moving onto the next. Specific vocab nurturing will turn out to be a useful step in their language development.
Language development – the instigation of phrases
Months 18 to 22 see your toddler utter away random words and sounds, which, even when re-shuffled, may not form a meaning. She may say, “Do-do lo-lo” while playing with her doll. In reply, ask her “Yes, this is a good doll,” and so forth.
Reply her half phrases with distinct sentences. You can even make her watch interactive cartoons shows that will help her learn the language better. By the 22nd month, your child in all probabilities will learn a few more words and that too properly!
Completing two years
By the second birthday of your child, she will be able to punch a few random words together to make mini-sentences. Her speech development during this period will percolate into her cravings for new objects. Give what your child asks for (provided it’s within reasonable limits!)
Proper responses and guidance at the right moments will help in your child’s precise language development. Nurturing and caring her at every step of her growth would not only enhance her vocab, but also help her grasp her surroundings better.
