Tips for Encouraging Your Baby’s Communication Development

08/14/2023

As a parent or caregiver, you are your baby’s most important communication partner and language teacher.

Here are 5 tips from Little Goose Speech’s speech-language pathologist, Lisa Guerrero. Lisa Guerrero describes how you can encourage your baby’s communication development through everyday activities.

1. Interact

Babies learn best from interaction with you. Play, sing, read and talk with your baby everyday. While it is possible for your child to learn something from an electronic toy or TV, we know that face-to-face interactions help your child learn best.

2. Look at books with your child everyday

Reading with your baby is a great language-building activity. You don’t need to read every word, or read the book from cover to cover. You can talk with your baby about what interests them in the book.

3. Wait

Allow time for your baby to participate in the interaction with you. They may join in with a facial expression, sound or gesture. You may be surprised at what they do when you wait a few extra seconds.

4. Ask fewer questions

Parents tend to ask their babies lots of questions “What’s that?”, “What does the cow say?”. Children will participate more when we give them a language model and allow time to respond, instead of putting them on the spot. Try, “Look, a cow! …… Cow says moo”.

5. Connect with a Speech-Language Pathologist

A speech-language pathologist is an excellent resource for you to learn about how to teach your baby to communicate. Check in with a speech-language pathologist if you have questions or want to learn more about communication development.

 About Little Goose Speech

Little Goose Speech offers classes for babies 0-18 months. Classes teach parents how to encourage communication development through songs, books and everyday play. Classes are offered virtually and available to anyone in Ontario, and covered by many insurance plans. Little Goose Speech also offers individual communication assessment and intervention for all ages.

Website:

www.littlegoosespeech.com

Instagram:

@littlegoosespeech

Email:

lisa@littlegoosespeech.com