Supporting Language Development for Infants

Between the 16 to 22 weeks of pregnancy, your baby can start to hear the sounds inside of your body. By 23 weeks your baby can begin to hear your voice. Isn’t this amazing? When your baby arrives there are so many things you can do to continue to support their speech and language development. These skills are best learned through everyday activities and models. Here are just a few to help you get started.  

Copy: When your baby makes a “ma” sound, say it back. Hearing this repetition is a playful way for your baby to develop back and forth communication. Encourage them to imitate you. 

Read: Let your baby explore a variety of books. Hearing new words often will allow your baby’s future language and vocabulary to flourish. 

Expand: If your baby is beginning to use one-word utterances, expand upon it. If your child says “eat” you can say “yes, let’s eat apples.” This strategy may help your child to lengthen their own communication utterances.

Explore: Allow your baby to explore various sensory experiences. Use bubbles, let them play with food, encourage them to crawl through tunnels. Explain these experiences with the use of natural language models. When you encourage the body and mind to work together you can enhance your child’s overall cognitive development. 

Sing: Hearing your voice may help to calm your baby and can be another way to explore the use of language. You can even make up your own songs, we do it all the time! 

Narrate: Think about what your child would say if they were able to speak and model if for them. When playing outside they may say “wow, look at the flowers!” Give your child the language they need. 

At Building Blocks Therapy Services, our therapists are trained to support your child’s speech and language development. Our therapists are ready to give you and your child the tools to encourage successful communication. If you are interested in learning more please visit www.buildingblocksgr.com or call (616) 570-925. Your child deserves the best, and at Building Blocks Therapy Services, we're here to make it happen.

Sources:

Healthychildren.org