By Child Testing Researcher Nicole Mackiewicz, M.S., an Early Childhood Development Researcher at the Fisher-Price Lab and mom of 2 boys.<\/p>\n
New moms anxiously await the day their child would say their first \u201creal\u201d words. And sometimes, let\u2019s just say they decide to take their sweet time. This experience gives moms a new perspective: Every child takes a unique path to reach their developmental milestones.<\/p>\n
So, at what age do kids start talking? The short answer: when they\u2019re ready. Their communication skills will begin with smiles, giggles, claps and babbles before any words make it out. But while you wait for your tot to say full words, sentences and more, use these tips to help promote their language development right now.<\/p>\n
How to get tots talking: Conversation Starters<\/strong><\/p>\n They might not understand everything right away, but reading introduces your baby to the flow of language. Point to and identify the pictures in the book; If there are animals, make each animal\u2019s noise! The illustration and exciting sounds will keep your kid engaged and having fun.<\/p>\n Music is a great way to introduce your baby to words. Babies love simple rhymes and sing-along songs while repetition reinforces key words or phrases. Music also introduces them to fun physical movement\u2014in my house, it\u2019s led to many family dance parties!<\/p>\n Toys that resemble familiar objects and places\u2014like animal & people figures and playsets\u2014help children identify real-world concepts up close and encourage pretend play.<\/p>\n Talk and identify items through your everyday tasks: \u201cTime to get into Mommy\u2019s car.\u201d \u201cTime to get dressed, let\u2019s get your blue pants on.\u201d If they can touch it, see it and hear it (especially repeatedly), they are making that connection between words, concepts and objects.<\/p>\n Positive reinforcement is key. Let your little one know they are on the right track by keeping the praise and encouragement coming when they identify objects and use words correctly.<\/p>\n Show them how to carry a conversation by asking them questions, waiting for them to \u201canswer\u201d and responding to their babbles or one-word statements. Continue chatting about whatever they seem interested in (e.g., if they point at someone, say, \u201cThere\u2019s a person, wave hello!\u201d).<\/p>\n Have your little one look at you when you\u2019re talking, and emphasise the movements of your mouth while pronouncing words. This allows your child to begin physically mimicking speech based on sight as well as sound.<\/p>\n Language Development Timeline: How & When Babies Start Talking<\/strong><\/p>\n Talking may seem super easy to us grown-ups; we just open our mouths and our thoughts flow out. But talking is actually pretty hard to do. First, babies have to learn the unique collection of sounds that create a word. Then, they need to make the connection between a word\u2019s sounds and its meaning. Then <\/em>their vocal cords, mouths, and tongues must coordinate to make the correct sounds required to speak the words they want to say.<\/p>\n So, it will take your baby some time to figure out how to talk. Until they utter that very first word, they\u2019ll develop many other important communication skills within their first year of life. Helping babies ages 6-36 months learn their first words is easy with the Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy, a musical plush toy for babies with 75+ songs, sounds, tunes and phrases!<\/p>\n Puppy\u2019s hands, foot, ear, and light-up heart respond to baby\u2019s touch (5 activations in all!) Press and hold light-up heart to hear all his songs. Puppy teaches 100 first words and introduces parts of the body, shapes, counting, the alphabet and more.<\/p>\n1. Start story time early<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Sing, rhyme & even dance<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Play with toys that bring their world down to size<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. Narrate & label anything, everywhere<\/strong><\/h4>\n
5. Praise your little talker<\/strong><\/h4>\n
6. Keep some banter going<\/strong><\/h4>\n
7. Show them how to talk the talk<\/strong><\/h4>\n