Did you know that babies are able to listen from 23 weeks in the womb? This means that your child will start hearing and learning words before they’re even born.
“A child’s development score at 22 months can serve as an accurate predictor of educational outcomes at 26 years old.” (Allen and Duncan Smith)
If you speak to your son/daughter regularly in simple sentences, by the age of 4 they will have experience with around 45 million words. However, if you only spoke to your child when you were telling them to do something, then they would only have experience with around 13 million words.
Try talking to your child during everyday activities. Some examples of these are:
These activities also allow for learning opportunities. For example, while shopping you could do some basic maths games or if you’re travelling on the bus you could play a little memory game with sights you see on the journey. You can also start a conversation during specific play activities with your child. A few examples are:
Talking during these activities can help engage their creativity. For example, you can talk about what they’re currently drawing, or what they’re planning on drawing next.
The early warning signs for when your child’s vocabulary is not as developed as it should be:
The NHS has compiled a comprehensive list of tips to help your baby to learn vocabulary.
If you think there is a problem, contact your local speech and language therapy department for an assessment of your child’s communication skills. For more information and contact details, click here.
Interested in learning more about babies and toddlers? Take a few minutes to check out the ‘Tantrums’ page.