How to help develop your little one’s speech and language skills
One of the most valuable learning tools in developing correct articulation is providing your little one with suitable talking experiences but BEWARE OF BABY TALK! It is more efficient to help children develop the correct language skills from the beginning than to try to correct later once habits have formed. Remember, your little one is a sponge and will mimic and learn by observing you!
TRY THIS – Can your little one copy the facial expressions and mouth movements that you make? Give them a mirror so they can also see the various expressions that they are able to create.
Reading plays a vital role in so many areas of your child’s development including speech. Listening to you read provides entertainment and an opportunity to bond as well as a great speech and language lesson in disguise!
Playing games such as “What can you hear?” and “Repeat after me”, helps your child to develop the ability to distinguish between different sounds that they can hear and make. Ask your child to talk about the sounds they hear in their environment and to repeat the sounds you make.
DID YOU KNOW – Articulation (pronunciation and talking) is the ability to move the tongue, lips, teeth and jaw to produce sequences of speech sounds, which make up words and sentences. Correct articulation is key in developing, not only efficient communication but also literacy skills.
Explore phonic sounds together at home – can your child make the phonic sounds when they are shown different letters? You can start developing their ability to use sounds even from birth. From newborn stage, babies will recognize your voice and turn to look at you. They will also start to make cooing noises. From around 6 months, they should start to imitate you. This is all part of their speech development.
TRY THIS – Can your little one repeat sounds after you? Make sure that you are facing them and have their full attention. Encourage them to touch your face so that they can also feel the sound. Exaggerate the sounds that you make – say “sssssnake “or “ddddddog”. Raising your pitch also keeps your little one interested for longer. One of the key points when exploring speech skills is repetition. You might feel silly, but this will speed up the process and really help your little one.
We know that you all have busy schedules and might need help and support with your childcare – whether that’s regular or just a few hours here and there, you can contact Twinkle Home Health Care and we can continue your great work in helping your child develop their speech and language skills.
