Language skills are partly learned and partly innate. Current research suggests that babies come into this world wired to distinguish between different speech sounds, and they then focus on the sounds that make up their mother tongue.^1,2 In fact, most scientists in this field believe that the ability of an infant to absorb language and distinguish between speech sounds and other sounds is far greater than that of an adult.³

Expressive Language focuses on active communication through speech, gesture, writing, or signing. While newborn babies automatically use expressive language, such as crying to express discomfort or the need for a fresh diaper or feeding, 3-6 month old babies begin to purposely communicate. For instance, they may look toward the source of sound, speech, or music, and respond with cooing and gestures.

At about 3 months, your baby will start to build her Expressive Language skills by responding to sounds and words heard often. She may cry in reaction to disturbing noises or loud voices, and may also begin to calm herself after hearing a gentle, familiar voice. However, as she matures towards 6 months old, she will become familiar with the natural rhythm of speech and begin to imitate the tone of speech in the noises she makes. At first, she will babble consonant sounds, like “m” and “b,” or vowel sounds.⁴ Listen to your baby, and you’ll hear her make sounds in response to what she hears! At this point she can use her voice to communicate her pleasure or unhappiness about what’s happening.

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Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your baby’s development of these Expressive Language skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

1. Respond to your baby when she communicates. Whether she is fussing to let you know she needs something or squealing with joy over a new find, respond warmly to her “statement” and use her sounds in real words, phrases, and sentences. For instance, when she is fussing near feeding time, say, “I can see you are upset, do you want to eat?” This lets her know that she is doing a good job communicating, and encourage her to keep “talking” to you.
2. Promote conversation throughout the day. Talk to your baby about what you are doing together and point out interesting objects in her daily routine. Repeat words, sounds and phrases to help build her vocabulary over time.
3. Read to your baby and sing favorite nursery rhymes and songs. Expose your baby to what she enjoys listening to the most, including sounds like your voice and reading rhymes and singing songs. Reading a story over and over and singing familiar songs and rhymes will help her learn about sound patterns as well as increase the number of words she knows, both of which will help her future language skills.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Expressive Language developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Cries or fusses to convey basic needs.
• Responds to sounds by making sounds.
• Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure.
• Begins to babble consonant sounds (e.g. jabbering “m,” “b”).

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Sources:

¹Swingley, David (2008). The Roots of the Early Vocabulary in Infants’ Learning from Speech. Current Directions in Psychological Research. Retrieved December 13, 2013, from http://www.psych.upenn.edu/~swingley/swingPubs.htm.

²Illinois State Board of Education. For Children Birth to Age Three: Illinois Early Learning Guidelines.

³Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (2012). Babies Ability to Detect Complex Rules in Language Outshines that of Adults, Research Suggests. Science Daily. Retrieved December 13, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120910151613.htm.

⁴Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). Important Milestones: Your Baby at Six Months. Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC): Learn the Signs, Act Early. Retrieved on December 13, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-6mo.html.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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