One Expressive Language skill that your baby develops during the first 0-3 months is how to copy you. That is, she will learn how to imitate your facial expressions, gestures, and sounds. Did you know that imitation is one of the most basic, and most important, ways babies learn, in all areas of development? As far as language goes, babies use imitation to copy the faces and sounds that their caregivers make in order to let Mom or Dad know their needs and feelings.

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If they know that someone is listening to them, babies will go out of their way to communicate! In addition to babbles and cries, infants will use meaningful gestures to show their needs, such as reaching for a toy or bottle or pushing a parent away when overstimulated.¹ Focusing their attention on a task or their gaze on an object is another way babies can show what’s on their minds.

You can expect your newborn baby to “enjoy and experiment with making different sounds (e.g. cooing, gurgling)”.² As she grows, and long before she can actually say words, her “speech” will begin to match the tempo and tone of real speech. Take every chance you can to speak to your infant directly. Look into her eyes, speak warmly and clearly, and respond to every effort she makes to communicate with you. Don’t be afraid to match her coos, as well. By imitating your baby, you’ll send an important message: what your baby is feeling and trying to communicate matters to you.³

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. Talk with your baby directly, face-to-face. This meaningful face time signals to your baby that you are giving her your undivided attention when she “converses” with you.
2. Sing nursery rhymes and songs and hum to your baby regularly. Most babies love listening to songs and respond positively to music. Over time, and with repeated exposure, she will begin to recognize your songs and start to mimic singing along with you.
3. Introduce simple sign language and gestures for common words. While your baby will be too young to mimic complicated signs, focus on daily routine words, such as “hungry,” “diaper,” “nap,” “milk,” and “more.” Learning useful gestures will help her better communicate her needs and reduce frustration and tears.

(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.)

Developmental Milestones:

Has your newborn 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 so easy to use, just click HERE!

• Begins to imitate expressions, gestures, and some sounds (i.e. baba, dada).

Sources:

¹Muller, Robert T., Ph.D. (2013). Baby Talk: Nonverbal Infant Communication. Psychology Today. Retrieved December 13, 2013, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/talking-about-trauma/201311/baby-talk-nonverbal-infant-communication.

²Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Health Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

³WebMD Medical Reference (2013). Baby Talk: Communicating with Your Baby. WebMD.Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/infant-development-9/baby-talk.

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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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