“Mama,” “Dada,” those first words are music to a parent’s ears, and they usually appear right around 12 months of age. Language development begins at birth though. Long before those first words, your baby is communicating with you. Newborns have up to 12 different cries to express hunger, fatigue, discomfort, or pain. You probably learned quickly to interpret those cries.

By two months of age, your baby can make eye contact and respond. You coo, she’ll coo back or smile. By six months of age, she can babble and imitate sounds. All of these early activities will get her ready for the big day when she utters her first word.

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Humans are wired with an innate need to communicate. In fact, babies respond to sounds, and in particular their mother’s voice, 10 weeks before birth, according to the Intercultural Development Research Association. Language is controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain in adults, but in babies it is less localized. The entire brain works to decode language during the first year.

The human brain is designed to acquire language, but early environment plays a role too. Researchers have found that babies learn language most efficiently when they hear words repeated–over and over again. That’s where mom and dad come in. Your influence has a profound effect on your baby’s language development.

Tips for Language Development:

So, what can you do to support your baby’s language development? Take a playful approach with the activities below.

• Respond to your baby’s needs quickly. Young babies use cries to get their needs met. When you meet your baby’s needs promptly, you teach her the powerful lesson that communication works. Because she trusts you, she will be motivated to use gestures and, later, words to communicate. When babies’ first attempts at communication are ignored, they stop trying. Harvard researchers who visited orphanages in Romania where babies were given little attention or interaction found that these babies and children had substantial language delays, as well as cognitive and physical delays.
• Use “parentese.” That high-pitched, musical voice that parents seem to naturally use with babies actually encourages language development because it elicits and keeps baby’s attention.
• Play games like Pat-a Cake, Peek-a Boo, or Itsy Bitsy Spider. Even young babies delight in interactive games. These games build your relationship while building language. Use exaggerated facial expressions and inflections.
• Embrace your inner animal. Babies have a natural affinity for animals, and animal sounds are some of the first words babies learn. Read books about animals and teach your child how to moo, meow, baa, or neigh. Animal sounds are easy for babies to hear and say because they have fewer consonants than other words.
• Label everything. Babies understand more than they can express, so feel free to act like a talking dictionary when your baby is around. Point to objects and say their names: cup, bottle, shoes, airplane, doggie, kitty, cookie. Babies need lots of repetition to learn new words, so constantly talk to your baby.
• Read, read, and read. Young babies adore simple board books with photos. Try the photo dictionary kind that label common objects or even have photos of babies. As your baby gets older, choose board books with bright, simple pictures. The Spot books by Eric Hill, for example, have been a classic choice for over 30 years.
• Babble along with your baby. When baby babbles to you, babble right back. Sure, you might feel a bit silly at first, but these early “conversations” teach babies that communication is reciprocal.
• Express delight in your baby’s first words. Cheer and clap for your baby. Then expand on her language. If she says “ball,” say something like “Oh, do you want the red ball? Here you go!”

Your baby’s language development unfolds at a natural and predictable rate. By providing a rich, playful language environment, you’ll support that growth. Occasionally, your baby’s language might not develop as quickly as expected. Talk with your pediatrician if you’re concerned or if she has no words by 14 to 16 months of age.

(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.)

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Julie Christensen

Julie Christensen taught early childhood education in public and private settings for more than 20 years. Today, she’s a freelance writer and the busy mom of four terrific kids. She lives in Colorado and loves camping, hiking and exploring the Rocky Mountains with her kids and husband.

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