I have been reading up on language development as I have been concerned lately that my 18 month old daughter is not talking as much as I believe she should be. There is all kinds of information on this topic and the range of what is considered "normal" development is broad.After some research, both online and by talking to friends, I have decided not to worry and to continue promoting her language development through talking with her, singing, and reading to her.
Here are some things you too can do to promote language development:
From birth to 2 years
- Introduce animal sounds and associate the animal with the sound. For example if they see and hear a dog, say "that's a dog and they go woof woof".
- Identify colours
- Count items
- Use gestures to convey meaning, like waving good-bye
- Read, read, read!
- Sing to them, specially songs with gestures, like "head, shoulders, knees and toes" or "patty cake"
- Watch what they do and verbalize what they are doing.
- Talk to them, tell them what you are doing, where you are going, what is happening.
These are all things that you incorporate into your daily activities.
As for me, I know that I have to relax and continue doing what I have been doing and before I know it I'm going to be asking her to be quiet.
