jLanguage Development Ideas

IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE

VERBAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

s we mentioned throughout our course, signing with your baby is an interim
step, a way to bridge the gap between comprehension and actual speech
production. You should not lose sight of the fact that while signing with your

baby is an incredible experience, your ultimate goal is speech and language
development

Incorporate these activities in your daily routine with your baby. Keep it fun and as
spontaneous as possible. Vary the activities to avoid boredom.

Remember: Even if your baby isn’t old enough to understand some of these activities,
keep at it! This is how your baby learns to speak!

1) Speak to your baby in “parentese, ” the high pitch manner of talking that adults tend
to use naturally when speaking to babies. Studies show that babies are attracted to it.

(Parentese does not mean baby talk, however!)

2) Encourage your baby to make vowel-like and

consonant-vowel sounds such as "ma," "da," and "ba" by
making a game of it and repeating what your baby says.

3) Maintain eye contact with your baby and respond

when he attempts to speak. Imitate his vocalizations and
then see if he’ll imitate some of yours.

4) Imitate your baby's laughter and facial expressions.

5) Teach your baby to imitate your actions, including clapping your hands, throwing
kisses, and playing finger games such as pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo, and the itsy-bitsy-
spider.

6) Have conversations with your baby. Talk as you bathe, feed, and dress him. (Sign
when appropriate.) Talk about what you are doing, where you are going, what you will
do when you arrive, and who and what you will see.

7) Identify colors.

8) Count items.

9) Introduce animal sounds and signs. Associate sounds with a specific meaning: For
example, "The doggie says woof-woof."

10) Acknowledge any attempt to communicate.

11) Expand on single words your baby uses: " Mama is here. Mama loves you. Where
is baby? Here is baby."

12) Read to your baby. It’s never too early. Choose books that are sturdy and have
large colorful pictures that are not too detailed. Read the same book over and over.

13) Ask questions when reading books – even though you have to
supply the answers. (“Which one is Goldilocks?”)

14) As your baby gets older, ask more sophisticated questions -
even though you have to supply the answers. (“How do you think
poor Goldilocks felt? I think she was sad, don’t you?”)

15) Speak to your child in full sentences.

16) Talk and read to your child often. It doesn't matter that he
doesn't yet understand the meaning of the words. Your child is deciphering the
components of speech. So explain how you're making dinner, why you're doing the
laundry and what you see as you drive down the street.