Have you ever noticed that your baby’s eyes light up and she becomes excited when she hears the sound of your voice?
Babies are naturally drawn to the human voice and when therefore a baby reaches the stage where she is ready to tackle talking, this natural attraction to voices can be utilised and exploited to help develop your toddler’s speech.
If your child is at the ‘pining to talk’ stage then you may find the following tips on How to help your toddler talk handy to help her progress quickly and efficiently.
1 – Mimic words with actions
A child is more likely to learn the meaning of words and sentences if you match your words with actions. For example, if you say, “put on your shoes”, let her see you putting on your shoes, as it will help her relate the words with the action or goal.
2 – Lip reading
Instead of mumbling words to your child whilst facing the other way, it will be more beneficial if you speak words slowly and clearing whilst letting your baby see your mouth move. Babies love to mimic and if she is aware of how to move her mouth to say certain words, she is likely to be more successful in saying the word.
3 – Talk with excitement
Babies are more likely to copy words if the words are told to them with excitement and interest. When reading a book or telling them a story, read the words with passion and excitement and they will be a lot more inclined to remember the words and repeat them.
4 – Avoid using colloquialisms and slang
If you are prone to saying ‘ouse’ instead of ‘house’, try and refrain from doing so in front of your toddler, who will be listening to your every word. Whilst we should not feel compelled to bring our children up speaking “the Queen’s English”, try and speak as clearly as possible and sound each syllable of a word.
5 – Eliminate background noise
Every so often give your baby a ‘speech lesson’, and whilst you do so, make sure there is no background noise, such as the radio or television, which could distract her.