One of the most joyful moments in the lives of parents after their child is born is the moment when the child utters its first words. Even though a slight delay in your child’s language development is no indication of their intellectual prowess or lack thereof, after all even Albert Einstein is known to have had a slight speech impediment as a child, it is important to support your kid’s language development and not leave things to chance entirely. We live in a highly interconnected world where communication and collaboration are vital skills which any individual must have. Being able to communicate properly not only helps the children in understanding the people around them, making friends and enjoying their lives, but it also provides them an edge when it comes to studies and opens new doors for them.
Today, education has become more complex owing to industry demands and technological progress. Schools and colleges are readily adopting digital teaching and management tools such as institute ERP, smart classes, eLearning portals, attendance management system and likewise in order to enhance their productivity. Students need to have strong communication skills in order to excel in the new and dynamic education system. It is important for parents to understand the importance of language development in kids and therefore take all the necessary measures to encourage their child in developing their language skills. Here are a few simple yet helpful ways which can help you in encouraging your child’s language development. So, without further ado, let’s dive in…
Attract the child’s attention-
This is an effective way of encouraging your child’s language development. Sit down with your child or face them. The first step is to get their attention by speaking their name before saying anything else. Even though the kids still may be in the nascent stages of language development, they understand and respond to their name being called by paying attention towards the speaker. Now that you have their attention, start talking about the things you see in front of you. This can be done while sitting on a park bench, playground or even while watching television. This helps the kids in understanding the meaning of the words by referencing the sound with what they see in front of them.
Repeat Yourself-
Repeating what you say is a simple yet effective method of supporting your kid’s language development. By repeating yourself, you are giving your child the much needed practice as the kids need to hear words and sentences multiple times before they start making sense of the sentences and learn new words. Therefore, always try to repeat what you say to the toddlers. This is the golden rule of baby talk.
Build on Their Words-
Adding a couple of new words to rephrase what your kid says is an effective way of helping them move on to the next stage of language development. For instance, if your kid says “truck” you could say “A fire truck” or “A big truck” and likewise. This will help the child in adding new words to their vocabulary at a rapid pace as well as associating new words with the words they already know of.
Speak in Native Language-
It is important that parents teach children their first words in their native language. In this way, the child will be able to communicate with their family and friends and will also develop a connection with their mother tongue. There will be enough time to learn languages like English at school.
Copy Your Child’s Words-
While speaking to your child, try to repeat what they say back to them. Even if the child utters barely half formed words, repeat the sound they make, back to them. This shows the kids that you’re interested in their words and also lets them know that language and sounds are important. This may help in your child’s language development.
Keep it Simple-
Always try to keep your language simple and restricted to short sentences with simple words. Avoid using complex sentences with too many words at all costs.
A child’s language development is an important part of their life which governs their future success to a large extent. The ideas discussed in this article shall certainly help the parents in encouraging their kid’s language development.
