Families For Life | Talking with Babies and Toddlers: Why It’s Important-Babies

Talking Through Everyday Routines:

For busy parents, you don’t need to fork out extra dedicated time to speak with your child. Incorporating verbal interactions into everyday routines, such as bath and mealtimes offer natural opportunities for your child to practice both receptive (listening and understanding) and expressive (speaking, gesturing) speech.

It can be as simple as directing your child’s attention to what you are doing at any given moment. For example, you can say: “We’re buying vegetables today. Can you see the carrots? Orange carrots!” if you’re grocery shopping, or “Let’s put on your shirt! Where are your arms? There they are!” when getting them dressed.

Every time you narrate what is happening around your child, you help build their vocabulary in a way that’s real and meaningful to them.

What Should My Child Be Doing Now?

As a parent, you know your child best. If something about their speech or language development doesn't feel quite right to you, trust that instinct. It is always okay to ask questions, and bringing up concerns early with your pediatrician is one of the most helpful things you can do.

Reading Together: Small Habit, Big Impact

Just 10 minutes of reading aloud each day makes a measurable difference. Ask questions, point at pictures, let your child turn the pages. Reading exposes them to a rich variety of sound, words, and sentence structures, thereby strengthening their future communicative abilities.

Why Videos Can’t Replace You:

Now more than ever, parents have access to plenty of educational apps and videos aimed to help boost children’s development. However, it is important to keep in mind that nothing replaces a conversation with real people who can respond to your child specifically. Screens can entertain, but they may not be able to respond to what your child just babbled or pointed at, and these back-and-forth exchanges are precisely what builds your child’s language learning abilities and confidence.

To better understand how you can use screentime and digital tools meaningfully and effectively with your child, you can refer to: A Parent's Guide to Digital Wellness