Pieces of advice for the period of development until the end of first year – speech
All the children develop and grow in their own way and at their own pace. Time we spend with them playing and teaching them is exceptionally important and may contribute to the quality of their development… It is most important to remember that each child is different.
Speech may begin to develop at a very early period because babies try to copy sounds and speech patterns of their environment. Showing objects from the environment and talking to your baby is very useful for the speech development. Baby absorbs everything you speak, so don’t give up even if you consider that the time for the first words should already be behind you.
1. Talk, talk and talk: if the house in which the baby develops is silent, the child itself will be silent. Therefore, talk freely!
2. Read books aloud: the ideal moment to develop and inspire love for books is the early development phase. Babies love books that have different colours, textures, but also songs that rhyme and that are sung. If you have children books from which a bear or a bunny can pop out, it will be a hit!
3. Turn off the TV: while reading a book, turn off other sources of potential noise. Babies have limited ability to concentrate, so any additional source of stimulation will distract them from what you are focusing on – that your child listens to your voice and learns by interacting with you.