Why It’s Important To Talk To Your Toddler A Lot
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It is absolutely essential to engage in conversations with your child as frequently as you can. You can explore topics like mermaids, the meaning of life, or even why they can’t name their pet goldfish “vacuum.” However, remember that the quality of these interactions holds more significance than the quantity. The quality of communication you share with your child can significantly influence their future development. A study that observed children older than 8 months interacting with their mothers revealed that children whose mothers responded to them started to engage in direct vocalization, using more gestures and words (1). It’s truly remarkable how this interaction can shape a child’s development.
1. Quality Matters
Yes you should talk to your child as much as possible. Discuss mermaids, the meaning of life and why they can’t name their pet goldfish “vacuum” but remember that quality matters a lot more than quantity. The quality of communication you have with your child can have a great effect on their future development. A study monitored the communication of kids over 8 months of age with their mothers. It was found that those children whose mothers responded to them started to directly vocalize with their mothers, and were able to produce more gestures and words (1). Isn’t that incredible.
2. Your Kids Need Details
Do you ever wonder why your child asks you the question “Why” so much so often? It can seem annoying at times but this stems from their desire to know the world around them. Your child is naturally curious and wants to understand how their environment works. The truth is that children who received longer answers from adults learned more. Your child wants to learn, so instead of just giving them a half answer or distracting them when they ask you a wacky or difficult question, take them seriously and try to explain concepts to them in simple ways. This allows children to keep the concept and use it when performing new tasks.
3. How You Can Help Your Child To Start Talking
If your child is hesitant to start talking or doesn’t use their words to communicate much, one way you can encourage them is to use both gestures and words to convey a message. For example, use your finger to point at things when you talk to them. This will make it easier for the child to understand what you are referring to and they will quickly learn new words and integrate them into their vocabulary. You can also turn this into a game and ask them to name the object you are pointing to. Talking to your child this way will work wonders for their ability to pick up words and understand their surroundings.
4. The First Step
In a well-known study on language and learning outcomes carried out in 2006, families with children spanning from 2 to 48 months in age recorded audio for 12 hours each month over a six-month period. A specialized system automatically quantified the adult’s spoken words, the frequency of interactions between adults and children, and the child’s vocalization rates (2).
5. Important Outcomes
Why was this study conducted and what did it show? The second stage of this study was conducted when these kids were 9 to 14 years old. It was observed that they passed both cognitive and language tests. The results also showed that a higher number of back and forth conversations with adults at age 18 to 24 months could predict a greater cognitive and language outcome. Translation- when you speak more to your baby they grow up to be able to have a good grasp of language and cognitive skills. Another amazing reason to keep talking to your little ones.
Talking to your child isn’t just a great way to bond, to discover their personality and discover their interests. It has a lot of other advantages too. It may seem hard to keep up with your tiny tot’s wandering mind full of questions and some of their statements may leave you reeling but that’s the joy of having a child. You’ll soon learn that not only are they ;earning from you but you are learning from them. Their childlike wonder will open your eyes to a new world and through your conversations you will get to look at the world through their eyes. So, don’t miss out on these special conversions. Happy parenting!
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