… And They Speak!
Language development & the art of speech … it is amazing to watch children grow & develop, not only seeing them grow, but listening to them too. The other day my daughter Josie who is 19 months called after me as I was upstairs, “Mama where are you?”. When did she start speaking in full sentences?! My son Rob, who is six months is babbling, and mimicking sounds, laughing at me when I mimic the sounds he makes; When I was an early childhood education major in college, I remember reading over charts, and checklists regarding children’s’ milestones, and now that I have my own children I am rereading the same charts, checklists, and articles all over again! Every child is different & I have seen that first hand working in childcare and having two children of my own. You can not compare children, because they all learn and develop at their own pace. Josie was babbling around 4 months, where Rob started a little later around 5 months. While every child learns at their own pace, observing your child, and knowing the different milestones that are expected at each age will help you to identify any delays. While hearing tests are done at birth, nothing takes the place of a parents’ observation.
Yesterday morning I was in the kitchen, my daughter was eating breakfast, and my son was in his exersaucer. I heard my son start to fuss - or rather - it sounded as if he was starting to fuss. So I quickly finished what I was doing, all the while talking to him to let him know I was there & I was going to get to him. When I went over to him, bent down to pick him up I took a moment to really listen to the sounds that he was making, and while at first it sounded as if he was getting upset, he was really “talking” - in is own way that is. I knelt down to face him, and mimicked the sounds he was making, and talked about his tone & he replied with more babble & smiles; my daughter was having a great time listening to Rob & I talk, she was making her own babble at the kitchen table.
Take time out to listen to your kids. Talk to them. You never know what they are going to say … they are listening to your words as well as how you speak. Here are some links to find out more about language development & speech in children birth and up:
Great Post!