10 Ways to Teach a Child to Talk

How can parents teach their child to talk? This is a concern for all parents. How often do you hear phrases like, "My sister's baby started talking at one year old," or "My friend's twins began speaking in full sentences at eighteen months," or "The neighbor's kids..."? Dear parents, comparing the pace of speech development, or any aspect of a child's development for that matter, is a futile task. Every child progresses at their own unique pace, and it's important not to get discouraged or worry that something is wrong with your baby if they seem to be lagging behind others.

What you need is a reasonable approach, attentiveness, regular consultations with a pediatrician, and a visit to a speech therapist between the ages of two and three. If there are concerns about delayed speech development, it's best to have experts diagnose the issue. In this article, we will provide advice on how to teach a child to talk at an individual and comfortable pace.

How to develop speaking skills in a child according to age

Let's explore the step-by-step instructions on how to teach a child to talk from the first months of a baby's life. Understanding this progression will help you determine the best way to teach your child to talk.

Infancy

Between 1 and 3 months of age, a child reflexively pronounces vowels in response to external stimuli. For example, they may make sounds when their mom or dad enters the room or during bath time. After a couple of months, babbling begins, with the child uttering syllables. The meaning of speech reactions continues to develop, and by 10 months, a child may have about 10 simple words in their vocabulary.

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The motivation for further speech development comes from the child's interest in the outside world. They begin to understand the connection between tactile, visual, auditory sensations, and the speech addressed to them.

Tips for parents on how to teach a child to talk: Talk to your child from birth. The words, poems, and songs spoken by their parents directly influence the speech centers in the child's cerebral cortex, stimulating their active development.

Toddler Stage

During this period, children start realizing the importance of speech for interacting with others. They willingly engage with adults and other children, using their limited vocabulary to exchange information. By the end of the second year, a child may have about 50 words in their repertoire.

Tips for parents on how to teach a child to talk: To expand your child's vocabulary, try pronouncing the names of objects around them. Using Doman cards with images of animals and objects can be helpful. Show the child a card and clearly pronounce the name of what is depicted. You can also point to objects in their environment and describe them using adjectives, such as "the sun is bright," "the glass is transparent," "the sea is warm."

The development of fine motor skills plays a significant role because communication centers in the brain are engaged during activities like finger games and playing with clay.

During this stage, a child's vocabulary expands rapidly. They become proficient in forming simple sentences, easily memorize songs and poems, and it's time to focus on articulation—the correct pronunciation of sounds. Special training exercises, such as imitating noises, everyday sounds, and bird songs, can help with this.

When correcting the child's speech, it's important to do so gently and positively, avoiding causing any worry about their progress.

Tips for parents on how to teach a child to talk more effectively: Observe when your child speaks better—during calm moments or when they are highly active? This can help you choose a more suitable time for language practice.

Also: How To Raise a Bilingual Child

Preschool Age

With each passing year, a child's verbal communication skills improve. By the preschool age, they typically have the following abilities:

• A vocabulary of around 3,000 words.
• Correct pronunciation of sounds.
• Proper sentence structure.
• Active interest in books and, potentially, the ability to read.
• Memorization of longer poems and songs (up to 3-4 stanzas).

Tips for parents on how to improve speaking skills in a child: It's time to start reading and discussing books together. If your child can't read yet, you can read to them and then discuss the story, look at the illustrations, and share your impressions. Try using descriptive language and talking about your emotions and experiences in vivid detail. Your child will unconsciously absorb your speech style.

When should you consider seeing a speech pathologist?

Have you ever wondered how to improve speaking skills in a child? There is an energy-saving theory that suggests the development of speech is linked to a child's overall energy levels. In simple terms, if a child has low energy, they may be sluggish, inactive, and apathetic, which can delay their speech development compared to their peers.

Additionally, children may face challenges in receiving and imitating information during learning and it will be difficult for parents to teach a child to talk. For instance, if a child has reduced imitation skills, they may be hesitant to repeat songs, phrases, or animal sounds after you. Hearing problems can also hinder a child's speech development. One common condition is alalia, which involves delayed speech reactions, impaired sound pronunciation, syllabic structure, and a limited vocabulary.

There are other medical causes for delayed speech development, such as anomalies and metabolic disorders in the central nervous system, mental illnesses, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, cerebral ischemia, increased intracranial pressure, cerebral palsy, and cerebral vascular pathologies. To rule out these conditions, a comprehensive diagnosis is necessary. It is recommended to consult with a pediatrician, speech therapist, neurologist, and ENT specialist. Further laboratory and instrumental tests, including blood tests, ultrasound, CT scans, MRI scans, and audiometry, may be conducted. If the examination confirms that the child is healthy, it's important to identify any psychological factors contributing to the speech delay, such as overprotective parenting, lack of socialization, increased anxiety, or low self-esteem.

If the cause of the speech delay is psychological, addressing it is crucial. Parents should invest effort and time to help their child catch up, teach a child to talk and reach age-appropriate speech development. Engaging in word-selection games, memory training, resourcefulness exercises, and attention-building activities can all contribute to enriching speech.

10 Ways to Teach a Child to Talk

Here are some tips to help improve your child's speaking skills:

1. Discourage pacifier use: 

Studies have shown that the longer a child uses a pacifier, the later they may start speaking. Pacifiers can negatively affect the child's bite, slow the growth of teeth, and interfere with breastfeeding.

2. Learn songs and rhymes together: 

How to teach a child to talk? Rhyming lines are easier to pronounce, and they help children understand the rhythm, intonation, and emphasis in language. This exposure can make their speech more diverse.

3. Encourage clear communication: 

Whenever your child says something in their own language or uses gestures that are not understandable to others, respond with "I don't understand you." Wait until they express their request clearly before responding. Initially, this exercise may annoy your child, but they will quickly learn to name things correctly in order to get a response.

4. Engage in play: 

How to improve your child’s speaking skills? Guessing games, puzzles, charades, and games like "10 Questions" can be beneficial for children of all ages. The latter involves thinking of an object or a character and allowing the child to ask up to 10 yes-or-no questions to guess what you're thinking.

5. Practice speech therapy techniques: 

Try tongue, cheek, and lip exercises together. You can make it a fun and interactive activity. For example, puff out your cheeks, click your tongue, or try to reach your nose or chin with your tongue.

6. Use a game-based approach to learning:

Incorporate games into the language-learning process. Playing games helps teach a child to talk, memorize new words, word combinations, and pronunciation more effectively. Consider introducing finger theater, where mini-performances not only enhance speech development but also improve fine motor skills. Finger puppets can be purchased from a children's goods store or made at home.

Also: How To Teach Logical Thinking To A Child: 7 Ways

7. Introduce a "correction" game:

How to develop speaking skills in a child? Take turns making intentional mistakes in sentences, and have your child correct them. For example, you could say, "The car is driving through the sky," and your child can correct it by saying, "Not through the sky, but on the road." This engaging game helps develop the child's perception of speech as a means of conveying accurate information.

8. Encourage creativity: 

How to teach a child to talk more? Allow your child to explore creative outlets such as drawing, singing, playing instruments, or engaging in theater performances. Creative activities stimulate the brain and can have a positive impact on speech development.

9. Limit screen time: 

Pediatricians and speech therapists have expressed concerns about excessive smartphone use and its impact on speech development. To ensure your child develops their speech skills on time, it's advisable to reduce their exposure to gadgets.

Also: 10 Ways to Teach Kids about Boundaries

10. Cultivate a reading habit: 

Read regularly with your child and encourage independent reading as well. Books not only foster imagination but also teach a child to talk, expand vocabulary, promote logical reasoning, and help children remember plots and characters. Few tools are as beneficial for overall child development as books.

In conclusion, I want to reassure parents that speech-related challenges affect approximately 25% of preschoolers. However, by the end of elementary school, this number decreases significantly to around 7% of children. With active parental involvement, regular consultations with speech therapists, and adherence to their recommendations, most speech-related difficulties can be overcome. Remember, your effort and dedication will make a difference in your child's speech development. Good luck!