babies.kids.moms.wives.: Let's TALK About It

Let’s TALK About It

I saw my old camera and started looking at the pictures. I even run through some videos of my son, Kurt when he was less than a year. His speech then was too simple and vague. The only thing I could remember was that, he loved repeating the same thing over and over again like “dada”. But his mouth has much to say nowadays like there was an eruption of ideas in his brain and he wants to deliver it to us by talking.

So, I decided to write about talking in my blog today.

Talking is another developmental milestone of a child. This happens when a baby starts to cry. Crying is the first way of a baby to communicate.

(I mentioned it in my previous article http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-touch-that-heals.html that the means of communication for a baby is crying.)

When a baby is about 5-6 months, you would notice he would start to say things repetitively like “ah” or “oh” or “mmm… mama” and even “dada”. In this manner, you are already assured that your child is taking another step to acquire knowledge.

Happy and delighted as you are upon hearing these words, they (babies) too are feeling the same pleasure. They are learning how to produce sounds with their own mouths. Little by little, they are advancing and will soon learn how to produce one word, two words or even 4-word sentences.

(My son for example started babbling syllables when he was 6 months. And soon enough started talking at 10 -11months. I could vividly remember that his first word was not MAMA, instead it was DADA. This made my husband really glad.)

If at 10-11 months, your child could still not talk but are uttering some simple sounds, do not be afraid and do not force your child. Uttering simple sounds means that the child is already taking further step.

Each child has his own and unique way of learning. Each child learns in his own pace. Do not compare your child with other children because each child undergoes a different process of learning. By different process of learning, there are different factors like parents, surroundings and even the things and tools for speaking.

Kurt at 5 months old looking at his first book.

WHAT TO DO AS PARENTS/ GUARDIANS:

1. TALK TO YOUR CHILD – Talk to your child by NOT baby talking like “cochi cochi coo.. baa baa cocka-doodle –doo, etc.”. It will not help. Talk to them in straight sentences but in slow manner.

Talking to your child will initiate simple “imitate and follow” process. Young ones imitate best. This is also a simple and yet good way for you and your child to bond and just spend time with each other.

2. LISTEN TO YOUR CHILD’S RESPONSE – After talking to them, try to wait for their reaction. A child’s learning involves LSRW or we teachers call this listening, speaking, reading and writing. Obviously R & W are not yet visible at this stage. However, by listening to you, the babies will slowly digest whatever you are saying and give a response via speaking or talking.

3. UNDERSTAND THE RESPONSE – This takes patience, a lot of patience. There are times; even mommies cannot understand what a baby wants. However, if you pay attention, look them in the eye and try to understand what they are relaying, you will definitely get it. It takes practice. It doesn’t happen in a blink of an eye but it’s worth it.

4. SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING – How will you support? Give them colorful books. Start with simple and big books. Try to read to them and teach them the meaning of each picture. If your baby laughs, giggles, smiles or even response via talking, that means he is trying very hard to understand whatever you are teaching him. If he tries to repeat what you said and it is incorrect, try correcting the mistake immediately in a nice way. Example: You read “BALL” as you are pointing at the ball. Then the baby says “BL” instead of “BALL”. Do not be discouraged. Try saying that word a little bit slower and clearer this time. Plus wear a smile. If the child still repeats the same thing, let it be. There is always another day to learn. Again, do not pressure the child. As an educator, this is one way of introducing my son, the beauty of reading books.

5. SING SONGS or RHYMES - Good voice is not a requirement. Singing songs with dedication is the requirement. Continuously sing the same song for a week, you will soon realize that your child is already humming the song and then successfully singing it all by himself. As an educator, I teach my son a lot of songs related to learning. I do this before bed time and before nap time every single day. And if he already knows the song, I move to a different song and use the same process. He then learns vocabulary and rhythm.

6. DO NOT LOSE HOPE WITH YOUR OWN CHILD

Kurt, my son, at age of 1 year old and 6 months already knows how to count 1-10 both English and Filipino versions; knows how to sing ABC and other Filipino songs and rhymes. December of 2012, when his daddy arrived from Afghanistan, his daddy taught him his simple prayer. By 12^th of January 2013, right after his daddy left, Kurt already said the prayer alone and he even leads the prayer before bed time. He could also understand simple English and two languages in the Philippines: Tagalog and Cebuano. Right now, at 1 year and 11 months, he could also talk fluently and communicate to us by giving relevant answers to specific questions. He could even make requests, say please and sometimes fool around. He recognizes some of the animals and their sounds.

A child’s progress not only in talking but also in learning depends on the environment, the kind of play that he has and of course the kind of people that surround him. Always remember, children learn what they live.

That’s it for today. Have fun beautiful mommies!!!

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Don’t forget to visit the following articles: (It might help you understand your babies.)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/every-single-step-counts.html (About crawling and walking)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/lets-scribble-and-have-some-fun.html (About scribbling)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/sharing-some-one-year-old-activities.html (About 1year old activities your kids could do)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/eat-on-my-own-as-mom-i-get-frustrated.html (About picky eaters)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/no-more-worries-mommy.html (About baby cries and their meanings)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/cant-smile-without-you.html (About first erruption of tooth)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/he-throws-everything-1-2-year-old-kids.html (About motor development)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-touch-that-heals.html (About emotional development)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/02/when-kids-hug-back.html (About emotional development)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html (About solitary play)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-more-playmates-merrier.html (About kids having playmates and its benefits)

http://joneepslimwitch.blogspot.com/2013/03/keep-them-puzzled.html (About toys that enhances the brain)

I would also like to thank my cousin Hanna Deonoso and partner Philip Dolera for featuring my blog in their project for one of the MassCommunication major subjects. Thanks for the copy of your brochure. This made a lot of views.