How to talk around your kids

Around the age of 2-3 years old, babies usually experience a jump in speech development. Most children begin to learn speech more rapidly, even if they used to be rather quiet. A child understands how others speak well, and seeks to communicate in a common language. Meanwhile, adults often make mistakes that can complicate the development of speech.

First of all, one of these mistakes includes “cursing”. Broken adult speech interferes with the child’s development of auditory control and leads to the consolidation of distorted pronunciation as an erroneous norm.

Don’t worry if, for example, a three-year-old child speaks little, but, as they say, they understand everything, tries to imitate words, or imitates a conversation with you. It is likely that your baby will be talking very soon.

Here are some tips to help your child learn how to speak correctly.

1. You need to talk to your child a lot, and often, from birth.
2. Speak clearly so that the baby hears and remembers the correct pronunciation. Don’t rush, don’t speak quickly.
3. Simplify your speech, try not to use complex and incomprehensible words around your child.
4. Say what you’re doing out loud more often. This way, your child will learn new words and associate them with the environment. Children around two years of age can be shown actions in pictures and in illustrated books.
5. Engage in the development of your child’s speech from three years old purposefully, perform different exercises. If you notice problems in their speech, consult a speech therapist.
6. Talk to your child more often so that they see your face.
7. Encourage your baby to talk; if they ask for something by pointing with their finger, pretend that you don’t understand, and ask what they want.
8. Don’t “babble" and do not repeat your baby’s incorrect pronunciations. Speak correctly: for example, instead of “Bibik” - “typewriter”. Then the correct pronunciation will stick in your child’s mind, and they won’t think they’re doing something wrong.
9. Don’t rush your child when they’re trying to tell you something, do not scold them for incorrect pronunciations and mistakes.

What to do if others are “babbling” with your child?

A child must understand how to pronounce words correctly. The fact that they hear incorrect speech - on the playground, in class or at the doctor, is nothing to worry about. However, if loved ones continue to distort words, this can interfere with the harmonious development of speech. Talk to your family about the importance of the correct pronunciation of words, explain why this is important.