Play is the work of a child, and every day is a learning experience. A child can whip up a science experiment using tools she finds at hand. Sure, to you it looks like she smeared an entire jar of Vaseline all over the couch, but what your child learned is that petroleum jelly is sticky and gooey, and it doesn’t come off of her fingers very easily, even if she wipes them on something like the couch. No, the rug isn’t much better at getting it off. Yes, the dog may lick some of it off, but he is not really interested. Sure, it still tastes the same after the dog licked it. Still doesn’t come off when you wipe it on the couch though.
Learning is a rapid, ongoing process for a child, not confined to the times of day that we set aside to teach. There are many ways you can use your child’s play to encourage their language growth and build their vocabulary.
In most cases, a child will produce her first word around the time of her first birthday, but the foundation for communication comes much earlier. By about 8 months of age, a child has developed the concept of object permanence, the ability to understand that an object exists even if she can no longer see it. If you hide her toy under a blanket at this point, she will look for it. At this stage, games such as peek-a-boo reinforce this concept as well as demonstrating the turn-taking aspect of conversation.
First words tend to be nouns—people or things that are familiar. As children develop improved oral motor skills, pronunciation will become more precise. In the early stages of speaking, it is important to pay attention to the intent as much as to the production.
Routines provide comfort through predictability in a world that is just beginning to make sense. When you do the same thing the same way time after time, your child learns what to expect in a given situation. If you always kiss your baby’s toes when changing her diaper, she’ll begin to put her feet up for a kiss at diaper changing time. This is an early form of expressive communication. She is inviting you to play the game. When you play along and kiss her toes, you have reinforced her communication and shown her that you understand what she has asked. In this way, you have laid a foundation for conversational give and take in the future.
Getting on the child’s level is an important step. Play, and the communication that goes along with it, is enhanced when you partner with your child. That means side by side on the floor or at a kiddie table or anywhere that puts you eye to eye.
When planning for play, let your child take the lead. Look at her interests and introduce a play scenario that you know she will find interesting. Expect that she may deviate from the plan and follow her lead as she explores new ways of interaction. Remember that a child’s attention span will lengthen as she grows.
Encourage her attempts at communication by talking about your play. Give her time to respond. Talk back to her in a conversational style. Include appropriate hand motions, animal noises, actions and facial expressions to help her understand what you are saying as well as to give her an alternate means to communicate back to you the same information.