Kids will eventually learn to read, speak and write if they don’t have any learning disabilities or physical problems with speech or hearing. But parents can do a lot to encourage language development in children.

It is important to not pay much heed to child language acquisition stages as kids learn at their own pace. Infants and babies will express more through gestures, toddlers will speak words and small sentences and older children will express themselves with more clarity. But it is important to aid the language development in early childhood as it can improve their communication skills as they get older.

Here are five ways to support language development in children.

Talk, Talk and Talk Some More

Parents can mistakenly delay language development in children by not paying heed to their kids’ ability to soak up words even if they can’t speak yet. It is important to talk to your children through words and sentences from an early age. Why not ask your child if she is hungry or if she would like to have some milk instead of simply starting to feed her.

Talk directly with kids of all ages as they are starting to speak words. Engage in proper conversations with them.

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Read Aloud and Often

Reading improves speech development. You can start reading books to children right from infancy. Just pick a book appropriate for the age of your child and start reading. You can even read aloud words on cereal boxes and milk cartons while doing chores with your child sitting beside you.
As your kids get older, encourage their participation in reading activities. Let them point out words, read the sentences and express if they understand the story/text. Reading is also one of the best activities to promote language development in preschoolers.

Play

Kids learn a great deal through play activities. You can promote language development in children with the help of imaginative plays where kids need to act out certain roles.
You can also play word games with older kids. A game of verbal storytelling using specific words can be fun and challenge your child in new ways.

Listen to some Music

Any way you can expose your kids to more words is ideal for their language development. You may not always be able to talk to your child if you are working from home or busy with some chores. Why not let music aid your child’s language development? Even when the music is playing in the background, kids pick up words that they may remember to use later in their lives.

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Pay Attention to Development Milestones

Often speech delay in toddlers and older kids occurs due to a problem with their hearing. If your child fails to respond to your words or auditory simulations around the house; it is best not to ignore these signs. Consult with your child’s doctor to rectify the problem. The sooner you get hold of physical problems in kids causing language delays, the better. You can then prevent any severe delays in your child’s language development.

To aid language development in children, it is important for parents to devise creative ways best suited to the temperament of their child.

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