How to Talk to Your Grandbaby to Encourage Language Development
Guest post by Carol Lettko, MA, CCC-SLP,
Talking and singing to our grandbabies is so natural. It’s also so important to their development! All through the first year and beyond, you can do a lot to encourage your grandbaby’s communication skills. Research suggests that exposing the baby to many different words is important: it fires up the brain synapses that handle language development.
What can grandparents do? Talk about what the baby is hearing, doing, and seeing. Respond to their communication attempts, and have back and forth exchanges known as “serve and return.” These all help the baby’s ability to understand language and build their communication skills.
A wonderful video that demonstrates this is called “Serve and Return” and was made at Harvard. It’s worth watching.
During everyday routines, you can support your grandchild’s speech and language development. For example, when you go to help with diaper changing, you can model “Oooh, you are wet”, “let’s change your diaper”. Or perhaps your grandchild hands you a book, you can say “You want to read a book”, “You picked the farm book”. It seems simple, but the repetition of words during everyday routines helps to build your grandchild’s vocabulary. Over time, they will start to express these words.
A key point is that a baby’s receptive language (comprehension) comes before expressive communication (their ability to say the word). Therefore, hearing words over and over during their everyday routines helps their “receptive” vocabulary- the words they recognize and understand.
Let’s talk about some easy and helpful tips you can incorporate when you are with your grandbaby:
Let the baby watch your face and lips as you model sounds such as vowels (uh oh) when something falls, or exclamatory words such as “wow” or “wheeee” as your push them on a swing. When the baby’s mama or dada walks into the room, model “here is mama”, or “here is your dada”. Or as you pick up the baby you can say “Nana is here”, so they start hearing words with more than one syllable.
If your grandbaby makes a sound, copy the sound and make it a fun interactive exchange, as this shows you are paying attention to what they have to say. Sound play can help the baby attempt to imitate the sounds.
Use exaggerated facial expressions when you play “Peek a Boo”, with added emphasis on the word “boo” (which contains a consonant and a vowel).
Sing songs and read books to your grandbaby! Even flipping through a book and talking about the pictures exposes the baby to language. You can point to a picture and say “I see a cow, mooooo”! Over time, your grandbaby will learn the names of the animals and the sound effects and will start pointing upon request or saying the sound of the animal.
Songs that have repetition are wonderful such as “The Wheels on the Bus”. Do the motions along with the words to encourage motor imitation (swish swish, open, shut, up, down, round and round, etc.). The most important thing is to keep it fun with no pressure for the child to think he must perform. Bring back lullabies and fingerplays from your own childhood.
Slow down your rate of speech when you sing so that your grandchild has time to process the sounds and what you are saying.
Using a higher pitched sing song voice known as “parentese” helps to hold a baby’s attention.
If the baby’s parents have decided to teach the baby sign language, (which has been shown to decrease frustration and to help with early communication), try to learn some of the signs so that you can reinforce the parents’ routine. For example, during meal-times, perhaps the parents have introduced the sign for “more” or “all done”. Learn which signs the parents are using, so that you can reinforce the baby’s communication attempts when you are with them.
Make sure to sign the word along with the spoken word. You want to consistently use your voice along with the sign.
If you video chat with your grandbaby, have a picture book on hand so you have something to talk about. You can read to your grandbaby or talk about the pictures. Another idea is to take a tour of your home showing your grandbaby different items, such as your dog and the art on your walls. If you play a musical instrument, you could play a song and sing the words to them. Keep it fun rather than bombarding them with questions.
Above all, follow your grandchild’s lead and show interest in what they are interested in.
Five fun and simple ideas that are great for language building are:
Blow bubbles! You can use descriptive words such as big, little, gigantic. You can count the bubbles. You can work on directions (“let’s blow the bubble on your foot”, versus on your arm). You can model the words “pop”, or “uh oh bubble popped”.
Make a smoothie. It’s great for fruit vocabulary, color concepts, counting, sequencing the order of the steps, etc.
Go on a scavenger hunt around your house or outside. Bring the items back and glue them onto paper to make a nature collage. (Be careful of small pieces). Talk about what you both found!
Throw a blanket over a table and build a fort. Children love quiet places. Maybe you can go inside the fort with them and read a book together.
Paint stones or shells with water or child safe paint.
What a magical time in your life experiencing the world through your grandbaby’s eyes! I wish you much happiness on your grandbaby’s communication journey.
Carol Lettko, MA, CCC-SLP, has 40-plus years of experience as a speech-language pathologist. She has worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, preschools, students' homes, and private practice. Carol is on the expert relations team for the international Lovevery toy company and is currently working on her first children’s book series.
Visit Carollettko.com for information on ways she can support you and your family.