Key Pre-Verbal Communication Skills

A baby’s first words usually appear around the age of 12 months, but there is a huge amount of pre-language development that needs to happen before then. From baby’s first few days of life, he or she learns a range of techniques to send deliberate messages to mum and other communication partners. This pre-verbal communication involves eye gaze, gestures, and vocalisations, but there are also several concepts that a baby needs to understand. In this article, we will look at the key pre-verbal concepts and skills that baby needs to grasp, how parents can help baby learn, and when to consider getting professional support for your child.
The Key Pre-Verbal Skills
Baby’s first interchanges will involve smiles and “noises”, expanding to gestures such as showing, pointing, shaking the head and waving. By observing …show more content…
By focusing on your little one, you can give their communication/language a boost! Right from birth, your baby hears your voice. So, you can help him or her learn to enjoy listening by singing together, talking pleasantly to others when near baby, and for simply allowing baby quiet play time to practice babbling. As baby nears six months, you can encourage eye contact by placing toys near your face, sitting opposite your child and getting down to his or her level of height. This can be encouraged throughout the day, for example, during meal times, nappy-changing, dressing or story time. You can also teach your six month old the concept of imitation – when he or she babbles, repeat the same sounds back! Closer to a year of age, your youngster should be very interested in games that are suitable for teaching rhyming, turn taking and for reinforcing skills learned earlier. Try games with songs and actions, like Peek-a-Boo or Pat-a-Cake, in which you can also help baby move his or her hands along with the