Hi-ho, hi-ho, hi-ho and hello to you

In class this week it was a pleasure watching the joyful interactions between the adults and babies as they found new ways to greet each other. Greetings like a simple wave gesture and blowing kisses, and a handshake—the ideas are endless!

Babies begin to understand words long before speaking. During this receptive stage it is important that their surroundings are language rich with speaking, singing, and gestures. This stimulates the brain’s language centers to grow and allows the child to learn speech and language efficiently and become an expressive communicator.

Turn on the babblings and cooing conversations this week at home by surrounding your baby with your voice—talk about everything, sing your favorite songs, and make up simple gestures for “uh-oh,” “all gone,” and “good-bye.” For a little magical fascination, add a baby-safe mirror to your conversation. Keep a baby-safe mirror handy for those times in the high-chair, car seat, or stroller when it’s not possible for a face-to-face dialogue. This makes it easy for your little one to engage in a self-conversation at any time.