Babies are chatterboxes, stringing together various noises that almost sound like words and sentences. Although you might not be able to make sense of what your youngster is saying, the sounds they create are an important part of their early childhood education. When caregivers talk, babies try to organize the verbal cues to help develop language skills. As children mature, their ability to speak clearly also becomes stronger. Knowing more about the different stages of baby babble, outlined here, will leave you better prepared to understand what your child means when they talk. 

What Baby Babble Means at Different Stages

Although your child might rarely make a peep the first few weeks of life, they will start to form their first sounds at six weeks old. When babies coo and gurgle, they are attempting to make vowel sounds in response to verbal cues. They will continue to make the noises until around the three-month mark. Between the ages of four and five months, the babble grows more complex as they begin to attach consonant sounds to the noises. They will start to string together noises into a lyrical sound by six months old and become familiar with double consonants by eight months old. By the first year and a half of life, they will start to associate their noises with different people and objects. 

How to Help Your Baby Develop Language Skills

Talking to your child as much as possible will give them a strong foundation for early childhood education. A baby’s brain is like a sponge, where they try to mimic the speech patterns of their caregivers. To encourage interaction, repeat their cooing and gurgling sounds. Doing so will strengthen the familial bond and help them start to understand the back-and-forth of conversing with others. Describing activities to your child in the moment and answering questions and providing the answers will also make them familiar with the speech patterns of conversation. Reading to your little one will help them become familiar with how words are put together to form sentences. 

If your child needs help strengthening their language and socialization skills, contact the educators at Kids & Cribs Child Enrichment Center in Fort Thomas, KY. Specializing in early childhood education, the staff at this NAEYC®-accredited child care center provides infant, toddler, and preschool programs where youngsters participate in engaging, fun activities. To learn more about early childhood education opportunities in Campbell County, call (859) 441-5888, or visit the child enrichment center online for curriculum details. Become a Facebook follower to see class photos.