Language and Literacy Activities for Infants 6 – 12 months
I have a lot of questions received from parents about how to help their preschoolers struggling with reading. Alot of parents will be surprised that you actually have to start language and literacy activities for infants as early as when they are 6 months old. We always have the misconception infants and toddlers are too young to build any language or reading skills which are totally untrue.
What are some literacy activities
- Sing to them daily at home
- Talk to them daily home
- Write to them at home
- Reading aloud at least 15 minutes a day
- Play with them at home
- Visit storytime at a public library
Why is literacy important for children’s development
According to research studies, babies from the wealthiest and poorest families have a 30million words gap by the time they are 3 years old. By 18 months, it will start to display some vocabulary and language skills disparity. It worsens dramatically when the child reaches 24 months. (Source) .
The study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University, tested the language processing of 18- and 24-month-old toddlers using pictures, instructions, and eye response. The 18 months old toddlers belong to well to do families while the 24 months old toddlers are chosen from poorer families. They film down the whole process and realise that the 24 months old toddlers have the same performance as the 18 months old toddlers.
The results above are important for parents to know as vocabulary development at a very young age contribute to their better reading skills and school success in future.
What kind of activities promote literacy in early childhood
Before we touch on the activities to promote literacy in early childhood, we have to understand the huge role played by parents at this stage. According to research studies, 86% – 98% of a young child vocabulary is picked up from their parents..(Source)
To sum it up, underprivileged children without literacy activities in the early stage are already lacking behind before joining preschool. At this point, most infants have already develop part of their five senses and ready to associate themselves with sound and voices. It helps when using objects or written words to help them connect visuals with what they heard.
The following language activities are what you can do to bridge the gap in inequality and prevent your child from falling behind as they grow up.
Sing to them daily at home
Cheerful singing and music is a great way to start building their vocal cords. You can do it when changing diapers or while playing developmental toys with them. They may develop some baby talk language and also imitate some humming sounds from you. This will let them have space to explore the different chords and melodies from songs and music.
Singing and making music are among the most enjoyable learning activities because they have both elements – enjoyment and learning. It is an essential way of reinforcing basic skills in numeracy and literacy for your little one. It also helps to improve their creativity, imagination and expression of ideas.
Talk to them daily at home
Whether it is bringing them to go for a walk on stroller or running errands at the supermarket, you can talk to them on a frequent basis. Describe what you see to them, it can be pet dogs, buildings or vegetables you bought. Even though they cannot reply to you now, constant repeating will help to reinforce the vocabulary in their brain.
Write to them at home
At this stage, you can start off with writing basic alphabets or numbers in front of them. Read out to them aloud with proper pronunciation and do this on a daily basis. They will learn to pick up the pronunciation and associate with the written alphabets or numbers gradually.
Play with them at home
Whether they are learning to crawl or learning to stand or walk, positive language and affirmations from you help to build their self confidence. They learn not to be afraid of failing or falling. This will be useful when they are trying to speak in the toddler stages. Using toys for babies learning to stand or walk can help to extend their attention span.
Read aloud at least 15 minutes a day
When you are reading aloud to your baby in a way that engages them, it helps to improve their emerging literacy and language development. And strengthen the bond between baby and parent.
In other words, reading bedtime stories may not only soothe your little one to sleep. It helps to build their language skills and ability to read. Even more, it helps to develop their lifelong love of reading books. If you are running out of books to read to them, you can go to the library to borrow or use flashcards. (Get 58 free flashcards that you can use on your phone or tablet here)
Visit Storytime at a public library
Whether it is your baby getting restless at home or you want to get some fresh air, you can visit storytimes at libraries near your house. Check out the time schedule on their website before heading down. This will allow your newborn to be exposed to a wide range of books besides what you have at home.
Final tip on language and literacy activities for infants
Research has shown that parents that invest in newborn literacy program are more effective in increasing maternal engagement in literacy activities. They are also most likely to spend significantly more time reading to their babies. (Source).
If you are still hesitant on how to build a good language foundation for your newborn, you may like to consider investing in an inexpensive newborn literacy program like reading headstart (affiliate link). You can find out more by checking out their free video here. What are some literacy activities you have done for your infant? Share your experience below.
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