Bilingual Baby

Being able to communicate using complex communication systems is what sets human beings apart from the rest of the species on earth. Language and cognitive development go hand-in-hand, with research confirming that the more words a child can learn, the more they understand about their world. Vocabulary is the source of comprehension, reasoning, memory and, ultimately, learning.

- Loren Stow

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN A NUTSHELL

Research now confirms that babies start to learn language from the womb, and this process continues well into their teens and beyond. However, a focus on language development should start from birth, and not be left until a baby starts to talk. This is because a baby’s receptive language develops before their expressive language – they understand language well before they can actually articulate words. In addition, brain development is at its peak in the first three years of a child’s life, with the brain growing to 79% of its adult size. Babies, therefore, are wired by nature to seek out language, understand it, and start producing it.

ONE-ON-ONE INTERACTION

While language develops quite naturally, it does require one-on-one input. Research has shown that babies do not learn language from televisions or radios; they learn language from their parents and other adults in their environment. Parents can focus on their baby’s language development if they imagine they are the tour guides to their baby’s world, naming objects, places, people and feelings that are present in every moment. By giving their baby the words for their world, they essentially equip them to understand and learn from their world.

BILINGUAL BABIES