This morning while I was changing Kaitlyn’s diaper, she tugged on the sleeve of my shirt and said “Dat?” And in that instant, I knew that we were about to begin the most interesting, challenging and frustrating part of toddlerhood next to potty training-teaching them every single word for every single thing.
What an enormous task it is, being responsible for teaching someone all those words. It can be exhausting, carrying a toddler around as they point to things and ask “Dat?” You are filling up their memory banks with dozens, hundreds, thousands of sounds. Sounds that in the English language mean “truck”, “cup”, “shirt”.
According to a study published in the March issue of the journal Infancy by Psychology Professor Erik Thiessen, director of Carnegie Mellon’s Infant Language and Learning Lab, babies will learn to speak sooner if adults talk to them like infants instead of like other adults.
“Most adults speak to infants using so-called infant-directed speech: short, simple sentences coupled with higher pitch and exaggerated intonation. Researchers have long known that babies prefer to be spoken to in this manner. But Thiessen’s research has revealed that infant-directed speech also helps infants learn words more quickly than normal adult speech.” -Source: Science Daily
I find that study interesting, because my husband and I have always tried to speak to our children as if they could already understand adult speech, right from the beginning. But now that I think about it, when Kaitlyn pointed to my shirt and asked “Dat?”, I didn’t say “well Kaitlyn, that particular item of clothing is called a shirt”. I said “SHIRT! SHIRT! Can you say SHIRT?!” I guess you could call it instinct.
I can’t wait for Kaitlyn to be able to start saying more than a few words. I want to know what is going on in that head of hers, what things are catching her attention and what things are important to her. I watch her all day and I can almost see the wheels turning in her head, I know she is soaking up so much knowledge all the time. And it must be so frustrating for her, because there are words she understands but can not say herself yet, like “bath” and “diaper”. When I say “you need your diaper changed”, she runs right into her room and stands next to the changing table, and yet she can’t tell ME that she needs a change. Same thing with the bath-she runs right to the door and waits for us to open it so she can start climbing in the tub, but she can’t ask to take a bath.
Just now, after I typed that last sentence, Kaitlyn came up to me holding the cow from the Fisher Price Farm and making her dog noise, which sounds like “oof”. I said “that’s a COW. Cow says MOOOO! Mooooo! Can you say COW?” Then I made the cow walk across the sofa cushion, up her arm, and kiss her on the cheek while she shrieked and giggled. Maybe she learned the word Cow, maybe she didn’t, but it was that little moment of opportunity for learning that was important. I am teaching someone to speak, and that is pretty freaking awesome.
More From table4five
table4five Recommends
- How to Be a Not So Extreme Couponer (Dakotapam)
- Why do so many people suck at open adoption? (LavenderLuz)
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
We’re working on this with Rooster too. It’s fun to hear (finally) what they have/want to say.
Teaching someone to speak must be wonderful!
Hmmmm…talk to them like a child instead of like an adult? You’ll have to let us know how that works out!
I have this habit of narrating every single thing I do, which is great for teaching a child how to talk, but damn annoying to any grown ups I hang out with.
I love this phase. All the little kid words and little baby voices. It is sooo sweet. It is when they get older and won’t stop talking that I think I might go insane
Enjoy.
That is a pretty amazing responsibility, when you think about it.
That is very awesome.
I think language acquisition is one of the most fascinating milestones. I really can’t wait to experience it with my son.
Oh…for one day when someone asked me something like that. How I miss it!
Years ago I was talking with some people about jobs and things their positions require, of which most people are unaware. I shared with them that most “outsiders” don’t realize mothers are required to be bi-lingual. Their puzzled looks begged for an explanation.
I said, “Well, can you interpret, ‘Ge dah mama, pee ge dah?’” Of course they couldn’t, so I told them it means, “Mommy, may I please get down?” (Literal translation -Get down mama, please get down?) I think they may have been impressed, but I’m not sure.
Enjoy your teaching moments!