Babies are born with an innate ability to be sociable and communicate their needs. They gurgle, grunt, babble, smile and blow bubbles in an attempt to 'talk' to their parents or carers. They use non-verbal gestures such as clapping, pointing or waving to communicate what is on their mind. And they imitate those around them, often mirroring facial expressions or repeating the amusing sounds that people make.
Practitioners can support babies' in-built language abilities by talking and listening to them and tuning in to their needs. The resources in the baby room should be chosen carefully to motivate the baby to talk.
Examples include photos, books, mirrors and mats — with different textures to feel and squeeze - baskets of natural and household resources and cameras to record personal stories or songs. But there should also be quiet, cosy areas where babies can go to listen to music or spend time watching the facial expressions of practitioners as they gently read or sing to them.
HOW DOES IT ALL START?
The critical periods for language development occur during the first three years of life. During this time, a child's success as a communicator largely depends on the presence of parents, siblings or practitioners to interact with and imitate.
Ann Langston, director of Early Years Matters consultancy, says, 'The most important resource a baby or young child can have is an adult sensitive to their communications and who interacts with them - in other words, a partner in conversation.'
She adds, 'The key principle of communication in a baby room is that every interaction is important, no matter how small. Responding to and making sense of the sounds babies make encourages them to "talk back". Being alert to babies'
signals means you see that sometimes they may want to say a great deal and at other times they may want to watch the adult's face and listen to them singing or talking. Just being responded to will motivate the baby to talk.
'The carer's face is also fascinating to the baby because of the movement and the changing expressions, which convey mood and also help the baby to know how to respond -whether to be pleased or fearful of something, for example. Helping babies to find the words is important too, so the adult interprets what the baby is seeing or doing or saying.'
IMPORTANT STEPS
Practitioners can talk to babies as they go through their daily routines, using words, actions and songs. For example, they might explain that they are going to put on a 'fresh, clean, nappy', or 'it's time for some food now, yum, yum', as they rub their tummies. They might also listen to the babies' babbles, repeating their sounds and using eye contact, or blow raspberries - all of which will delight them.
These important steps will eventually lead to a baby being able to speak their first words. For example, the bubbles a baby blows help to develop the oral motor skills necessary in speech production. And non-verbal communication, in the form of gestures such as waving, pointing and clapping, has been linked with the predisposition to learn language.
But the environment also plays a key role in helping babies communicate. Ms Langston says, 'The environment should be presented in such a way that noise is reduced and opportunities for listening and speaking are enhanced.
'It should also offer opportunities for listening to music and rhymes, and additionally there should be lots of finger plays and rhymes connected with the baby.'
RESOURCES
- Offer plenty of books. Begin with simple picture books and then introduce short, interactive books such as Oh Dear! by Rod Campbell. Ensure that there are quiet places where conversations and book sharing can take place.
- Provide opportunities for babies to listen to music, songs and rhymes and to make music, all of which are beneficial activities for developing speech, language and communication skills. Music is powerful because babies learn to listen out for different bits of the song. Offer a selection of instruments — home-made or commercial — for older babies to shake or bang. Practitioners can then comment on the type of noise and perhaps introduce a different sound and talk to the baby about the sounds. Early Excellence (www.earlyexcellence.com) stocks a range of quality, wooden instruments that can be bought separately or as a collection. The Musical Instrument Complete Collection (£150), which comes in a Moroccan basket, is one example. Or try www.mes-direct.co.uk for a range of musical instruments for all ages.
- Games such as peek-a-boo help the baby to learn about turn-taking in conversation. Repetition is also helpful in the context of daily events so practitioners should interact with rhymes. These can become a model for language.
- Mirrors — both fixed and mobile — are also a useful resource and can be used in games that focus on the baby's face or features. You could sing, for example, 'If you're happy and you know it clap your hands'. Try the set of three Mirror Frames (£29.95) from www.tts-group.co.uk, which can be mounted or hand held, or the Softie Mirror Exploratory, lightweight acrylic mirrors embedded in EVA foam (from £32.99) at www.reflectionson learning.co.uk.
- Cosy spaces should include soft cushions and mats for babies to lie down. If mats are used that have different textures to squeeze or a bell to tinkle, ensure that they are safe and secure. Try the Countryside Activity Mat (£86.90) from www.wesco-eshop.co.uk, which is made from different textures, with mirrors, soft accessories and a backrest to support the baby. Alternatively, try the Frog Maxi Early Learning Mat (£63.60, right), also from Wesco, which has a mouth that opens with an elastic tongue inside, material that rustles in the legs and two mirrors. Babies might also like to snuggle up with a book in the Wicker Cosy (£119.95) from www.tts-group.co.uk, or they could create their own cosy space in the Baby Mouse House, a wooden den with an open roof (£199.95) from the same retailer.
- In addition, offer items with different perspectives for children to hide behind and pop out from. Try the Up, Over and Under Set (£319.95) of soft play equipment, with a ramp, steps and tunnel, from www.tts-group.co.uk. When using this, repeat the words 'up', 'down', 'under' several times so the children start to link the meaning to the words.
- Put lots of pictures, photographs and labelling around the room to encourage children to point and vocalise. This could include names, colours, numbers or photos of animals or families. You could also create family albums to encourage the children to point and try to vocalise recognition of familiar people — mum and dad, for example.
- A camera is useful for recording a song with a baby then putting pictures into a book and singing the tune as you turn the pages.
- Treasure baskets and heuristic play are great for capturing babies' curiosity, which will in turn help them to develop their language skills and increase their vocabulary. Create your own treasure basket with a selection of household objects or choose from a selection of ready-made treasure boxes on the market. Try the Heritage Treasure Boxes (from £45) from www.heritagetreasure baskets.co.uk, the Early Excellence Treasure Basket (£75) from www.earlyexcellence.co.uk, or the Large Treasure Basket (£110) from www.playtoz.co.uk. Play to Z now offers a wide selection of sensory products, including a Large Value Sensory Collection (£175). The collection offers a large multi-purpose playmat/bag, a treasure basket of 48 sensory-rich items, a basket cover, 10-20 month 'Stepping Out' activity cards and guidance information.
SOUND CIRCLES
One activity that is being used in West Scotland to encourage parents and practitioners to talk to the babies in their care is the Sound Circle. Developed by Alice Sharp, managing director of training company Experiential Play, it involves sitting with a baby or a group of babies under the age of one and pulling out objects from one of three different boxes - a shiny box, a box of natural materials and a box of soft animals - while placing huge emphasis on the words.
An adult will make the noise of each animal when it appears from the boxes. For example, when a soft sheep comes out of the box, the adult will say 'Baaaaa'. If a monkey comes out, they might say 'Ee ee ee', or when a cow appears the adult could say 'That's a lovely cow. It goes moo.'
Ms Sharp says, 'One of the things that we are having problems with in the West of Scotland - and I think also nationally - is children's inability to talk or articulate. And that's because they haven't been spoken to.
'There's a big issue with children shaping their mouths - having vocabulary and using their lips effectively. They are having issues because parents are not articulating or enunciating effectively, and practitioners are not emphasising it at nursery.'
Tummy time is another area for which Ms Sharp has developed language opportunities. She explains, 'Children spend a lot of time on their tummies. I've got a pair of silk gloves with ribbons sewn on to the fingers and when the baby is lying opposite me on its tummy I move them up and down and say, "You're looking up, you're looking down, you're looking round and round and round." I have another glove with bells on the end, and I say, "What do you hear that's up here? What do you hear that's down there? What do you hear that's round and round and round?"'
EXTENDING BABIES' INTERESTS
'Miss Polly Had a Dolly' is one of the nursery rhymes favoured by the babies at Kirktonholme Nursery in Ayr, West Scotland. Staff have developed a song box containing flashcards of Miss Polly, a dolly, a telephone and a doctor's bag, along with props of a small doll, a puppet and a teapot.
Nursery manager Maureen Campbell says, 'We have six story boxes at any one time, stored on a unit in brightly-coloured boxes with pictures associated with the nursery rhyme. They contain props that the babies can hold, touch, feel and look at. The action songs and props help them to form associations with words in their minds long before they are able to speak them.'
Margaret Dorrans, nursery manager at Bishopbriggs Childcare Centre near Glasgow, believes that extending babies' interests will engage them longer and can bring about huge opportunities for language development.
She explains, 'One boy, aged nine months, was interested in ducks. Staff observed that he constantly went to the same resources - small-world ducks and books about ducks - and he loved to make quacking sounds.
'We wanted to encourage the next steps through speech. We bought duck toys, ducks that float in water, colour-changing plastic ducks and a duck feely mat. We sang duck songs and arranged for a mini zoo to come to the nursery with animals including a duck to encourage vocalisation this way.' (See photos, pages 18-19.)
If children are exposed to language during the early years, their brain just soaks it up. Later on, language development can still occur but, according to Ms Langston, the 'optimum time' to talk to a baby and engage with them is 'now' - in their very early years. A good baby room can be vital for success in this area.
