Learn by Imitation
Step 1: Imitation of Sounds
Rationale: Prior to learning to talk, infants spend a lot of time experimenting with different sounds. Learning to purposefully make a wide range of sounds is important for developing language later. By encouraging imitation of sounds we can help them to build those skills.
To encourage your child’s imitation of sounds you can:
- Imitate the sounds your child makes (except for crying, screaming or whining!). This helps draw your child’s attention to sounds and makes it more likely she will repeat them.
- Position yourself face to face when you imitate, and then pause expectantly to see if your child makes the sound again. If he does, imitate again, so that you have a back-and-forth interaction.
- Use familiar songs and rhymes and emphasize favorite parts in them. Begin pausing when you get to the favorite part to see if your child will attempt to fill in the gap
Read more:
Tips to Help Your Baby and Early Toddler Make Sounds
Sound Imitation and Early “Words”
View this video:
How to help your child learn to imitate
Back to Module 5 homepage Step 2: Imitation of actions on objects