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The 5 stages of spelling development

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Do you teach spelling? It’s important to understand the stages of spelling development. Let’s take a look!

The 5 Stages of Spelling Development

The Emergent Stage (ages 2-5)

Children might recognize their alphabet, but they are just starting to write it.

Here’s a sample from the beginning of the emergent stage.  Writing looks the same as drawing.  My just-turned-Three draws and scribbles, but he doesn’t write letters yet.

The Letter-Name Alphabetic Stage (ages 5-7)

  Children know their alphabet and sounds – this comes out in their writing.

My four 1/2 year old is at the middle of this stage.  His letter and letter sound knowledge is solid, and he is putting that to work in his writing. Sometimes he writes just a single letter for a word (H for have), but other times he sounds out the whole thing (BLO for blue and HAT for hat).

The Within-Word Pattern Stage (ages 7-9)

 Children start to see patterns within words.

My six-year-old (who just finished kindergarten) is at the beginning of this stage.  She does well with blends (streebarres and plants) and is starting to experiment with long vowel sounds (baens for beans).

The Syllables and Affixes Stage (ages 9-14)

Now kids start to understand how to put endings and extra syllables onto words.

(Sorry, my oldest is six years old – I don’t have a writing sample for the last two stages!)

The Derivational Relations Stage (middle school through adulthood)

Understanding the meaning of words helps us spell them.

That was a lot of information. Now what?

If that was information overload, pin it or print it for future reference.  As you start becoming aware of your students’ spelling abilities, your understanding of the five stages will come together.

Free Spelling Games

Get this fun variety of sample spelling games from the membership site! The download includes resources for spelling CVCE words, long vowel teams, and multi-syllable words.

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Filed Under: Spelling Tagged With: third grade, kindergarten, word study, first grade, second grade

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Kids can learn spelling in fun ways while engaging in creative activities.

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When you form a word with letters, it’s called spelling. Learning to spell words is an essential academic milestone that lets a child comprehend and convey their thoughts properly. Perhaps it is why several parents enquire how to teach kids to spell. Knowing the right time to introduce a child to the concept of spelling is vital to prevent overwhelming their brains with too much information.

Forming a word in English can be particularly challenging as the child has to understand several spelling rules to form a grammatically correct word. Similarly, opting for age-appropriate ways to teach spelling is necessary to ensure the child learns spelling words with ease. This post brings you some fun and creative ways to teach spelling to your child in a step-by-step method.

Benefits Of Learning Spelling For Children

Here are some benefits of learning spelling for children (1).

1. Improves reading and writing skills

Image: iStock

Learning to spell is directly related to reading and writing well. The more words a child knows to spell, the better they can read and write.

Related: 13 Best Effective Ways To Improve Handwriting For Kids

2. Improves vocabulary

As your child learns to read and write better, they can improve their vocabulary by reading new words or even trying to spell the words you use in your daily conversations.

3. Helps diagnose learning difficulties

Making your child learn spelling can help you diagnose if your child has a learning difficulty, such as dyslexia. Early intervention can help them overcome the problem.

25 Ways To Teach Spelling To Kids

Make learning spelling fun for your children by employing any of the methods mentioned below based on your child’s mood and preference.

1. Highlight the difficult words

Children often have difficulties with specific words. If your child stumbles over a word each time, you can highlight the letters in it that confuse them and let them try again. Some of the most difficult words for them are those where “e,” “i,” and “a” occur one after the other.

For example, they might find it challenging to spell words such as receive, separate, desperate, thief, weird, and achieve. They might also trip over words with double letters, such as accommodate, address, necessary, and occasion. You can highlight these words in their notebooks and encourage them to pay close attention to them when reading.

2. Break it down into parts

The easiest way to teach spellings to children is to break up a complex word into simpler, more manageable parts they can spell easily. You can separate the words by syllables so that they can work out how to spell the letters of each syllable and then bring them together.

For instance, you can break up the word anger into an/ger, television into te/le/vi/sion, and cycle into cy/cle.

3. Copy, copy, recall

This is a simple yet effective technique for teaching kids to spell. In this method, you have to write down a word and draw three sections beside it. In the first two sections, the children have to write the word. Next, they have to cover the two sections and write the word in the third section by recalling.

Once they have written the word unaided, they can open the covered sections and check. If it is correct, they can proceed to the next word.

4. Associate words with images

Image: iStock

Most children remember images more than they remember texts. You can use images while teaching spelling. Children get confused while using letters that generally have the same pronunciation and often interchange them. They often write things like “kat” or “krispy” for “cat” and “crispy” respectively.

In such cases, you can use pictures to help them with their spellings. For example, you can say, “The cat curls its tail in a C shape” and show them relevant images. Also, explain them the rules – choose k when the vowel is e or i, and choose c for o, u, or a. C is also much more common when followed by another consonant.

Related: 30 Best Phonics Games For Kids To Make Reading Easy

5. Emphasize on pronunciation

If there are double letters in a word, emphasize on them when reading, so your children also make it a habit. For example, say occasion by stressing on the “c” and going easy on the “s.” Similarly, for necessary, stress on the “s” and go easy on the “c.”

6. Make acronyms

Learning acronyms forms an essential part of education, even in colleges. Medical students remember the names of diseases or medicines using relevant acronyms. Acronyms make it easy and fun for children to remember spellings. The best part of this exercise is that you or your children can come up with anything and have fun.

For example, cat can be the acronym for come again tomorrow.

Some other examples are:
Owl: Oh, why late?
Friend: Five rats in England need donuts.

Related: Acrostic Poems For Kids: How To Teach And Examples Of It

7. Write on the palm

Image: iStock

Instead of writing the words on paper, ask them to trace the words on their palms (or any other part of their body). When they feel their fingers on their palm, they are creating muscle memory. With repeated “writing,” your child can memorize how a word is written.

8. Sing

Creating a melody out of a word is one of the sure-fire ways of making your child learn the spelling of the word. In fact, children participating in spelling competitions use this technique with great success. You can use a preset tune or create one.

The song should contain the letters of the word, and you should sing it repeatedly until it gets imprinted on your child’s mind. Once this is done, even if your child forgets the spelling, they will remember the rhythm of the word and recall the letters according to the rhythm.

9. Spell and eat

Making your child sit down to learn their spellings might seem boring to them. They would want to do something more entertaining, and learning spellings would not be on that list. However, you can teach them spellings during day-to-day activities, such as when having meals, so that they have fun learning.

For instance, you could ask them to spell a word and then have a bite of food. This will keep them distracted enough to learn spellings and finish what’s on the plate as well. You could also offer their favorite food sometimes as an incentive for learning their spelling.

10. Make connected words

Learning spellings will be more fun when your children play this little game with you. Tell them a word and ask them to make a new word from the last letter of your word. You can make them write the words or say them aloud.

This simple game can also teach your children the pronunciation of words, particularly those with a silent letter at the beginning or end, and will make them enjoy playing with words.

11. Make videos

If you do not have the time to be with your child while they are learning their spelling, you can record a video on your phone. Record videos of you spelling out the letters first, followed by your child repeating them.

When your child watches it enough times, they will be able to write the word effortlessly.

12. Create flip cards

You can also indulge your child in creating flip cards. You can print the image of the word behind the letters that make the word. For example, print the image of cats behind the letters C, A, and T. Let the child find the different letters with cat images and assemble them to form the word.

13. Search for words

Word searches are perfect for teaching kids to spell. They teach your children different ways to look at letters and form words out of them. Give them a grid with an assorted set of words. Use a timer to make it more fun and watch them as they race against time to find new words.

You can also use books, magazines, or newspapers for a word search. Give your child a particular word and ask them to mark the occurrences of the word on a page or a paragraph. This game will sharpen their brains and improve their comprehension skills as well.

14. Pass the ball

Image: iStock

When you have a group of children with you, you can play this game to teach them spelling. Say a word, and the children have to stand in a circle and pass a ball to each other while saying a letter each.

If a child says a wrong letter, the next player throws back the ball to them and waits until they say the correct letter. The game guarantees a lot of laughter while also making them learn effortlessly.

15. Play scrabble

You need not necessarily play Scrabble with your children, but you can use the alphabet tiles in Scrabble to let your children make words. They can even calculate the points on the tiles as their score. This is also an excellent way to teach them words and numbers.

Scrabble is fun as it teaches children to make new words using the same letters. For example, C-A-T can also be written as A-C-T. If they add a K, they can form the word T-A-C-K.

16. Use mobile phones

Studying might be boring for children, but give them a phone, and they will be happy for hours on end. You can use this to your advantage. Try different spelling games that are suitable for children. Install a couple of these games, and let them navigate through different levels by spelling new words.

These games and puzzles help children learn and memorize new words, and they will be spelling complex words in no time.

17. Make flashcards

Image: iStock

Use age-appropriate flashcards to teach spellings to children. Teachers at preschools often use flashcards to teach children new concepts. You can use flashcards to teach spelling, reading, and writing skills to children.

Write words on the cards and read each word aloud. Let the child write the word on the back of the card and then check it together. For reading, lay out some flashcards with letters to form a word and ask your child to pick the image that matches the word. For writing, let the child trace the word over the card using tracing paper and then write it on another card without any assistance.

18. Color the words

Children love playing with colors. So, why not introduce some colors in the world of words? Write some words in a big cartoonish font so that they can be colored, and let your children go wild coloring them.

If you are good at drawing, you can draw objects and ask your children to color them and then spell them. This way, they will have a magical, colorful time with words and also learn their spellings.

19. Play word bingo

Bingo can help your children master basic spelling skills. Don’t believe it? Trust us. All you have to do is create a grid and write different letters in different boxes. Read out words and tell your children to circle the letters that occur in each word. The first one that gets a full house wins.

You can also use bingo to teach reading to your children. Swap the letters with words and ask your children to circle those words you read out.

20. Spell with stairs

Make climbing up and down the stairs a learning activity. You might have already made them count the steps each time they ascend and descend. Now, you can ask them to spell out words on the steps.

Make them say a letter of a word as they climb each step. For younger children, you can even spell out three to four words. Step on the stair, say out a letter, then proceed to the next.

21. Group similar words

Instead of teaching children seemingly different words and spellings, group similar-sounding words or those that have similar spellings and make a list. This way, your child will be able to visualize one word and automatically associate it with other words.

For example, words such as high, sigh, nigh, light, and sight have “igh” in common. Write them down, and ask your child to spell each word aloud. They will be able to remember their spellings better.

22. Cut out words

If you don’t have a Scrabble set at home and do not want to buy one either, make some word tiles yourself. Take a magazine or newspaper and cut out letters in bigger fonts for easier handling. Paste them on construction paper or an empty cereal box and cut them out.

Give these letters to your children and let them experiment with them to form new words. You can also teach them to pronounce the words while they are creating them.

23. Use computer applications

Applications such as Microsoft Word and Grammarly are pretty helpful for quick spellchecks. While they are intensively used by adults, they can also be used by children to learn spellings. Ask your child to type a word and check whether it is spelled correctly.

You can also use an online dictionary or other applications for puzzles and word games to improve your child’s spelling, reading, and comprehension skills.

24. Use creativity

Writing on a sheet of paper using a pencil is standard for children. As they have notoriously small attention spans, it won’t be long before they find something more interesting to do.

You can let them explore the world of letters by letting them be as creative as they want. Give them colors and encourage them to draw and paint words. They can also create a word collage using cuttings from magazines or try their hand at calligraphy.

25. Read more

Last but not least, read more to your children. The more you read to your children or the more they read, the richer their vocabulary. They learn words and their pronunciations by sight and sound.

You can select stories that contain words that you want them to learn. By repeating stories, you help improve their spelling skills while also firing their imagination.

1. What age should a child be able to spell?

Children may start to spell their names and simple words by five to six years of age (2). Some children may learn sooner than others.

2. What part of the brain is responsible for spelling?

The left hemisphere of the brain is considered responsible for spelling (3).

3. Why is it easier to read words than to spell them?

Spelling words may seem more complicated than reading, as sounds can be spelled in many ways. It needs more practice to spell than to recognize or read the words (4).

4. Why is my child struggling with spelling?

A child may find it difficult to spell if they are not practicing enough. However, if the difficulty persists despite all efforts, it may indicate certain disorders such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Consult a doctor to identify the cause (5) (6).

How to teach your kid to spell is a common concern of many parents and caregivers when their children are ready to learn languages. Learning spelling can improve the child’s vocabulary, reading, writing, and communication skills. This may also help diagnose certain learning disorders at a young age and helps modify the learning process to tackle the disability. You may highlight the difficult words, break them down, and teach the spelling. Good knowledge of phonetics, associating words with images, copying, and recall can help children learn to spell.

Key Pointers

  • When children learn to spell, they can significantly improve their reading and writing skills.
  • Learning spellings help identify learning disabilities such as dyslexia from an early age.
  • If your child has difficulty spelling certain words, highlighting and explaining may help them learn them better.

References:

MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

1. Reed, D. K; Why teach spelling?; RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction (2012).
2. Toddlers begin learning rules of reading, writing at very early age, study finds; Washington University in St. Louis.
3. Brenda Rapp and Kate Lipka; The Literate Brain: The Relationship between Spelling and Reading; National Library of Science (2011).
4. Spelling and Reading: How Are They Connected?; Hill Learning Center.
5. Disorders of Reading and Writing; American Speech Language Hearing Association.
6. Anna Maria Re et al.; Spelling errors among children with ADHD symptoms: the role of working memory; National Library of Science (2014).

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How to teach a child to speak: methods, games and exercises

The formation of a child's speech occurs long before he begins to speak on his own. From a very early age, the baby perceives the speech of adults, imitates it, and subsequently relies on the acquired experience. Speech development is not a process that can be left to chance - and in this article you will find out why.

Contents of the article:

  • Stages of speech development
  • 10 ways to teach your child to talk at home
  • Exercises and games for the development of speech
  • General tips
  • When you need specialist help
  • Conclusion

Stages of speech development

The formation of speech occurs gradually, starting from birth. Knowing the approximate stages of speech development at each age, it is much easier to determine the presence of signs of a lag.

  1. From 0 to 6 months. The baby actively listens to the speech of adults, tries to reproduce the sounds that he still perceives as a melody. He already distinguishes the voices of people who are talking to him. First, the baby masters vowel sounds, and already closer to the age of one and a half months, the consonant sounds “g”, “k”, “x” appear, thanks to which the child begins to “walk”.
  2. 6 to 12 months. At this age, the child often imitates the sounds of adult speech. Pronounces separate syllables, for example "ma-ma", "babbles". By the end of the first year of life, the first words and sentences appear. Vocabulary ranges from 2-3 to 20 words, most of which are nouns. nine0012
  3. 1 year. In a year, speech becomes active and becomes a means of interaction with adults. Together with the ability to move independently, the child accumulates knowledge about the world around him and replenishes his vocabulary, which at this age is 300-400 words. Pronunciation adapts to itself, skipping or replacing complex combinations of sounds.
  4. 2 years. By the age of two, phrasal speech is formed. At this time, the child is able to formulate a sentence of 2-3 words. Gradually, grammatical categories are mastered, such as number, gender, case. The vocabulary reaches up to 700 units. nine0012
  5. 3 years. Children of this age actively communicate with adults and peers, but still with the help of simple sentences. A three-year-old child masters the basic laws of the language and, on their basis, invents his own words. This process is called "word-creation" and signals the normal development of the child's speech. Vocabulary - up to 1000 words.
  6. 4 years. In the fifth year of life, the child "hones" the acquired skills, replenishes the active and passive vocabulary, which is approximately 2000 words. As they grow older, the child begins to pronounce all the sounds of his native language clearly and clearly. nine0012
  7. By the age of 5, it is considered normal if the child has mastered all aspects of the language and is fluent in speech. If not, this is a reason to immediately contact a specialist.

10 ways to teach your child to talk at home

  1. The most effective and basic way is to talk to your child as often and as much as possible. Pediatricians recommend communicating with the child even before he is born. The speech of an adult should be expressive, as babies perceive it on an emotional level. It is possible to teach a child to speak at 1 year old by abandoning sign language and completely switching to verbal communication. Use short and clear sentences, do not distort words. Speak in such a way that the child can observe the movements of the lips and try to independently apply them to his speech. nine0012
  2. Develop fine motor skills. Stimulation of nerve endings on the fingers has a positive effect on the development of speech. Any exercises that involve the motor skills of small muscles are suitable for this method: sorting through cereals, playing with massage balls, stringing beads on a string. (You can link to an article about developing fine motor skills by writing, for example, "Learn more here.") Fine motor skills classes will help to teach a two-year-old child to speak as early as possible. nine0012
  3. Expand vocabulary. At home, on the street, in a store, in nature, show and call the child the names of the surrounding objects. To his questions in an accessible language, explain the meaning of certain objects, trying not to overload the child's brain with complex terms. This is a natural and inexpensive way to quickly teach your child to speak at 2 years old.
  4. Read books. Children love to look at bright, colorful pictures. Read a book to your child, while pointing at the characters, for example, a bun, a fox, a hare. Simultaneous visual and auditory perception will help you remember words faster and learn how to pronounce them. Set aside time for this activity each day to develop this healthy habit in your child. nine0012
  5. Sing songs. As much as books, children love songs. Sing along with your child his favorite songs, learn new songs that he will like. In addition to stimulating the speech apparatus, you will provide both yourself and your baby with a good mood.
  6. Not understanding sign language. If your child often uses gestures, replacing words with them, you need to stimulate him to the opposite. Once again, when the baby points his finger at something, pretend that you do not understand him. Try to start a dialogue by asking leading questions, but do not bring the child to hysteria if he is not yet ready for this way of communication. nine0012
  7. Take by cunning. When reading a well-known book, intentionally replace words, for example: "I'll sit on a stump, eat a pot (instead of" a pie ")". This technique will inspire your child to listen carefully to the speech, so that next time they can tell you how to do it right. The method is perfect for teaching a child to speak at 3 years old, since by this age children are actively interested in literary works.
  8. Repeat one after another. As a game, repeat the syllables that he says after the baby, and then offer your own version. The child will be happy to join this activity and will try to give out even more new syllables. nine0012
  9. Remove distractions. An incessantly running TV or computer with cartoons will drown out any of your attempts to enter into a dialogue. The child needs to hear the lively, clean, correct speech of an adult. To teach a child to speak at 4 years old, you should adhere to the time limits for watching cartoons.
  10. Show attention. Drop everything when the child comes up to you to tell you something interesting. Listen carefully, ask questions, be surprised and show your interest in every possible way. This will stimulate the desire to share with you everything that comes to mind and that you want to tell. Mutual dialogue is possible and necessary even with a small child, because it will help you quickly learn to talk. nine0012

Exercises and games for the development of speech

Finger games

Favorite activity for all kids. Aimed at the development of fine motor skills and, as a result, the formation of speech. Learn small rhymes with your child, for example, "Magpie Crow. " Connect finger movements that your baby will be happy to repeat. Such games improve fine motor skills and help to teach the child to speak correctly.

Articulation exercises

The small muscles of the mouth in childhood need to be trained, as they may not be sufficiently developed. To strengthen them, daily articulation exercises are required. Sit with your child at the mirror to control the correct execution of the exercises. Follow the movements of the lips and tongue, showing the child an example for his independent work.

Exercises for the development of speech breathing

It is important to teach a child to breathe correctly, starting from the moment of his speech development. The air released by us during the pronunciation of speech is the source of sound. Many simple and easily accessible exercises are aimed at developing breathing, for example: blow on a dandelion, inflate a balloon, blow soap bubbles. nine0003

Music games

You can teach your child to speak with the help of music games. When children sing, the assimilation of sounds, syllables and, ultimately, words is easier for them. Musical games can be organized in several variations: with musical instruments (spoons, drum), songs with onomatopoeia of animals, songs with the simultaneous execution of simple movements.

Didactic games

There are a huge number of games and methods using didactic material. And almost all of them can be applied to the development of speech. The game "Magic Bag" is great for developing speech skills. Rules of the game: in the bag there are objects of various shapes and sizes. The child is invited to feel to choose an object and describe it. Pronunciation of the signs of an object reinforces speech, and also helps in the formation of initial mathematical concepts. nine0003

General advice

In the development of a child's speech, it is important to be guided by the general principle "Do no harm". It must be remembered that each child develops according to his own individual model and it does not always adapt to the described stages of development. We recommend adhering to principles that apply in general to the entire process of raising and developing children.

  1. The principle of play form. For a child of preschool age, the leading activity is the game. The more interesting the lesson is built, the more involved the child will be in it. Don't force me to play. Get interested instead. nine0012
  2. The principle of mutual dialogue. Talking to children is not a waste of time, as it might seem at first glance. Bring the child to a dialogue, keep up a conversation with him, tell and listen carefully. Communication is the most effective way to teach a child to speak early.
  3. Problem acceptance principle. It is difficult to admit to oneself that the child has any problems. However, the sooner you start working on the bugs, the faster you will get the result. Do not be afraid to turn to professionals if you see that independent work does not bear fruit. nine0012
  4. The principle of accepting individuality. Your child is already a separate person, even if he is just starting to stand on his feet. You should not compare him with peers who are already telling poems with might and main. Instead of criticizing, praise every achievement of your child and then he will definitely speak.

When the help of specialists is needed

When a problem is discovered and the right ways to solve it will help prevent further lagging behind the child. It is necessary to be patient, aim for a positive result and give your child a chance to painlessly enter the social world and learn to exist in it. nine0003

Reasons to start working on the development of speech together with a speech therapist, neurologist and other specialists:

  • after 8 months the baby does not respond to calls to him;
  • nasal voice appears;
  • there is not enough air to complete the phrase;
  • during a conversation there is increased salivation;
  • at 2 years old, the child speaks only in syllables;
  • at 3 years old, the child still tends to speak only in simple words; nine0012
  • at the age of 4, the sense of syllable was not developed and the words were distorted.

Conclusion

Children's development centers "Baby Club" have been helping parents in the development of children since 2000. Our mission is the harmonious development of the child and his formation as an independent person.


Baby club teachers will find an individual approach to your baby. And a rich environment and a children's team will help the child quickly enter society and start talking. Contact our centers, because preventing a problem is easier than dealing with its consequences. nine0003

How to teach a child to speak - Lifehacker

June 18, 2019 Likbez Tips

It is necessary to talk with a baby from the first days of life.

Why seizing the moment is important

Children develop language skills much earlier than many parents realize. A month before birth, a child can already distinguish between different languages ​​​​by rhythm. And fundamental knowledge about the structure, melody and intonations of native speech is laid in the first months of life. nine0003

By talking to your child, you are not just shaking the air, but building the foundation for his success in the future. Children with whom their parents did not talk much, by the age of two, may lag behind their peers in development by about six months. The more words a baby hears in the first three years of life, the higher his IQ and chances of getting good grades in school will be.

Conclusion: talk to the child as often as possible, even if he is not yet able to answer. Be actively involved in his language education, taking into account age characteristics. And remember: the Internet, YouTube videos, and even scientific TV programs cannot replace human interaction. nine0003

How to teach a child to speak from birth to 3 months

What a child learns

  • Recognize sounds and associate them with certain lip movements. Barely born, the baby already knows how to recognize the voice of the mother. The child begins to listen to the surrounding ocean of unfamiliar sounds and learns to extract meaning from it.
  • Walk and coo. Various combinations of vowels "a", "y", "s" and consonants "g" and "m" are the first things parents hear from a baby, except for crying, screaming and groaning. Usually, babies are drawn to talking when they are full and happy with life. Agukaya, babies, among other things, develop facial muscles that will later help them produce more complex sounds. nine0012

How you can help

  • Sing, tell rhymes and sayings. Moreover, it is possible even before birth: the child begins to hear already at the 16th week of intrauterine development. So it will be easier for a new person to understand the rhythm of the language.
  • Speak softly and melodiously. Adults intuitively communicate with the baby in a more subtle and melodious voice, stretching the vowels. And it is right. Various studies show that this style attracts babies, helps them learn the language and develop social skills. nine0012
  • Maintain silence. Toddlers need time to play with their voice and not be distracted by TV sound, music, and other noises.

When to worry

If after three months the baby is still not cooing, it makes sense to consult a pediatrician, neurologist and ENT specialist.

How to teach a child to speak from 3 to 6 months

What a child learns

  • Respond to your name. By six months, most babies know their names. In addition, they respond to some familiar words like "mom" and "dad." nine0012
  • Recognize intonation. The kid is sensitive to how they are addressed - he smiles in response to a gentle voice and may cry when he hears a rude tone.
  • Imitate the speech of adults. The baby adopts the tone, rhythm and pace of the speech that he hears.
  • Build more complex chains of sounds. This is no longer a monosyllabic coo, but the overflow of vowels, which speech therapists call a flute.

How you can help

  • Play Who's This? Bring the baby to the mirror and ask: "Who is this?" Then say the child's name. nine0012
  • Master the art of talking to children. In English, there is the concept of baby talk - a conversation focused on kids. In Russian, we often call this process lisping, thereby belittling its significance. Meanwhile, by playing along with the baby, you help him learn the language faster. In the future, it will be easier for the child to learn more complex words. Here are some baby talk techniques:
    1. Child imitation: adults do not pronounce certain sounds.
    2. Replacement of pronouns with nouns. We ask: “Does Anya want to go for a walk?” instead of "Do you want to go out?". nine0012
    3. Simplification of words and constructions to “wawa”, “dude” and “Fu, what a!”.
    4. Use of melodious intonations and diminutive suffixes.

Baby talk helps children feel parental love, creates a sense of comfort and security.

When to worry

At six months, the baby does not laugh, does not pay attention to new sounds.

How to teach a child to speak from 6 to 9 months

What the child is learning

  • Recognize short phrases in context. For example, he may wave his hand in response to your: “Bye-bye!”
  • Babbling. The talker with manic persistence repeats the syllables “ba-ba-ba”, “pa-pa-pa”, “ma-ma-ma”, “da-da-da”, “ta-ta-ta”, “ka-ka -ka" and "ha-ha-ha". Some adults perceive baby talk as conscious speech, and argue which word the baby said first - “dad” or “mother”. Although he simply pleases his hearing and trains his speech apparatus. nine0012
  • Express emotions. In the babbling of a baby, one can discern pleasure or, conversely, grumpy notes.

How you can help

  • Play sound games. Repeat the syllables the child says. Say different sounds and short words yourself so that the baby can imitate you.
  • Show how to speak. “Work with your face” - it is important that the little one sees how you reproduce sounds. There is also such a technique: when you say something, put a child's hand to your lips so that the child feels their movement. nine0012

When to worry

The kid does not imitate the intonations of adults, does not respond to his name, mutters rarely and monotonously.

How to teach a child to speak from 9 months to a year

What a child is learning

  • Understand short phrases, point to objects that you name. At this age, babies understand much more than they can say.
  • Say the first meaningful words. One-year-old butuzes, as a rule, confidently say a few words, including the necessary for survival "mom", "dad", "give". Vocabulary can vary from two or three to 20 words, and 80% of them are nouns. nine0012

How you can help

  • Comment on what you are doing. If you want the baby to quickly call you mom or dad consciously, explain to him what you are doing at the moment. “Mom drinks coffee”, “Dad goes to the store”, “Mom works”. Ideally, if your day is full of events - the more diverse the situation, the more new words the future speaker will learn.
  • Tell us what and how it is called - parts of the body, objects. Say the names of relatives and friends. Complicate the phrases over time. From "Look, cat!" go to "Look, black cat!". If the child tries to repeat after you, support his efforts: name the object again and again. nine0012
  • Continue to practice baby talk. When communicating with children aged nine months to one year and nine months, it is still useful to use baby words like “lyalya” and “kisya”. Stretching vowels is also recommended - for example, when you ask: "How are you?" So the baby learns to speak faster.
  • Read books with large bright pictures. Name the objects and ask the child to show them in the picture.
  • Help develop articulation. Build faces, make faces, show your tongue - in a variety of ways provoke the baby to do exercises for the muscles of the face. nine0012
  • Refuse the pacifier. Babies who still suckle a pacifier after a year are more likely to have trouble articulating sounds made in the front of their mouths, like "p", "b", "t", "d", and "s".

When to worry

At the age of one to one year and three months, the child still does not say "mom" and "dad", cannot point to the object in the picture.

How to teach a child to speak from one to two years old

What a child learns

  • Say "No!". If the baby does not want to eat porridge, he is already able to shake his head and refuse.
  • Build the first simple phrases. The child is still doing well with simplifications: “Here is uk” instead of “There is an onion here”, “De ba?” instead of "Where and why did grandma go?".
  • Memorize many new words. During this period, most children experience the so-called lexical explosion. More verbs and other parts of speech appear in speech, and the vocabulary increases to 300–400 words by the age of two. But it's okay if your child starts chattering a little later - after two. nine0012

How you can help

  • Use more new words and engage your baby in dialogue. Studies have shown that the more often parents communicate with a child in the period from one and a half to two years, the better his IQ and linguistic skills in adolescence. It is especially important that the baby responds to you.
  • Act like you have a problem with sign language. Sometimes the baby is just too lazy to say the words. Why, if you can point a finger. Pretend you don't understand him. Ask to speak in words. At a minimum, try to build a conversation: “Do you want more tea? With sugar or without? Is it really delicious?" nine0012
  • Encourage attempts to speak. Even if you really don't understand what the child is trying to say, don't give up. Offer options, ask again if you understood everything correctly. And no irritation! Only love and infinite patience.
  • Ask for help. For example, let him put a cup on the table or bring you an apple.

Richard N. Aslin

professor of cognitive science, specialist in speech development and comprehension in children

New words are not easy for young children to learn. They need to coordinate more than a hundred muscles of the vocal tract. For its development it is useful to blow soap bubbles. nine0003

When to worry

At the age of one and a half, the baby does not listen to the conversations of others and does not speak conscious words.

A two-year-old cannot repeat after adults, even if the word is pronounced several times. He does not answer simple questions and prefers to communicate with gestures. This is an occasion to visit a speech therapist for the first time.

How to teach a child to speak from 2 to 3 years old

What a child is learning

  • Follow the development of the plot. The kid is already able to perceive a story 5-10 minutes long. nine0012
  • Use abstract concepts. He already knows what it is now, what it is like to be sad, and the more different from the less.
  • Build multi-word phrases. After two years, the baby masters participles and prepositions, and a little later - unions and pronouns. By the age of three, the vocabulary reaches 250-700 words, and the length of phrases is 5-8 words.

How you can help

  • Ask questions. Many and different - about the size, quantity, color, intentions. It is important that the baby could not answer in monosyllables - “yes” or “no”. “Look, what fat worms! How many are there? Where do you think they're going?" nine0012
  • Use more complex sentences. Don't limit yourself to short sentences. Speech with subordinate clauses, participles and adverbs, adjectives and adverbs will help the child master the structure of the language.

Erica Hoff

professor of psychology, author of Language Development

Children cannot learn what they do not hear.