Babies are born ready to learn. Parents and caregivers can connect with their children in meaningful ways from birth. Engaging with your child has long-term beneficial impacts on their readiness for school and academic success. Early Head Start programs support the development of infants and toddlers and empower parents to be their child’s best first teacher. One powerful way to connect and engage with your infant or toddler is communication.
A great way to show your infant or toddler you are engaged with them is through verbal and non-verbal communication. You can communicate with your infant or toddler non-verbally by making eye contact or smiling and verbally by laughing, talking or singing. Infants and toddlers communicate through their behaviors such as crying or having a tantrum. When we hold them and comfort them, we are communicating a sense of safety and trust, which are the building blocks of all relationships. Some tangible ways to effectively communicate with infants and toddlers are:
- Read daily, pointing to pictures and saying the words.
- Visit the library often to check out some favorite books to read.
- Practice serve and return, which is back and forth communication between parent and child. Your baby laughs and you laugh. This continues as your child learns that communication is two-way.
- Expand your child’s language. If your toddler says “cat,” expand on it by saying, “That is a furry, brown cat.”
- Sing songs and read books that rhyme often. Infants and toddlers remember these familiar songs and they can teach numbers, colors, letters and more.
Enjoy this window of time with your child. Know that your presence is priceless and that you are the most important person in their world.
