Despite what your baby sounds like at times, your loved one is not in fact turning into a pterodactyl, a creature from the Amazon rainforest, or a boat. When you hear your baby exploring the wide range of noises produced by the human voice, mouth, and tongue, your little one is actually engaging in play—vocal play, to be specific. Cooing, babbling, blowing raspberries and, well, screeching like a pterodactyl are all part of it.
At Kindermusik, we know that vocal play is one of the early stages of language development and you play a pivotal role. In class, we create many opportunities for vocal play to happen. Whether singing, chirping, hopping, or pecking “Over in the Meadow” or laying together making popping sounds, you and your baby engage in vocal play by touching, gazing, observing, listening, and imitating. All of this vocal play supports your child’s vocal development by encouraging breath control, the use of the vocal cords, and the coordination of the small muscles in the face and mouth. Plus, the pausing and waiting during vocal play teaches your child conversational turn-taking.
Everyday Connection: Seeing (and Talking) Eye to Eye. Turn nappy changes into special moments together. A changing table makes it easy to gaze into your baby’s eyes and talk together. Repeat sounds your baby makes and smile. All those “goo-goo-gah-gahs” will eventually turn into “mamas” and “dadas!”
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