“Hey, Over Here!”
During infancy, children coo and then begin to vocalize randomly. As speech continues to develop, those same vocalizations start to display communicative intent. Children also become more aware of others responses, so if your child produces a sound and is positively reinforced, they are likely to produce the sound again.
- Encourage interactions with your child.
- Pretend to ignore sounds, giving him a chance to bring your attention to it (e.g., turn the radio on very loud, let the phone continue to ring several times before answering it).
- Place your child’s favorite toys out of reach.
- Take out a snack but wait for him to vocalize before offering the snack.
- The closer you are to your child, the more likely it is that he will respond. Vary the distance once your child starts to vocalize consistently.
