Language development in babies and toddlers: starting a conversation together

Communication begins before words

Your baby takes part in your interactions through looks, sounds and movements. Over time, familiar words become connected with recurring everyday situations. Understanding and speaking do not develop at the same time.

Try letting a little conversation unfold: your baby makes a sound, you answer with a similar sound or a few words, then pause. They might answer again. They might just look. There’s room for both; you don’t need to coax a response.

Talk about what’s happening around you

Find words for something your child can see, hear or feel right now. While washing hands, that might be: “The water is running.” If a vehicle outside catches their interest: “You’re looking at the digger.” This connects language to an experience you share.

It may feel easier to start with a familiar part of your day: by the window in the morning, on the way to daycare or while taking shoes off. Pick one. The point is to share something together. You don’t need prepared word lists, and you don’t have to talk all day long.

First words: respond and build on them

If your toddler says “Dog there,” you could answer: “Yes, there’s a dog walking.” You respond to their message while offering a full sentence. If words don’t yet sound quite right, you don’t need to ask your child to repeat them correctly. Pointing and gestures remain valid ways to tell you something too.

Let your child finish and focus on what they’re telling you. If they get tired or lose interest, the conversation can end. A question can open up an exchange; lots of test-like questions in a row can turn a pleasant moment into a task.

Picture books can be part of play

Sit together with a suitable picture book and let a page guide you. You might look at a bird, copy its sound and turn back a page again. For young children, touching, looking and joining in are part of discovering a book. You don’t need to read the story from beginning to end.

If your child only wants to look at two pictures today, you can stop there. Leave the book somewhere you’ll find it at the next suitable moment. This is an idea for everyday life, not a reading quota.

What to notice in everyday life

Children say their first words at different times, and new words arrive at different rates. Alongside words, notice how your child connects with others and makes themselves understood. Ages offer guidance; they do not assess your individual child’s development.