Language Activities for Infants 6-12 Months Old
As a parent of a child with hearing loss, it can be challenging to know how to encourage your baby’s language development. However, you know it’s important to start to strengthen those language skills early! With language activities for infants 6-12 months your little one will be communicating in no time!
Did you know that there are countless fun and interactive activities that foster and develop your baby’s language skills?
Many people approach the term “language skills” as focusing on spoken language.
While there are many resources for speech therapy at home, I encourage you to consider that using ASL signs is also language communication!
Depending on the degree of hearing loss that your child has, spoken speech might not be accessible to your baby without cochlear implants or hearing aids.
If your baby is not at the stage for their hearing to be aided yet, or you aren’t looking for aids at the moment, then sign language is the way to bring language to your baby for communication.
All of these activities in this blog post are designed to be used with spoken speech or sign language, or even a mixture of both!
In this blog article we will be delving into a comprehensive list of the best language activities for infants 6-12 months.
Language Activities for Infants with Hearing Loss
Despite the challenges associated with hearing loss, there are numerous ways to incorporate language activities for your child.
Using sign language is a language of it’s own and is the perfect way to bring language to a baby who is deaf or hard of hearing.
By teaching your child simple signs, they can communicate their needs and desires before they are able to speak verbally!
This early form of communication promotes language development and enhances their ability to express themselves.
Moreover, tactile and visual stimuli can be used to develop language comprehension.
Activities like sign language storytelling, using picture books, flashcards, or creating a sensory bin with different objects can help widen their vocabulary and understanding.
Regular engagement in these activities can lead to noticeable improvement in your child’s language skills, even with hearing loss.
Language Activities for Infants 6-12 months
Language activities for infants foster early language development by enhancing your baby’s language comprehension and expressive skills.
Exposure to varied language activities at this stage can stimulate cognitive development and lay a strong foundation for future learning.
In the context of infants with hearing loss, language activities can be tailored to their specific hearing needs. This helps develop their language skills in unique ways.
Below are five easy activities that you can focus on to promote early language development for your baby:
- Singing and Nursery Rhymes
Singing and nursery rhymes are not only delightful but also play a crucial role in stimulating your baby’s language development. The repition of the songs helps babies to learn the words quickly and even start to sing them!
In fact, singing songs is so important to language develoment that it’s one of the early speech therapy activities!
To begin, try singing simple nursery rhymes or songs, gently exposing your baby to the rhythm and melody.
As your baby learns those, you can gradually introduce new songs and rhymes.
Additionally, incorporating hand gestures can further enhance their understanding of the lyrics. This makes the experience even more engaging and interactive for your little one!
All of my kids have loved this cute farm book! It’s perfect for sensory activities because kids can feel the animal fur and press the buttons for the animal sounds.
2. Storytelling
Babies absolutely adore listening to stories, even if they haven’t fully grasped their meaning just yet!
However, apart from reading books, you can also engage your baby by telling stories in your own words.
By using simple language and incorporating repetition, you can help your baby learn new words and phrases at their own pace.
Noisy Farm: My First Touch and Feel Sound Book
3. Playing Peek-a-Boo
Peek-a-boo is a timeless and beloved game that babies absolutely adore playing!
Not only is it highly entertaining, but it also serves as a valuable tool for teaching your baby the concept of object permanence, or that objects are still there even if they are hidden.
Additionally, you can enhance the game by hiding various objects and encouraging your baby to actively search for them. This adds an element of movement that makes this a fun sensory activity as well!
For more activities read peek a boo sensory activities for babies
4. Using Sign Language
Using sign language with your baby is not only a beautiful way to promote language development but also a powerful tool, particularly if you have a child with hearing loss.
By starting as early as babies are born they can learn sign language and effectively communicate before they can even speak.
Begin the journey by teaching your baby basic signs like “milk,” “more,” and “all done”.
AS your baby gets older you can gradually introduce more complex signs that will further enhance their communication skills.
This early exposure to sign language can create a strong foundation for their language development and foster effective communication from an early age.
Here are 3 books that would be perfect to get you started signing with your baby! These books are perfect because they a useful even through the toddler years.
The Toddler’s Handbook: (English / American Sign Language – ASL) Numbers, Colors, Shapes, Sizes, Abc’s, Manners, and Opposites, with over 100 Words … Should Know (American Sign Language Edition)Play Time: American Sign Language (Sign about)
My First Book of Baby Signs: 40 Essential Signs to Learn and Practice
5. Playing with Language Toys
There are a wide variety of language toys and games available that can greatly contribute to your baby’s language development.
These engaging and interactive toys offer a range of activities, such as matching items, sorting shapes and colors to promote problem-solving abilities, and stacking objects to improve fine motor skills.
Moreover, you can also explore toys that introduce basic vocabulary and phrases. This fosters early language acquisition in a fun and educational way.
By incorporating these enriching activities into your baby’s playtime, you can create an environment that supports their language learning journey.
This toy is such a fun language activity for babies! I love it because your child can learn both the word and the picture. You could also incorporate the ASL sign for a total communication approach!
Also this play phone is perfect for imitating talking on the phone and practice having conversations with others!
As a parent of a child with hearing loss, it’s essential to be proactive in promoting your baby’s language development.
You can also check out Zero to Three for even more language activities for babies 6-12 months.
For support with raising children with cerebral palsy, check out the Cerebral Palsy Guide and find out more information about language activities for children with cerebral palsy.
These fun and interactive language activities are a great way to help your little one develop their language skills while having fun!
more resources for sensory activities
