Tip 183: Explain while doing in front of baby

Haruka is already getting "too talkative". She repeats after whatever we say, ask questions, talks by herself, points at pictures and advertisements and alerts us to have a look. She has gotten confident of talking and do not mind speaking loudly so that others can listen. She would express what she wants without reservation. Previously, we realized she was only talkative when speaking at home, while only offering smiles and bye-byes to strangers. Now, she has gotten bolder. We have gotten comments that she is quite advanced in her speaking considering she is just 1 year old. Girls usually speak more than boys. Though, I think our constant communication with Haruka aided the learning process.












One method of communication with babies is to simply explain what you do in front of the baby. The baby is curious and eager to learn. So, just show and tell whenever its convenient. If you are opening the curtains, tell the baby, "papa is going to open the curtains". Sometimes, I even add, "papa is going to turn on the TV now, ok?" I realized by doing this often, Haruka now follows the same conversation pattern by asking permission when she wants to do something. The baby feels involved in whatever you do. The baby values the respect we give her and knows that we are teaching her patiently. In turn, she wants to learn quickly so she could communicate well. Each time her vocabulary improves by listening. Sometimes, I would test her by questioning if she remembered. "What was papa doing?" Haruka would repeat the previous vocabulary heard. Often times, the vocabulary has stayed even after many days due to an early revision.












Though, too much talking can be annoying in some cultures like Japan. I am not sure what happens next and whether at a certain stage we should teach Haruka to be exercising discretion in her speech. For now, she just loves to talk and learn as much. We fuel her passion as much as we can.

(Photos show Haruka playing at Tokyu Kiddy playland, Shibuya at the roof of the building with a new friend she met. It is summer and we can hear the cicada/semi in Japanese blaring whenever we walk on the streets. There are just too many cicadas around that there are just not enough children to catch them all).