I did an interview with freelance writer Heather Larson, which resulted in a piece in Parent Map:
It starts earlier than you might think: Babies first begin learning language by listening to their mother’s voice while still in the womb.
“That’s why when a baby is born, she prefers to hear her mother’s language and her mother’s voice,” says Rick McKinnon, Ph.D., an early learning specialist in Olympia.
Reading, singing, telling stories and talking to your unborn baby give her a head start on talking, says McKinnon. By continuing to do so after birth, you’re not only encouraging her speech development, you’re developing a social connection and putting that child in a good position for acquiring literacy. Learning to read is directly related to a child’s verbal and auditory abilities, McKinnon says. “If a child has developed basic language skills by kindergarten, then when that child learns to read, the process will go smoothly.” Not only that, but when a child is able to talk, it can cut down on the frustration both babies and parents experience. If a tot can’t communicate with you, they may act out.
Nice work, Heather!
