THE 5 R’S...

Nadia Coetzer, a speech therapist at Corli Hanekom Speech and Language Therapists, identifies five easy things to remember for language development

1READING Early reading helps develop phonological awareness and active listening. “Reading is a great activity from the age of three months because a baby focuses on identifying the reader’s voice, which helps build relationships,” she says.

2REPETITION There’s a good reason why toddlers are so fond of chanting one or two words over and over again. “Repetition is necessary for a child to learn new vocabulary, because only after understanding the meaning and context of the word will a child be able to use the word correctly,” adds Nadia.

3RECOUNTING When a child retells the days’ events it builds vocabulary and increases understanding through question words such as “who” and “why”. This skill is important for school readiness.

4RHYMES Introducing rhymes and songs early in a child’s life are important for phonological awareness and reading because of the predictive and repetitive nature of rhymes and songs. She says a major language milestone is when a child uses body movements in songs and connects animal names to animal sounds in songs.

5REAL WORLD EXPERIENCES A child learns through their senses. “Although a child may enjoy the Old Mcdonald rhyme, taking her to a real farm, where she can touch, smell, hear and see animals builds a child’s knowledge and vocabulary,” says Nadia.