Baby Learns to Speak and Sing
Level 2
LEVEL 2.
BABY LEARNS TO SPEAK AND SING. Baby’s language and speech development.
Baby’s OMSDEP: Her language and speech development intentions:
To make the sounds required to communicate her need for food and help.
Listening is more important now:
Baby first learns to speak by listening to other people speak. As her brain receives information from the environment around her it grows naturally and begins to understand some of the speech and other sounds it is receiving. The sounds the brain receives literally form or shape the language sector of the brain as it grows. Baby’s ability to speak is closely linked to how well she has listened, and to what she has listened, prior to her speaking. Unless she hears language she will not learn language (unless of course she invents her own language). Additionally, her ability to speak (and sing) is dependent upon how well the sound and language areas of her brain have grown and will grow in the future.
The magnificentparent.com section entitled ENJOYING SOUNDS, MUSIC AND LANGUAGES provides, as a strong foundation, the quality listening experiences baby needs to be an excellent speaker.
Two types of crying:
Some parents, and others involved in childcare, are of the opinion that baby develops two types of crying during this level. They say that she cries in one way if she is hungry and another way if she is hurt or in fear. Parents can tell the difference between the two types of crying, they say. There is some debate over whether there are two types of crying but if you can detect two types of crying in your child, then that may help you to know what her needs are; whether she is hungry, hurt or in fear.
Learning to make sounds:
The section entitled “ENJOYING SOUNDS, MUSIC AND LANGUAGES” is a partner to this section “BABY LEARNS TO SPEAK AND SING” as it familiarises and provides baby with vital information about how languages are spoken. As a result of doing the “ENJOYING SOUNDS, MUSIC AND LANGUAGES” activities baby’s brain should develop well in preparation for speaking. As she already has, and is still getting, information about how language sounds and what it means; she will in addition only need to learn how to manipulate her outgoing breath to speak her first words. She will begin to practice vibrating her vocal cords to make a wider variety of early language sounds after she reaches Level 3.
In Levels 1 and 2, and prior to reaching Level 3, baby will cry when she is hungry or needs help. She will become aware of her ability to make sounds when her ears hear her cry and she feels the sound vibrations with her sense of touch. Using that ability to make sounds, when she reaches the end of Level 2 and enters Level 3, baby will begin to make sounds that express her feelings. She is likely to shriek with joy or make other sounds that express her happiness and interest in life at the end of Level 2 and as she enters Level 3. Level 3 is a particularly delightful time for parents, as well as baby, as they share in her expressions of joy. Baby will rightly enjoy being happy and delighted with the world and, while she will still cry when she needs to, she will also express her joy if she is living in a joyful environment. It is, of course, highly unlikely that a magnificentparent.com baby would be anything but joyful when she gets so much quality attention from her parents.
Activities for parents and babies:
A list of magnificentparent.com activities follows. These are practical activities for children to do with their parent’s help. Magnificentparent.com parents create the environment baby requires to complete her OMSDEP. In many cases, these activities are the environment required and, after commencement, promote baby’s excellent natural development.
The activity list sometimes includes extracts of preceding sections as well as new information. The list is intended for use as a day to day checklist for quick and easy reference but, to fully understand and participate in the activities, parents may need to re-read the entire Level, or other parts of this book, from time to time.
Do all you can to make baby happy as she can then express her joy. Give her joy by telling her how wonderful she is, by hugging her, by snuggling her, by rocking her, by encouraging her crawling, by showing her Bits of Information cards (see the book “Excellent Knowledge”), and by doing as many magnificentparent.com activities as possible.
Allow baby to cry and respond to her need for help and food immediately. Each day tell her you will always do your very best to be there immediately whenever you hear that she needs you.
The section “ENJOYING SOUNDS, MUSIC AND LANGUAGES” provides, as a strong foundation, the quality language and wide range of sound listening experience baby needs to be an excellent speaker. At this Level 2, do the “ENJOYING SOUNDS, MUSIC AND LANGUAGES” activities to achieve the best results from this section; BABY LEARNS TO SPEAK AND SING.
What baby should be doing at this Level of development:
Baby’s cry should be more intense than when she is hungry if she is in pain or in fear.
If you cannot detect any difference between the two types of crying then you should at least be sure that baby cries when she is hungry and when she is in pain or fear.
What baby should be doing as she enters the next Level of development:
She will use a variety of sounds to communicate a variety of needs and/or emotions. She may for example, coo when she is happy and interested, pant when she is hungry, screech when she is excited or purr when she is sleepy.
An average child is likely to move on to Level 3 at approximately age 7 months.
A Natural Parenting child could potentially move on to Level 3 at approximately age 3.5 month.1