TALKING TO TODDLERS FOR HIGHER INTELLIGENCE 

Written By: Caroline Meyer

We already know kids learn from emulating what they see and hear around them but did you know that having a conversation with your toddler can actually improve their overall intelligence.  Getting them to listen to you may be another trick you need to learn but if they do hear and respond, you should continue the chat.  The amount of time you spend engaging with your toddler verbally can have a massive impact on their IQ. 

The journal for the American Academy of Paediatrics, names “Pediatrics recently published a study on the impact of a toddler’s language experiences over a longer term. The study showed that the more toddlers had a chance to chat when they were little, the higher their IQ and their overall language skills 10 years later, were also improved. There were 329 toddlers in the study. The age range was 18 to 24 months. Their families were asked to record audio for 12 hours per day, once a month for a period of 6 months. The recordings were then analysed by a software program. Child vocalisation, adult word exposure and back and forth chat was taken in to account. While it was important that parents chatted to the toddlers, it was also important that the toddlers were allowed to chat back and that there was a conversation with interactions from the adults and the toddlers.   

In the second part of the study, 146 of the children that took part in the original study, who were now aged between 9 and 13 years old, did cognitive and language assessments as a follow up. This assessment was done by a clinical psychologist who had not been involved in the first part of the study and who did not have access to the data from the first phase. There was a definite correlation between being exposed to conversation at an early age and the development of language skills as well as a better IQ than the average child of a similar age. This is a good indication that early language development by interacting with your toddler in conversation at an early age means that a better language environment is created and a better potential for good language development later on in life. 

So how do you have a conversation with your toddler? 

If your child starts a “conversation” with you, chat back. You can do this from a very early age. As soon as your little one starts babbling at you, you can start a conversation. These conversations may not make sense and may contain very few intelligible words to start with, but don’t let this deter you. Chat back and encourage them to persevere. This exposes them to more words and how to put words together to form a sentence, which will help them start talking faster and soon you will be understanding a lot more of what they are saying. 

Be patient. There is always a lot going on in most people’s lives, but while you may already know what it is that your toddler wants to say, instead of handing over the toy or snack or whatever it is they are wanting, stop and allow them to try and express their wants in words.  

Take the time. Set aside a time with minimal distractions especially technological ones such as TV, cell phones and radio and take the time to have a chat with your toddler. This doesn’t have to be day in and day out, but do try and spend time focussing only on your little ones and allowing them to engage with you. When you are caught up in daily life and distracted, you may miss out on all the cues that you little one wants to have a chat. Try and make sure you have some time to spend focussing on what they want to say, even if you don’t understand a word. 

Studies aside, spending the extra time bonding with your child and allowing them exposure to words while they are engaged can go a long way to improving their language and wanting to learn more in order to interact with you. Read to them, spend time playing with them, actually get involved and you will find the conversations increase and improve over time. If you can improve your child’s intelligence, language and cognitive abilities just but chatting with them as toddlers, why would you not? 

nausea or you may just have no desire at all. You may be battling to deal with the physical changes to your body. Some women just feel embarrassed by the idea of having sex while carrying a child.  For others, this is a time of more sexual freedom as they are unable to become more pregnant and may want to experiment a little with their partner without that being a concern. Your partner may need to learn what turns you on as it may be quite different to what turned your pre-pregnant self on.  You need to embrace yourself and your growing belly and know that there is no harm in enjoying your partner sexually while you are pregnant. If you both want to and it is enjoyable to both of you, go for it!