Infants are Hardwired for Language!

In an article from Psychology Today, titled "Infant Brains Are Hardwired for Language", author Faith Brynie states:

Brain activity in the left hemisphere language centers can be detected in infants as young as five days. Behavioral experiments have demonstrated that days- or weeks-old infants can distinguish the "melody" of their native language from the pitches and rhythms of other languages. They can assess the number of syllables in a word and perceive a change in speech sounds (such as ba versus ga), even when they hear different speakers.

Here is a game to develop this wiring.

Talking Together
1. Infants make lots of sounds. Mimic the sounds that your baby makes. These sounds will later turn into words.
2. Take the words such as “ba ba” or “ma ma,” and turn them into sentences. “Ma ma loves you.” “Ba ba says the sheep.”
3. The more you repeat the baby’s sounds, the more she will be encouraged to make more sounds.
5. This is truly the beginning of a conversation between the two of you.

Connect With Conversation
1. Start a conversation with your baby. Say a short sentence like, “It is a beautiful day today.”
2. When your baby responds with some babble, stop talking and look into his eyes.
3. As your baby talks, respond with a nod of your head or a smile.
4. This indicates to your baby that you are listening to and enjoying his sounds.
5. Continue with another sentence. Always stop and listen to your baby’s response.
6. The number of words an infant hears each day dramatically influences his or her future intelligence, and scholastic achievements.