Your little one is learning the rules of conversation from just a few months old, but every good chat needs a topic!
Anything and everything can hold your their interest, and keeping an eye out for what has their attention will give you a great start to chat with them, whether it's a toy, a hairbrush or even something odd like packaging.
Watch the video below for more on tuning into their interests and read on for how your child's interests are important at every age and stage.
Benefits to talking about interests
Promoting listening skills
When you and your child pay attention to the same thing and you chat about it, they are more likely to listen and learn because you're talking about the things they're interested in.
Linking ideas and learning words
Hearing the name of what they're looking at helps them to start linking objects and words together. It can start as simple as knowing that a toy they like is called, to understanding that their teddy has eyes, ears and a nose.
When talking about what has their interest, try talking about its features, like its size and shape. If your child can say the name of what they're looking at, you can build on what they know - What do we use it for? What does it feel like?
Feeling understood and listened to
Chatting with your little one about the things they like and are interested in lets them know that their thoughts and actions matter. Even before they say words, responding to them when they babble or gesture lets them know that their attempts to communicate are meaningful.
Talking about toys
Toys are a great conversation starter. Their teddies aren't just soft and cuddly, but a way for you to talk to them about the something they love and that holds their attention.
As your child is playing, name the toy as well as the parts of the toy they're interested in, e.g. 'teddy's eyes' and 'teddy's nose'.
You can also describe all the things they're doing as they play. So if they are washing their dolly, you could say words like 'splash' and 'scrub'.
They'll love the shared attention between you, releasing happy hormones and keeping their focus on you and the playtime.
How children show their interests
As your child develops, they'll gain new ways of expressing what they're interested in. From simple looks to being able to say the name of something out loud, every age and stage can express interest.
This is partially tied to their physical development; as babies learn to sit upright without using their hands, they can start pointing at what has their attention. Learning to crawl and walk also lets them get up close and personal with the things they want to talk about.
In case you missed it
Why is tuning into baby so important? video
A film demonstrating the importance of shared attention to parents through an experiment. Can be used to help explain t attention as a target for speech and language.
