Infant and Toddler Language Development: Naming and Identification

Introduce your child to the names of things and people in his or her environment.

This comes naturally at first. For example, "Mommy" or "Daddy" are easy to introduce.

Other family members and friends can be introduced when your child meets them, too.

Now consciously work to introduce your child to the names of objects in his or her immediate environment. Introduce place names, too, such as "bedroom" and "bathroom". For example, as you carry your infant into a room, you can say, "we are going to the living room."

Introducing the names of foods provides a wonderful opportunity to expand your child's knowledge of objects and the association with their names. Talk about peeling the banana and eating it.

Similarly, as you dress your infant (your toddler should be dressing him or herself), describe what you are doing to include the name of the item of clothing.