Talk to Me, Baby!: How You Can Support Young Children's Language Development

Playful, engaging talk with young children is much more than a social activity: it's the foundation of language, intellectual, and social-emotional development, and it's also the key to narrowing the achievement gap between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Now there's a practical, easy-to-read guidebook that shows professionals and parents how to talk to and play with young children in ways that directly support their emerging language skills.

With passion, warmth, and wisdom, early education expert Betty Bardige takes readers on a fascinating tour through six stages in a young child's language development—starting with the "baby babbles" of infancy and ending with the early literacy skills of the preschool and kindergarten years. For each stage, readers will

• boost language skills with fun and easy activities that build on children's natural curiosity
• get specific, research-based tips on how to talk to children of diverse backgrounds and temperaments, from encouraging their first words to answering their questions
• tune into the questions children ask and the stories they tell—with and without words
• understand the typical milestones of language development
• explore the language challenges children might encounter and how to help
• help bilingual children develop skills in both languages
• select playful, age-appropriate books, songs, and poems to share and enjoy together
build communities that support every child's language development, as well as their emotional security, confidence, and overall healthy development

A lively, compelling read, this book includes vivid examples of successful adult-child interactions, accessible summaries of what the latest studies say about language development, and a helpful study guide perfect for individual study or group trainings.

Essential reading for all early childhood professionals—and a must to share with parents of infants and young children—Talk to Me, Baby! will support interactions that capture children's imagination, strengthen communicative confidence, and build a framework for lasting success in school.

See which domain of school readiness in the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Outcomes Framework this book addresses.

Betty S. Bardige, Ed.D., has dedicated her career to assuring all children a promising start and a lifetime of equitable learning opportunities. As a developmental psychologist, educator, and parent, she knows that early experiences have unique power. Children who enjoy lots of rich, responsive, playful interaction with parents and caregivers develop emotional security, confidence, and increasingly rich language. As their language and knowledge grow, they ask ever more interesting questions and gain more from books, conversation, exploration, and play. Children whose language lags can fall further and further behind without extra supports.

Dr. Bardige's professional work has focused on those critical early years when children build foundations for relationships, resilience, and lifelong learning. A passionate and prolific writer and speaker, she collaborates with local and statewide initiatives to help parents, early educators, and engaged communities support young children’s language, literacy, and social-emotional development.

As an activist, consultant, and foundation leader, Dr. Bardige has worked for more than 30 years to strengthen systems, programs, and policies that affect young children and their families. She chairs the Brazelton Touchpoints Foundation board, and is a member of the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation board. She has worked with educational and family-serving organizations on program development, evaluation, curriculum, and strategic planning, and has served on boards of local, state, and national organizations, including Smart from the Start, The National Association for Family Child Care, and Facing History and Ourselves. Her nonprofit work fuels her passions and expertise.