Going for a walk is a great time to chat to your baby and help them pick up new words.
As you go, point to things you can see and let your baby know what they are. For example: “bus”, “dog”, “sky”. Take a moment to get their attention as you point. When they are paying attention, say the word.
As your baby gets older, you can introduce describing words like colours, “big” or “small”, “fast” or “slow”.
Praise your baby if they try to copy you or point along with you.
This helps your baby learn words, pay attention to the things around them, and understand how to describe things. They will learn lots of words by listening to you talk. By bringing their attention to the things around them, you’ll also help them learn to concentrate and notice things.
You can do this wherever you go: walking down the street, at the park, at the shop. If you have time, you can stop to look at things they particularly like.
Watch and learn
Watch how a mum interacts with her baby when they go out for a walk. Mum chats to her baby about what she sees and responds to the sounds her baby makes.
Good to know
Naming what you see shows your baby that words have meanings and a purpose. It also expands their vocabulary.
