Unlocking a Bright Future: The Power of the First 1000 Days

November 2024

The Australian Primary Principals, Association (APPA) is committed to supporting families in ensuring every child has the best start in life and have collaborated with early childhood experts to produce the Thrive with Five paper.

APPA are sharing information about the important five: play, talk, read, eat well and sleep. Share these ideas with friends and family. Be a ripple for a bright future!

This month, we look at talk.

Why Talking with Babies is Super Important!

Talking with babies helps them learn to understand and use words, which is key for their brain growth and future learning. Here’s how you can make it fun and helpful:

Talk About Everything: Describe what you're doing, even if it's boring. For example, say, "I'm washing dishes now."

Repeat Their Sounds: If they say "mama," you can say, "Yes, mama loves you!"

Show Interest: Look into their eyes and smile when they babble or talk.

Talk About What They Like: If they play with a toy train, say, "Toot, toot!"

Read Together: Look at picture books and name what you see. Point to a cat and say, "Look, a cat! Can you say cat?"

Praise Them: If they point to a dog and say "dog," you can say, "Well done for pointing out the dog!"

Ask Questions: Even though they can't answer, asking questions helps them learn about conversations. For example, ask, "Do you want your teddy bear?" and then give it to them.

Doing these fun activities helps babies learn to talk and gets their brains ready for learning more as they grow!

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