“Mom,” “pa-pa!” Every parent eagerly awaits their child's first words, and when it happens, it feels like magic. The little explorer who, until then, only made babbling sounds suddenly produces a sound with meaning: they’ve started to talk, and from that moment on, nothing will be the same. And yes, there are moments when, after hearing your child call you countless times a day, you may think that, all in all, the babbling phase wasn’t so bad after all! Some children learn to speak earlier, while others start later, but language development generally follows specific stages that, more or less, all little ones go through. Let’s take a look at them together.

The stages of language development

• From the belly to 6 months. It seems incredible, yet little ones begin learning in the womb: they hear sounds, memorize them, and when they are born, they can recognize their mother’s voice and distinguish it from other voices. Outside the womb, they communicate through crying, eye contact, and their first sounds. There is a whole universe of nonverbal communication!
  
  

• From 6 to 12 months, the babbling phase: “Ma-ma-ma,” “ta-ta-ta.” From around six months, babies generally begin babbling, during which they repeat syllables made up of consonant and vowel sounds and start to recognize the first words spoken by adults. A few months after babbling begins, they may also say their first word, which is often “mama,” “dada,” or “baba.” At first, it may simply be a language experiment, but over time it takes on more and more meaning for the child—until they understand that the word refers to something specific.
  
  

• From 12 to 18 months, the first words. Around the age of one, your little explorer is usually able to say their first words. There is no universal rule: some children start much later, and there’s no need to worry. Generally speaking, though, first words appear around the age of one. Vocabulary is still very limited, but at this stage, little ones begin to communicate what they want using words, too.
  
  

• From 18 to 24 months, every day is a discovery! This is known as the lexical explosion phase. Children at this age learn very quickly and can acquire a large number of words. They also begin to form their first sentences, usually made up of no more than a couple of words, for example: Mamma, pappa!, which could indicate that Mom is eating.
  
  

• Between 2 and 3 years , here come the sentences. Sentence structure improves, and verbs start to be placed correctly. By the age of three, children should be able to speak almost entirely correctly. Some sounds may still be difficult to pronounce, but their articulation will gradually improve.
  
  

How to help your child develop language skills?

Some children develop language earlier, while others need a little extra support. Parents play an important role in language development and have more than one tool at their disposal to help their child navigate this important stage of growth. The first piece of advice is to speak often—and clearly—from the time they are very little. But there are other things you can do, too.

Here are 5 tips to help your little explorer become a great chatterbox.

1. Speak often and correctly. Even while they’re still in diapers, you can help your child understand that language plays a crucial role. How? A great tip is to narrate what is happening: “Now Mom is changing your diaper. Let’s take off your clothes, unbutton the onesie, wash up...”. Describing what’s happening around them helps them connect words to actions and become familiar with sounds.
   

2. Call things by their names. No “woof” or “quack”; instead, use dog and duck. This helps your child avoid having to learn the name twice for the same animal or object.
   

3. Keep it simple. At first, children may struggle to understand overly complex sentences. When you offer them an object, introduce it with a simple phrase. In the beginning, it can be just the name of the object: “Ball?”. Once they’ve learned the meaning, you can gradually make sentences more complex: “Do you want the ball?”; and, as the months go by: “Do you want to play with this ball?”. This way, they learn to associate the word with the object right away and, as they grow, they’ll learn to build more complex sentences.
   

4. Books and stories. Children love hearing their parents talk about what happened during the day, and they also enjoy listening to stories.
   Books are a wonderful way to support language development. Even a simple story, told while flipping through an age-appropriate picture book, can teach your child a lot. Over time, curiosity may lead them to point to a picture and ask you what it is.
   

5. Avoid direct corrections. If a child who is having difficulty speaking says, for example, “Nonna voio palla,” don’t correct them directly by saying, “You say nonna voglio la palla!” Instead, respond gently: “Do you want the ball? Here—the ball.”
   

Speaking softly, pronouncing each word clearly, and keeping a calm, relaxed tone of voice can further support language development. If your child is really struggling despite your efforts, it’s best to consult a speech therapist, who can determine whether there is an issue to address or whether your child simply needs more time.