Research has shown that the first five years in children are the most crucial years for their brain development. Children are constantly learning about the world around them, and the adults in their lives are the strongest support a child can have. Since birth, babies start communicating with the world through a cry, cooing, babbling, facial expressions and gestures. Neuroscience says that simply responding to your baby’s cues, helps build new neural connections in their brains. These conversations, called “serve and return,” set the groundwork for the early stages of reading and writing. Sometimes, parents find it difficult to have conversations with an infant or a toddler, as it may feel weird talking to a child that does not have words yet. But starting a conversation with your child can be as easy as repeating the sounds she is making and adding meaning to those sounds. If you want to learn more, Denver Public Library and LENA Start are here to support you and give you the tools to help you feel more comfortable with your child interactions. The best part is that it is FREE!!!
LENA Start is an evidence based community program for children from birth to age three that works alongside families to build an understanding of interactive talk. With the help of LENA’s “talk pedometer” technology we measure a child’s language environment at home. Over the course of 10 weeks, families come together in person or virtually to discuss research based strategies to increase talk at home and/or build awareness of their language environment as well as reviewing their personalized data in the form of actionable reports. More importantly, families build connections with other caregivers in their community and their own children. Families that participate in the program report feeling confident to continue supporting their child’s brain development, language and vocabulary, as they can talk to their child about math, science, and other topics.
As the new school year will be starting soon, and as your child’s first teacher, come and join us and enroll in the next LENA Start program at kids.denverlibrary.org/lena