- Listen and respond to a variety of sounds.
- Distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar voices.
- Listen intently to sounds he makes with his mouth.
- Locate sounds in his immediate surroundings (localized only to the side).
- Identify and respond enthusiastically to your voice.
- Gurgle and coo to show pleasure.
- Practice his sounds when he is alone.
Some ways you can help:
- Talk and describe objects and actions to your child as he experiences them.
- Listen carefully and imitate the sounds your baby makes.
- Recite nursery rhymes or sing songs to your baby while changing his diapers, rocking or feeding him.
- Provide him with a variety of sounds to hear- assorted musical recordings, chimes, bells, toy musical instruments,
- Ring a soft bell or tap a wind chime directly to the side of the baby’s head (but at least 18” from his ear). See if he can locate the sounds.
- Be aware that although your baby does not talk yet, he is beginning to associate particular sounds with actions. Talk to your baby often about everything he sees, hears, feels or tastes.
Does some of this sound the same from the previous page for six weeks to 3 1/2 months? Of course it does and it is one example of how PAT fits with how children develop. A four-month-old is not wildly different from a three-month-old so it only makes sense that what your child will be learning and activities recommended would be pretty similar from one month to the next.
Using toys to teach language