According to the University of Manchester, which carried out the research, babies begin to communicate earlier than many people assume through simple gestures, such as holding up objects to show or share and pointing. However, these actions are often undetected or overlooked by caregivers.
It found that engaging with this ‘sharing and giving behaviour’, in particular by talking to babies about the things they are showing an interest in, helps their language development.
The research is based upon observations of ‘sharing and giving behaviours’ in 24 10-month-olds.
In the first part of the study, designed to encourage pointing, babies were held on their mother’s hip and walked along a row of interesting objects hanging from the ceiling. In the second part of the study, the holding and giving behaviours of the babies, who were sat opposite their parents and given two sets of toys to play with, were observed.
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