Make story time an exciting adventure for the children. Read books and tell stories using different voices. Teach the children to applaud when the “show” is over.
As you complete daily tasks, such as changing the children’s diapers or getting their bottles warmed and ready for them to drink, talk about what you are doing. Use the children’s names as you work. “Jesse, it’s time for you to eat. Let’s warm up your bottle.”
Prop the babies up on the carpet and allow them to talk to one another and to you. As they babble, copy the sounds they make. Give them soft books to look at and point out words and pictures within the books.
Listening to your voice is helping the children build their vocabularies as they respond to the various sounds they hear. They are also building a better relationship with you and their peers, and working on coordination.
Talking about what you are doing with the children will help them begin to recognize and react to the sounds of language. They will hear different sounds as they begin to recognize common vocabulary. They will build a trusting relationship with you as they begin to recognize a schedule to their days.
The children will love to spend time near one another and you as they work on their oral language skills. They will be using their bodies to explore the books and begin to build relationships with other important people in their lives.