{"id":91093,"date":"2023-03-02T05:00:53","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T10:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/?p=91093"},"modified":"2023-05-11T16:17:44","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T20:17:44","slug":"animal-sounds-early-speech-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/animal-sounds-early-speech-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Moo! Quack! Why We Teach Babies and Toddlers Animal Sounds"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve gotten excited about a toddler\u2019s exuberant \u201cwoof!\u201d when they spot a dog from their stroller, you\u2019re not alone. Animal sounds are a common way to connect with little ones, and animal sound production helps with early language development. But is knowing the sheep says, \u201cbaa,\u201d crucial for kids\u2019 linguistic success? Why is there so much emphasis on getting babies and toddlers to say, \u201cmoo?\u201d Here are three key reasons.<\/p>\n

Going from babbling to baa-ing makes sense<\/strong>
\nAccording to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association<\/a> (ASHA), babies start babbling when they are 4-6 months old, delighting caregivers with consonant-vowel combinations like \u201cma\u201d or \u201cum,\u201d and then strings of syllables like \u201cbabababa!\u201d <\/p>\n

Animal sounds bridge babbling and actual words, as they fit nicely into the developmental progression of early speech sounds. Many animal sounds are easier to say than animal names. In English, \u201cbaaa\u201d is less taxing to produce than the \/sh\/ sound in \u201csheep,\u201d and \u201cneigh\u201d is less complex to say than \u201chorse.\u201d <\/p>\n

As babies grow into toddlers and preschoolers, games, songs, and books with animal sounds help them hear, imitate, and play with sounds in spoken language. This skill set, phonological awareness<\/a>, is crucial for learning to read and write. <\/p>\n

Sounds make for fun conversation<\/strong>
\nBabies and toddlers acquire language by recognizing, mimicking, and attaching meaning to sounds. Social interaction, and the immersion in spoken language, is the most crucial condition for this developmental magic to happen. (Interestingly, studies have repeatedly shown<\/a> that there\u2019s something special about real-life interaction to support language learning \u2014 babies and toddlers exposed to video language modeling don\u2019t show the same growth as those who get the live version.) <\/p>\n

While animal noises aren\u2019t the only sounds that help kids develop language skills<\/a> \u2014 any kiddo obsessed with vehicle<\/a> noises can back this \u2014 animals are a part of life for many children. This includes the toys they play with, books they read, and conversations with caregivers about pets or animals they see. Chatting about animal sounds is an easy way to find common ground with little ones; this goes for parents, caregivers, siblings, relatives, and even the friendly lady in the grocery checkout line. Since more language interaction means more exposure and practice, having this shared lexicon is fantastic.<\/p>\n

Animal sounds are language-specific<\/strong>
\nWords assigned to animal sounds vary across languages because they\u2019ve been filtered through each language\u2019s characteristics and rules. For example, a friend of mine explained that the standard bird sound in Hebrew is \u201ctsif tsif.\u201d This helps kids practice saying the \u201cts\u201d sound, spelled by the Hebrew letter \u201ctsaddik,\u201d and used to spell \u201ctsipor,\u201d the Hebrew word for bird. <\/p>\n

According to linguist Arika Okrent<\/a>, in Japanese, words can\u2019t start with a \/kw\/ sound, so ducks don\u2019t say \u201cquack.\u201d Instead, they say \u201cga ga.\u201d Okrent also points out that animal sounds use a language\u2019s standard features. So, with all the rolling r\u2019s of their human counterparts, French pigs say, \u201cgroin-groin.\u201d All of this suggests that animal sounds in a given language are tailored to support speech development in that language.<\/p>\n

Animal sounds reflect familiar experiences in culture, too. Derek Abbott of the University of Adelaide in Australia created a fascinating spreadsheet on animal-related utterances in different languages<\/a>. Scroll through, and you\u2019ll notice only one moose sound \u2014 \u201cbr\u00f6l\u201d in Swedish \u2014 probably because Sweden is where a child is most likely to spot a moose strolling around. <\/p>\n

Farm animal books for the win!<\/strong>
\nEven in places that don\u2019t have working farms nearby, farm animals are frequent stars of kids\u2019 toys, songs, and books. Reading farm animal noise books together is an excellent way to support little ones\u2019 language learning. To get mooing, quacking, and baaing with the little ones in your life, check out these farm animal noise books:<\/p>\n

no no 9780679809012 Open the Barn Door, Find a Cow<\/i> by Christopher Santoro <\/p>\n

This board book is a simple and sweet choice. Each page asks, \u201cWho says ____?\u201d Chubby little fingers can open the flaps to find out! <\/p>\n

9780593430569 Peek Inside: The Farm<\/i> by Becky Davies, illustrated by Fhiona Galloway <\/p>\n

Check out the adorable farm scenes and talk about all the animal sounds. This one can grow with your child; you can explore more questions and prompts as they are ready. <\/p>\n

9780399256011 The Very Busy Spider<\/i> by Eric Carle <\/p>\n

A classic for every child\u2019s library. Farm animals visit a spider as she spins her web, each making its own sound.<\/p>\n

9780763675899 Can You Say It, Too? Quack! Quack!<\/i> by Sebastien Braun <\/p>\n

This is the perfect title to get little ones talking. What animal is hiding behind each flap? What sound do they make?<\/p>\n

9780593378724 Hello, World! On the Farm<\/i> by Jill McDonald <\/p>\n

Enjoy this book for years, starting with the sounds on each page and adding the engaging facts about farms as little ones\u2019 attention spans grow. <\/p>\n

9780823444786 Old MacDonald Had a Farm<\/i> by Jane Cabrera <\/p>\n

A delightfully illustrated version of the quintessential animal sound song \u2014 with a fun surprise ending! Ee-i-Ee-i-O!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Animal sounds are a common way to connect with little ones, and animal sound production helps with early language development. To get mooing, quacking, and baaing with the little ones in your life, check out these farm animal noise books!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":91647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[53,116,301,1302],"coauthors":[1053],"class_list":["post-91093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-animals","tag-parenting","tag-read-aloud","tag-early-learning","ages_stages-baby-toddler"],"yoast_head":"\nMoo! Quack! 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