16 Gestures by 16 Months

Having 16 gestures by 16 months is a crucial milestone

Have you ever noticed your baby communicating before first words even emerge? That’s likely because they are using non-verbal communication methods like gestures or signs! They are so helpful in giving your kids a voice before speech is able to be formed.

Gestures are:

-Precursors to Speech: Gestures often precede spoken words. Children learn to use gestures first and then start pairing them with words, which is a key step in language development.

-Gestures help children communicate before they have the full vocabulary to express themselves, reducing frustration. Amazing right!!

Using gestures helps children understand the concept of symbolic communication, which is foundational for learning language and social interaction.

Gestures are often linked to learning new words. For instance, a child who uses the "more" gesture might soon learn the word "more."

Gestures form the groundwork for later language skills. Research has shown that the development of gestures between 9-16 months predicts language ability 2 years later.

Wondering how to teach your baby or toddler gestures? Try these tips:

-Model, model, model. Get face to face with your baby

-When your baby attempts (or you aren’t sure if they are attempting..), assume it is correct and go with it by immediately reinforcing

-play silly games like blowing kisses to stuffed animals and having your little one join in

-Use gestures during routines like cleaning up, wave “bye bye” to each toy before putting it in the bucket.

-Pair a gesture with a word

Here are 16 gestures by 16 months as suggested by The First Words Project.