Encouraging Gestures for Language Development
At its very core, communication is a social connection between two people. And one way babies and toddlers connect with us before they can communicate is through gestures! If you’re interested in your baby’s language development, gestures are your new best friend. In typical development, they always come before spoken words, so they’re something to be aware of, encourage, and support in your little one.
The Role of Gestures in Language Development & Delays
There are so many reasons to pay attention to your child’s gesture development! Gestures are an important—but often overlooked—part of language development. And we don’t hear people talking about them very often, so we want to bring more awareness.
Gestures always precede first words, so they’re a really important step in learning to communicate.
By observing gestures, or the absence of them, parents, caregivers, and professionals can identify potential developmental delays sooner (Goldin-Meadow, 2015). The early identification of delays is important because children who receive early intervention can make the most progress!
The more gestures your little one uses early on, the more words they are likely to have in their spoken vocabularies later in development.
Want to understand your child’s gesture development and where it fits into their development overall? Download our toddler language milestones checklist!
Gesture Development By Age
Researchers have studied gestures and the developmental progression of their emergence, and it turns out that, just like other areas of development, most children develop gestures in a predictable pattern.
We’re going to list the ages when these skills are typically demonstrated, but keep in mind that every child is developing at their own pace. The emergence of specific gestures often varies for a variety of reasons, including the culture the baby is raised in. So try not to get too caught up in ages. Look at their gesture use overall and ask yourself, “Are they adding gestures as they get older?” and “Are they using gestures to intentionally communicate?” If so, you don’t need to worry too much. In our homes, we noticed our babies clapped before they pointed, which is technically out of order, but was just fine for our littles!
That said, according to The First Words Project, these are the most common gestures for children to demonstrate between 9 and 16 months of age:
Common Gestures Around 9 Months
Gestures:
Give
Turning the head away to indicate no
Babies first learn to take objects we give them. Then, they learn to “give” something to us by reaching the item out in our direction.
They also learn to begin to shake their head to communicate no. This starts with them turning their head away from things they don’t want—like foods they don’t like. Then, they turn back to their caregiver to see if their actions had the desired effect.
Common Gestures Around 10 Months
Gestures:
Reach
Raise arms
Next, they begin to reach, either for things they want access to or to show us they want to be picked up.
Common Gestures Around 11 Months
Gestures
Show
Wave
At this age, babies want to show you things they like and are interested in. They’re hoping you’ll take an interest, too! To get your attention, they’ll hold up toys or things they like. Eventually, this will turn into waving things around!
Common Gestures Around 12 Months
Gestures:
Open hand
Point
Tap
12 months is an exciting time for gestures and words! Typically, babies will begin to point with an open hand or tap to show interest in things they want you to see. Since first words also emerge around this time, this open hand point and tap might come with grunts or early speech sounds like b, p, m, w, or vowels.
Related: First Words & Baby Talking Milestones
Common Gestures Around 13 Months
Gestures:
Clap
Blow a kiss
Children learn a lot through observation and from the way people react to their communication attempts. Your baby will begin to copy more of what you do and say at this age, which might look like clapping their hands or blowing a kiss!
Common Gestures Around 14 Months
Gestures:
Index finger point
Shhh gesture
By this age, your toddler will likely start to point with their index finger when something in the distance catches their interest. This is a sign that their observational learning skills are strong and that they’re beginning to use symbolic communication by conveying a message to you. (Most of the ways we communicate are examples of symbolic communication, including speech, sign language, writing (including braille), and any types of alternative or augmentative communication.)
At 14 months, your toddler will likely start using the “Shhh!” gesture, too! This is great because having access to more and more gestures will only help them go on to say spoken words.
Common Gestures Around 15 Months
Gestures:
Head nod
Thumbs up
Hand up
At 15 months of age, gestures become symbolic in that they serve a purpose more similar to words. Gestures like a nodding their head, giving a thumbs up, or putting a hand up to show that they want you to wait all give us a window into what they’re thinking about. And, they allow our little ones to share their thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas with others. (So powerful!)
Common Gestures Around 16 Months
Gestures: Many other symbolic gestures!
At 16 months and beyond, additional symbolic gestures will continue to develop. These gestures could be anything, from signs to high fives to the peace sign. All these gestures help foster the development of spoken words, and your child will likely use a mix of both!
How Many Gestures Should My Child Have?
The First Words Project, which operates out of Florida State University, is one of the leaders in researching gestures and language development. Through their research, they have found that children should have 16 gestures by 16 months.
Try not to let this overwhelm you, though! If you are the parent of a toddler who hasn’t picked up many gestures yet, you are not alone. Some children will benefit from extra support. If you’re worried about your child’s gesture or language development, we recommend seeing your pediatrician or even self-referring to an early intervention program in your area!
Tips For Encouraging Gestures
The best way to get your baby to use more gestures is to find ways to use them more yourself as you interact with them during the day! Here are a few tips to get you going:
Use gestures in your everyday routines and say the word while modeling the gesture.
Point towards something of interest and say, “Look at the ____”
Give them things and say, “Here’s a ___”
Clap and say, “Yay!”
Spend time face-to-face with your child. They learn so much from watching you!
Sing simple songs and rhymes. A lot of them incorporate gestures and motor movements!
What To Know, Do & Watch For from Birth to Preschool
Whether you’re worried or just being proactive, we encourage you to look for and encourage gestures! They’re one important step of many that your child will take throughout their communication journey.
Want to learn more about your child’s communication development and how you can help encourage it? Download our free language resources! We have one for babies and one for toddlers, so pick the one that suits your family and snag your copy!
Baby Bundle
Milestones, first words, and a baby song video. For birth to 12 months!
Toddler Milestones
For children 12 months and up!