Play your child's favourite songs, stories and rhymes in more than one language. Honig, A. ed. (2014). Fostering Early Language with Infants and Toddlers. Montessori Life, 26(2), 28–31. Comishen, K,J, Bialystok, E, Adler, S.A (2019). The impact of bilingual environments on selective attention in infancy. Developmental Science, 2019; e12797 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12797.
Infants who are exposed to more than one language show better ability to focus than infants who are exposed to only one language. This means that exposure to bilingual environments should be a significant factor in the early development of attention in infancy, the researchers say, and could set the stage for lifelong cognitive benefits.
Children who can distinguish different sounds and phonemes are more likely to develop stronger literacy skills over time.
Studies have also found it beneficial to have a ‘‘print-rich’’ environment from infancy, with ongoing access to books and reading, as this also helps to develop children’s language ability in later years. Lawhon, T., & Cobb, J. B. (2002). Routines that build emergent literacy skills in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(2), 113-118. Mascarenhas SS, & Moorakonda R, Agarwal P, Lim SB, Sensaki S, Chong YS, Allen JC, & Daniel LM (2017). Characteristics and influence of home literacy environment in early childhood-centered literacy orientation. Proceedings of Singapore Healthcare, 26, 81–97.