Photo by Ron Lach

Read with your young one, so both of you can learn more about the initial stages of communication in Gramlich’s book Talk, Play, and Read with Me Mommy.

Communicating with your child should start as soon as possible if you could even start talking to them at birth! As social animals, communication is integral to human development. Early engagement provides a solid foundation that will significantly boost your children’s future growth.

Remember, communication is a skill; like every other skill, you gain mastery through continual and consistent engagement. This fact is why it is essential to start communicating with your child as early as possible. If that is no longer doable, converse with them constantly and consistently whenever the opportunity is available.

What is the Communication Process?

In its most basic sense, communication is the exchange of information, where a receiver acquires a message from a sender. This transfer of information requires a medium to facilitate the transmission of the message, which typically manifests verbally. Still, in this changing world, there are several other methods to transmit a message: print, visual, etc.

The process by which communication happens is relatively easy to understand. Here are its constituent parts:

• Sender: this is the one who provides the message.
• Receiver: this is the one who gets the message.
• Message: this is the information the sender wants to impart to the receiver.
• Channel: this is the means by which the sender transfers the information to the receiver.

What Happens when Talking with Your Child?

Every form and all examples of communication tend to follow this sequence. As mentioned before, communication is merely the transfer of one piece of information from one party to another.

• Developing the Message. Here, the sender gathers the information they wish to provide to the receiver.
• Encoding the Message. Here, the sender consolidates all information that needs sending in a way the receiver understands, keeping the original intent.
• Selecting the Channel. Here, the sender chooses the medium with which to transmit their message, whether through voice, text, etc.
• Message Transmission. Here, the receiver is give and obtains the message.
• Decoding the Message. Here, the receiver attempts to decipher the message and acquire the sender’s original intent as closely as possible.
• Feedback. Here, the receiver may send a message back to the sender as a response. This depends on the nature of the information and the method of transfer.

The Main Two Forms of Talking with Your Child

There are several media by which to communicate with one another. Although there are broadly two forms by which it happens: verbal and nonverbal. 

Verbal communication is when sound is used, particularly in the form of words. It includes pitch, tone, word choice, and dialect. Communication in this form mainly depends on the language of the parties involved. The degree of deference afforded to all sides is also part of it.

Nonverbal communication is either intentional or unintentional since it is made through body language, which can sometimes express itself unconsciously. Facial expressions, eye contact, physical closeness, hand motions, and tactile contact fall under nonverbal communication. 

Finding External Help to Talk with Your Child

A great tool to help parents with your young ones is Jo Ann Gramlich’s children’s books Talk, Play, and Read with Me, Mommy and Talk, Play, and Read with Me, Daddy. The author wrote the books with communication in mind. They are valuable assets for developing early childhood communication and becoming a cornerstone for future language development. These phenomenal books by Jo Ann Gramlich are highly stimulating and interactive. They were specifically designed to enhance your child’s speech and language skills.

Learn more about the initial stages of communication in Gramlich’s books.