Your Baby’s First Noun

A breakthrough moment in a child’s language development is the realization that objects have names. You can help your child reach this breakthrough moment by repeatedly exposing your child to a single object and stating that name of the object.

The best object to use is a ball. The object is extremely simple, so it is easy to process and remember. The word ball is short and simple to understand.

To teach your child the meaning of the word ball, choose a solid-colored ball. Red is the ideal color for this ball since red is visually striking and babies develop the ability to see red at a very early age.

At random times throughout each day, hold the ball one to two feet in front of your baby’s eyes. Look your baby in the eyes and clearly speak, "Ball." Move the ball slightly to refocus the baby’s attention and repeat, "Ball."

Repeat this up to five times and then offer the ball to your baby. To let this lesson sink in, allow your baby to play with the ball for as long as he or she wishes. Repeat this process a few times each day.

Eventually, you will see a glimmer of understanding in your baby’s eyes. Your baby will eventually comprehend that the object has a name. Your baby will know that the word ball is not just a sound that comes from people’s mouths, but a word with actual meaning. Once your baby gains the understanding that objects have names and words have meanings, your baby will begin to travel down the glorious path of understanding language.

Having a Ball with Colors

When your baby is able to sit upright on his or her own, you may want to begin introducing the concept of color. It’s best to start simply by using balls of different colors.

Begin by selecting two balls of complimentary colors. The balls must be the same size and material. Color should be the only difference. The color difference needs to be obvious to avoid confusing the baby.

The best complimentary color combination is a blue ball and an orange ball. A yellow ball and a purple ball would be an acceptable combination; however, do not use a red ball and a green ball. Even though red and green are complimentary colors, there is a chance that this color combination could be problematic. If your child has red-green blindness, this color combination will make the exercise unproductive and possibly stressful for the baby. (Click here for more information about red-green color blindness.)

To begin the lesson, take a blue ball and an orange ball in each hand. Present the balls to the baby. Shake the blue ball slightly to get your baby’s attention and say, "Blue ball." Then, shake the orange ball slightly and say, "Orange ball." Repeat this several times.

Continue to repeat this process a few times each day. Eventually, your baby will catch on to the color difference.

When you believe that your baby understands the concept of color difference, place the blue ball and the orange ball a few inches apart on the floor in front of your baby. Point to the balls. Ask the baby which is the blue ball. There’s at least a 50% chance that the baby will point to the blue ball. If the baby chooses correctly, clap your hands, cheer, and exclaim, "That’s right! Blue ball." If the baby chooses the orange ball, gently say, "Orange ball." Then point to the blue ball and say, "Blue ball."

To let the lesson sink in, let the baby play with the balls for as long as he or she wants. Repeat this lesson a few times each day. Eventually, your baby will be able to correctly identify the blue ball without fail.

Once the baby can consistently identify the blue ball, begin asking the baby to point to the orange ball during the lessons. Eventually, the baby will be able to consistently identify both the blue ball and orange ball.

Once you are confident that your baby fully understands the difference between the blue and orange balls, introduce a yellow ball to the set. Continue along with the process until the baby can identify all three balls. Eventually, you can add a purple ball, a red ball, and then a green ball.

Using this incremental approach, you can teach a child all six of the basic colors. More importantly, your baby will also learn the abstract concept that similar objects can be classified by differing features such as color.