Build your baby’s brain with 30 Million Words Initiative

What if there was a simple way to make your baby smarter and have a better chance at a successful future? One that doesn’t cost any money or involve expensive books, classes or equipment.

It’s all about connecting and communicating with your child, beginning in infancy, says Dr. Dana Suskind, founder and director of the 30 Million Words Initiative. The program was designed to bridge the achievement gap between children of lower economic families and the more affluent.

A professor of surgery at the University of Chicago, Suskind will visit Pittsburgh this week as the featured speaker at PNC Bank’s Women’s History Month celebration.

First, a bit of background: The 30 Million Words project grew out of a 1995 University of Kansas study that found that, by the age of 4, kids who heard more than 30 million words were better prepared for school. By third grade, those kids had larger vocabularies, were better readers and had higher test scores. Kids who heard less than 30 million words by age 4 started out behind and continued to lag.

“Just based on the number of words and the quality of that language and interaction determines not just children’s vocabulary development, but I.Q. test scores, their whole foundation for thinking and learning in the first few years of life,” Suskind says.

The early years are critical, she says: 85 percent of a child’s brain develops in the first three years of life.

30 Million Words is a parent-directed program designed to harness the power of parent language to build a child’s brain and impact his or her future.

The beauty of it, she says, is its simplicity.

“Anybody has whatever language it takes to build their children’s brains,” Suskind says. “Our program uses something called the Three T’s.”

The Three T’s Toolbox includes:

Tune in: This means focusing on your child’s interests and following his or her lead. Pay attention to what your child is communicating, even if it’s baby talk in the beginning. “I often say that baby talk gets a bad rap,” Suskind says. “In the early years, that high-pitched, sing-songy – what we call baby-directed speech – actually helps a child learn language, believe it or not. It helps them segment the words.” For older tots, it might mean following the movements of birds outside the window, pausing along the sidewalk and paying attention to the details of flowers or bugs, or closely examining illustrations in a picture book.

Talk more: Speak with your child, using descriptive language throughout day-to-day activities. For a baby, you can chat while feeding, dressing, during bathtime. “See the bubbles? Watch them pop!” or “Do you like the blue shirt?” and “Feel how soft this sweater is. It’s so cozy!” With an older child, you can discuss what happened yesterday. “Was it fun at the playground? What was your favorite — the swings or the slide?” Or consider plans for tomorrow: “We will take the bus in the morning. Should we pack a snack? What should we take with us?” At meal time, describe flavors, colors, textures. These all help to help develop a larger vocabulary.

Take turns: “Sometimes it’s the biggest jump,” Suskind says. “It’s viewing your child as a conversational partner from day one. Responding to every coo, every babble, every gurgle” — and, eventually, every word.  Encourage your child to respond to your words and actions. As language develops, keep the conversation going by asking open-ended questions that require more than a yes or no answer. Give them time to respond to you — and respond to their questions and comments, too.

Some cities – such as Chicago and Providence, R.I. – have city-wide 30 Million Words programs that include outreach in maternity wards, pediatrician offices, and daycare facilities – even home visits.

Suskind – whose mom is from Squirrel Hill — thinks it would be wonderful to have a collaboration with multiple partners to bring the 30 Million Words Initiative here.

“Wouldn’t that be great?” she says. “It would be just so fun to do it in Pittsburgh.”

To learn more about building your child’s developing brain, visit the 30 Million Words Initiative website or read Dr. Suskind’s book, “Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain.”