Parent-child interaction is crucial to brain development. An important part of that interaction is what is said while we’re engaging with our child — not just the words we use, but the frequency of those words and the way in which they are offered up.

Jessica Rolph welcomes Dr. Dana Suskind to today’s episode to talk about the reasons why a language-rich environment is so important and to best achieve one. Dr. Suskind is the author of Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain and she is releasing a new book in April called Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child's Potential, Fulfilling Society's Promise.

Key Takeaways:

[1:36] Dana talks about her path from surgeon to public health advocate. 

[3:03] How nurturing words contribute to the development of an infant’s brain.

[4:15] An overview of the Thirty Million Words study, the impetus behind Dana’s first book.

[6:45] How can parents help develop a nurturing experience while talking to their infants? Dana and her team developed 3 Ts: Tune in, Talk more, and Take turns.

[9:05] How can parents prioritize language in the face of so much streaming?

[10:25] Cooing and goofy exchanges with your baby have a critical role to play as catalysts. Dana explains why.

[12:23] The distinction between overheard speech and speech directed to the child.

[13:16] Dana talks about Parent Nation, a book that pictures a society that puts children and families at the center, that values the important work that parents and caregivers do every day.

[16:08] Most of this country believes in the power of family, parents, and caregivers, but they don’t look at one another as allies or as a collective whole. Dana and her team want to change that.

Mentioned in this episode:

ParentNation.org

Brought to you by Lovevery.com

For practical tips on how to create a language-rich environment for your baby and toddler, tune into My New Life episodes: 

​​Get your baby talking with The Speech Sisters

Baby talk: Learning your baby’s language with communication and play with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek