Girls, boys and learning to communicate

You probably find lots of people share their opinions about your child’s development – and if you hear something a few times you might wonder if it’s true. One of the things we’ve heard many times is that girls learn to talk sooner than boys, so when we saw a research paper reviewing this we thought we’d dive in and find out more.

In this paper, scientists from the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies in Rome looked at research that had considered the development of language in boys and girls – looking at if, how and why this differed.^[1]  

They looked at research which considered actions and gestures, as well understanding and speech. While some studies found there were differences between boys and girls, not every study reached the same conclusion. 

The scientists reviewing the research found that even when a ‘girl advantage’ was found, this was often small and not present at all of the ages included in the studies. 

Having looked at the studies, they concluded that different factors interact to impact children’s language development.  

Which means differences between individual children can’t be put down to one factor, such as if they’re a boy or a girl.  

What does all this mean for you?  

You’re using this app because you know your child is an individual with their own unique developmental journey – and this research review definitely supports that point of view.  

But we also know that your child’s experiences – and particularly their interactions and relationships with you and other important people in their lives – help them develop and learn. 

And what’s really amazing about supporting language development is that it’s really simple: chat with your child about anything that interests them and you as often as you can.  

You will find specific ideas for supporting language and communication linked to the skills your child is developing right now on your activities screen (you can filter and look at just the language ideas). 

Here’s a few tips for chatting with your baby, toddler or child 

Find time each day for a chat with fewer distractions  

This could be an extra chat while you’re changing your baby’s nappy, turning the TV off and chatting about your toddler’s toys, or a chat about your child’s bedtime story.  

Take turns 

Whether you're talking to your baby, toddler or child pause and give them time to reply – and this doesn’t have to be them replying with words.  

Your baby might babble, smile or wriggle, your toddler might say a word or two or hold up a toy to show it to you, and your child might use their turn to ask a question.  

Comment more than question 

Questions can be a great way to keep a conversation going, but if a chat starts to feel like a test your child might stop replying.  

So, instead of asking lots of questions, talk about the things you can see your child is interested in or say something that adds to what they said. 

Watch for when they’re ready for a break 

Your child will often be keen to chat, but like all of us they’ll also sometimes want to be quiet and focus on what they’re doing.  

You know them best and will be able to spot when your baby starts to seem tired or turns away or when your toddler seems more interested in their toy than chatting to you.  

And, as with all aspects of development, you know your child best so if you think they might need some extra support with their language development chat to your doctor, health visitor or a childcare professional.  

Reference: 

[1] Rinaldi, P., Pasqualetti, P., Volterra, V., & Caselli, M. C. (2023). ‘Gender differences in early stages of language development. Some evidence and possible explanations’. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 101, 643–653. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.24914