Everyone has heard of rolling, crawling, sitting, walking, but transitional movements are rarely talked about.

As a pediatric occupational therapist working with infants and toddlers in early intervention, this is a common question. I am constantly hearing questions about: Is my little on track, where are they developmentally, and most importantly - what can we do to promote early communication?

The best part of my work is empowering parents to understand their child’s development in a broad view versus focusing on specific skills here and there. Here are 5 tips to enjoy your little while they’re working on one of the most highly anticipated developmental milestones - first words and early conversation.

Focusing on imitating movements with your Littles - silly face games, watching each other’s facial expressions, pointing to things in the environment - is the perfect way to encourage a broad range of foundational communication skills.