16 Gestures by 16 months
Children will learn at their own pace. Even the order and timing of using these gestures and communicating is not set in stone. However, we're sharing this information so that we can encourage communication as early as their first year, even before kiddos say their first words.
Communication is motivated from socially interacting with parents and other people. It is through exposure to language-enriched interactions with people, what they observe in real life and what they're able to try to do that give kids the ability to learn to do and say things for themselves. Let these be guides to think of ways to incorporate activities that will lead to learning these gestures and establishing more back-and-forth circles of meaningful communication with your kids.
If this short guide brings about questions about your child's development or concerns for delays, do not hesitate to reach out to your pediatrician or other child health experts. Some kids may overcome delays, but others may need extra help to optimize their potential.
Resource: First Words Project, 2014