Pre-Verbal Skills that Prepare Kids for Talking: Stage 1 - Becoming Socially Connected
- Tamara Gonzalez-Scheulov
- Aug 8, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 30, 2025
Before children begin to talk, they go through an important stage of development where they learn to connect, engage, and interact with others without using words.
These early abilities are called prelinguistic skills or pre-verbal skills, and they form the foundation for speech, language, and social communication. When we nurture these early skills, we help children take their first steps toward intentional communication.
Pre-Verbal Skills Every Parent Should Know About
This 3-part blog series is inspired by the work of Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP, a pediatric speech-language pathologist who outlined 11 essential prelinguistic skills that typically develop before words emerge.
Three Stages of Pre-Verbal Development
To make this information easier for parents and caregivers to follow, I’ve organized the skills into three developmental stages with practical, research-informed tips to support your child’s development through everyday routines and play.:
Stage 1
Becoming Socially Connected
Stage 2
Sustained Attention & Engagement
Stage 3
Intentional Communication
Stage 1
Becoming Socially Connected
In the first part of this series, we’ll focus on three essential prelinguistic skills that help children become more alert, socially engaged, and ready to take part in simple, shared moments. You can think of them as interaction readiness skills.
Prelinguistic Skill | Focus |
Reacts to Events in Environment | Awareness of surroundings |
Responds to People | Social awareness |
Takes Turns | Back & Forth Interaction |
Reacts to Events in the Environment
Before children can communicate, they need to notice what’s happening around them. This includes reacting to sights, sounds, movement, and touch.
Children may turn toward sounds, watch movement, or explore toys by reaching, banging, or mouthing them. These reactions show growing awareness of the world.
If a child rarely reacts to sounds or movement, or seems consistently disengaged, consider talking with your pediatrician or a specialist.
SLP Tips
How to Help Your Toddler Notice What’s Happening Around Them
Help Your Child Explore the World Through Their Senses
Use toys and everyday experiences that involve touch, sound, movement, and sight, and help your child notice them through shared exploration..
You can also go on sensory walks together. Notice the trees, touch the leaves, listen to the sounds around you, smell the flowers, or feel the sand on your feet.
Multi-sensory Play
Create opportunities for your child to explore the world through all five senses - sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
Use simple activities like water play, textured toys, everyday sounds, or noticing sights and smells during snacks or walks. Follow your child’s lead—what captures their attention is often where learning begins.
Model Curiosity
Model curiosity by playing with objects yourself, using expressive gestures and simple language like “shake, shake, shake!” or “so soft!” Pause after you speak to give your child a moment to respond, even if it’s just a glance, sound, or motion.
Responds to People
Responding to people is an early building block for communication. It includes noticing when someone talks or plays and reacting by looking, smiling, vocalizing, or reaching.
These responses show that a child is beginning to understand communication is two-way. If this skill isn’t consistent yet, it can be supported and strengthened with practice over time.
Supporting
SLP TIPS
How to Help Your Toddler Notice & Respond to Othes
Tune in and respond
Notice your child’s cues—looks, sounds, gestures, or reaching—and respond right away by smiling, naming what they notice, or copying their action. This teaches them their communication has meaning.
Use OWL (Observe, Wait, Listen)
Watch what your child is focused on, pause to give them time, and respond to all attempts—even small ones—as part of a conversation.
Get close and join in.
Position yourself at your child’s level and follow their lead during play. Shared activities build connection, even without direct eye contact.
Note: For some children, eye contact may be uncomfortable. Focus on shared activities and presence rather than forcing eye gaze.
Takes Turns
Before children can have conversations with words, they first learn turn taking - the back-and-forth rhythm of interaction (also called reciprocity).
Simple exchanges like smiling back, trading toys, or adding a ring to a stacker teach children that communication is shared.
Supporting turn taking builds social connection, attention, and motivation to communicate.
SLP Tips
How to Help Your Toddler Take Turns
Practice often
Trade toys back and forth to model “your turn, my turn.”
Keep turns short:
Use fast, engaging toys (balls, cars, bubbles, simple instruments).
Interpret all responses:
Treat looks, reaches, or pushing away as meaningful (“All done,” “You want the car!”).
Use expectant pauses: After your turn, pause and wait—your child’s turn might be a look, sound, or gesture, and that counts.
Example:
You roll the ball → pause → your child looks or taps it → “Your turn!” → roll again.
Why These Skills Matter
These three interaction readiness skills work together to build the foundation for communication.
Reacting to the environment shows awareness and readiness to connect with the world.
Responding to people helps children learn that communication goes back and forth and that their actions have meaning.
Taking turns teaches the rhythm of interaction and lays the groundwork for future conversations.
What if my child isn’t showing these skills yet?
If your child is older than 12 months and not yet showing many of these early communication skills, consider reaching out to a speech-language pathologist for individualized guidance.
For Part 2 & 3 of this three part blog series:
References
Hanen Centre. (2011). It takes two to talk: A practical guide for parents of children with language delays (5th ed.). Toronto, Ontario: The Hanen Centre.https://www.hanen.org/shop/it-takes-two-to-talk-guidebook
Mize, L. (2017). Let’s talk about talking: Ways to strengthen the 11 skills all toddlers master before words emerge. Teach Me To Talk. https://teachmetotalk.com/product/lets-talk-about-talking
