Mum and Dad are the single most important influence on a young child's life. It is Mum and Dad who are the primary educators of the little life, at least up until five years of age, and many would argue even beyond school age. What goes on at home, particularly in the area of language development, has a significant bearing on whether the child will survive, dive or thrive in the school environment.

In the first two years of life it is important to get those language building blocks put into place. And the single most important concept to grasp is words. Little words, short words, everyday words, names, even hard-to-say words; words with massive meaning. A home that is filled with words and are constantly being reinforced will create an environment where the child can't help but absorb language. A young child will learn "yes" early, and of course, "no" , because those words have significant meaning. These two words, along with a few others can be learned, understood and verbalised by many 12 month olds.

A special word for "food" like "dinner-time" or "breakfast" helps the child to understand the link between words and activities, and more importantly, enables the child to express themselves when they have a need. A repeated word with meaning is a much better than a grizzle or a wail when no one understands what the need is through a sobbing, misunderstood cry. Other words may be "rest-time" and "clean nappy?", or "mum", "dad" and the names of siblings. These all have massive meanings and the just-walking child can pick these up very quickly.

So you may not be able to teach your baby to read before she walks, but the foundations of reading are language and words. And the use of words in a careful, considered and positive atmosphere will greatly impact your baby's capacity to move quickly through those early academic milestones.