{"id":357421,"date":"2026-07-10T06:57:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T06:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/storywraps-thirty-million-words-are-critical\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T06:57:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T06:57:44","slug":"storywraps-thirty-million-words-are-critical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=357421","title":{"rendered":"STORYWRAPS: “THIRTY MILLION WORDS ARE CRITICAL”"},"content":{"rendered":"


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It\u2019s hard to wrap your mind around the concept of 30 million anything. It\u2019s the population of Malaysia. It\u2019s the number of Ashley Madison accounts unearthed by hackers. The price of a castle in Kentucky.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also the gap between the number of words a well-to-do child hears by the end of age 3, versus any one of their less fortunate peers. Thirty million words. And that gap has a persistent impact on learning, literacy, and education.<\/p>\n

Crazy, right? I spoke to Professor Dana Suskind, MD, founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative <\/a>and author of the book<\/a> of the same name, about how something as simple as talking is linked to lifelong success.<\/p>\n

So, is it really as simple as \u2018Talk?\u2019<\/p>\n

Yes and no. It comes down to the brain. Talking and language, especially in the first three years, is food for the developing brain.<\/p>\n

What it isn\u2019t is 30 million random words. It\u2019s not all about quantity. It\u2019s the quantity and quality of the parent talk.<\/p>\n

And we aren\u2019t doing it? That seems so astonishing to me.<\/p>\n

[Researchers] Betty Hart and Todd Risley shined a light on the impact of poverty and stress and culture on how much parents talk and interact.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s also the emergence of attention-consuming technology \u2014 the iPads and the iPhones. Go to any park and see that parent talk is being impacted. The brain still needs it.<\/p>\n

How does parent talk work?<\/p>\n

Parent talk doesn\u2019t just build babies\u2019 brains and vocabulary. It builds all aspects of a child and their academic trajectory, executive function, social-emotional skills. Even math and spatial skills. Kids hear more number and measurements words. Even generosity. The real crux of the book that is fact that parent talk builds all aspects of our\u00a0children\u2019s success \u2014 and you don\u2019t have to buy any technology or toys.<\/span><\/p>\n

How is talking \u2014 in particularly, parentese \u2014 linked to literacy? Cooing seems the opposite of, you know, SAT words.<\/p>\n

Baby talk always gets trashed. It\u2019s not gaga googoo; it\u2019s the intonation. What\u2019s interesting is that it helps a baby tune in. It helps get the baby\u2019s attention. In studies, the brain lights up with parentese. It\u2019s such an important part. Parents do it all over the world.<\/p>\n

The singsong voice helps the babies parse words and segments of words and sounds. When we\u2019re born, it\u2019s not like the speech has clear breaks. Parentese helps baby\u2019s brain understand letters, phonemes, words. It\u2019s incredibly important.<\/p>\n

The crux of the book is the Three Ts. Can you tell me a little bit about how they work?<\/p>\n

Thirty million words is a metaphor for richness in language environment. We culled it down to three\u00a0basic things a parent needs to do to provide a rich language environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tune in<\/span>.\u00a0This is the first step. You need to be tuned in to what your child is focused on for language to stick. If they\u2019re distracted by a TV show, they aren\u2019t really hearing you.<\/p>\n

Talk more<\/span>.\u00a0Tune in, and then start talking about what you\u2019re doing. Start narrating. What do you say to a 3-month-old? You can talk about the laundry you\u2019re doing, whatever you\u2019re cooking, what\u2019s happening in the here and now or in the future or the past. And use rich words to go along with it.<\/p>\n

Take turns<\/span>.\u00a0It\u2019s hard to think of babies as a conversation partner; before they have words, it feels foreign. But from day one \u2014 or almost from day one \u2014 they\u2019re practicing having a conversation with gestures, grimaces, babbles. You can respond and keep it going. That\u2019s the crux of a rich language environment.<\/p>\n

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How to Practice 30 Million Words at Home<\/p>\n

Thirty million sounds unfathomable, but, in reality, you get there one word at a time. Here are some examples that any parent can do to develop a rich language environment at home. As Suskind explains, \u201cEvery routine and activity can be an opportunity for brain building and language.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting dressed \u2014 and counting<\/p>\n