According to Web MD, a new study finds that young children may understand words even before they hit their first birthday.
Researchers in England had parents of 9-month-old babies play some simple learning games with them. They gave the parents books and picture cards with images of common objects - like keys and apples. The parents named and pointed at the various objects--Three months later, the babies were tested on their ability to recognize words they'd been taught. For example, they were shown two pictures, one was a fish and the other wasn't. The babies were then told to "look at the fish." The ones who had the training looked at the correct picture, but a group of untrained children didn't.
The researchers say the results are significant because the words in the test were all new to the children. They were able to identify a group of objects that weren't linked to their daily life.
The message for parents? Babies may never be too young to learn new words. So talk to yours often. You just might raise the next Einstein!