Answer:
One of the most basic ways we can tell other people about things is to point at them. From 8 months, babies can understand the basic function of the pointing gesture. At the same time, their ability to follow gaze becomes more robust, which is an essential precursor skill for children to learn to point themselves. With time, around ten or twelve months, children start to distinguish the different communicative functions a pointing gesture can have, for example, the imperative function (e.g., requesting an object) or the declarative function (e.g., showing an object).
Around 11 months, infants start to produce pointing gestures themselves. At first they might not take the same form as the adult gesture but with time they become able to point with the arm and index finger extended and the rest of the fingers curled back. Being able to point at things allows babies to direct other people’s attention to the things that interest them. It is an essential form of communication in its own right but also one that helps the development of later language since caregivers often talk about what babies point to.
