Using gestures (such as pointing or pretending to do actions) can help others understand what we are saying. If a child is dependent on the help of gestures, we cannot say that the child truly understands the instruction. For example, a child that goes to take his diaper when mom points to the diapers on the shelf and says “take your diaper” but is unable to do so when mom does not point to the diapers cannot be said to understand the instruction of “take your diaper”.
Does this mean that we should not gesture while talking? Not at all! Gestures are a great way to help children learn new words and concepts. The use of gestures by children is also linked to development of language and executive functioning skills. So, do encourage the use of gestures (by both adults and children).
Just remember to stop the use of gestures when checking if your child really understands something that you said.