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Language Development

Language is a beautiful gift. With it we can share our wants, our thoughts, our feelings, and everything that makes us human. If you spend time with a child, you have the power to give and nurture this gift of communication.

Many factors affect the rate at which children develop language. Sometimes language development slows down while a child is learning other skills, such as standing or walking. In other words, the bulk of the child's concentration and energy may be going to gross motor development at this point with little reserve for the development of language.

The amount and kind of language children hear may also affect the rate of language development. For example, if children are hearing two languages at home, their brain is trying to learn two sets of vocabulary, process two sets of speech sounds, and understand two sets of grammatical rules. That is a lot of work!


The rate of language development may also be affected by how people respond to the child. For example, the child whose communication attempts are greeted with eye contact, acknowledgement ("Ah. Tell me more. What else happened?"), and expansion of his/her ideas is likely to develop language faster than the child whose communication attempts receive little or

no response.

If you are worried that your child might have a language delay, a speech and language evaluation can determine whether language skills are developing normally, and whether or not professional intervention is needed.


Stages of Language Development

As children develop language, they typically go through the same stages of development. The exact age at which a specific child goes through a certain stage varies, but the order of the stages is pretty much the same from child to child.

Birth to One Year

A baby's first attempts at communicating emotions and needs are through crying. Parents quickly learn how to differentiate hunger cries from those indicating tiredness

or a wet nappy.

 

By three months, babies will turn their heads towards voices and recognize parents' voices. Expressively, babies indicate contentment and amusement by smiling. 

They can already repeat sounds (e.g., cooing).

 

 

At 4 to 6 months, babies notice new sounds such as the vacuum cleaner and telephone. They respond to "no" and to changes in tone of voice. They pay attention to music. Early sound discrimination skills are beginning to emerge. Sounds have a more speech-like babble to them (e.g., babamama). Babies tells you by sound or gesture when they want something.

 

At 7 months to one year, infants are beginning to recognize their name (e.g., turning the head or looking up). They listen when spoken to and are beginning to recognize common words (e.g., "juice", "bottle"), and to respond to requests like "Come here." Vocabulary and concepts are being developed. Expressively, the infant imitates speech sounds, and may have 1 or 2 words (e.g., "bye-bye," "baba" for bottle, and "no") by one year. The infant more frequently uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep attention. Babbling has long and short groups of sounds such as "mama maaa."

 

What You Can Do to Help

 

Always check your child's ability to hear, and pay attention to ear problems and infections, especially when they keep occurring. Even at this early age, there is much that you can do to encourage language development.

 

  • Reinforce your baby's communication attempts by looking at him/her and imitating his/her vocalizations, laughter and facial expressions.
  • Teach your baby to imitate actions, such as peek-a-boo, clapping, blowing kisses, pat-a-cake, itsy-bitsy spider, and waving "bye-bye." These games teach turn taking that is needed for conversation.

 

  • Talk while you are doing things, such as dressing, bathing, and feeding. "Mommy is washing Sam's hair." "Oh, these carrots are good!"

     

  • Talk about where you are going, what you will do once you get there, and who and what you'll see. "Sam is going to grandma's house. Grandma has a dog. Sam will pet the dog."

 

  • Have fun imitating animal sounds (e.g., A cow says "moo").

 

One to Two Years

Children are now able to participate more actively in listening to simple stories, songs (e.g., "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"), and rhymes ("Humpty Dumpty"). They can follow simple commands (e.g., "Roll the ball" and "Blow a kiss"). Children can usually point to a few body parts and to pictures of things in a book when you name them.

 

Their vocabulary is increasing, and they say more and more words every month. At around 2 years children are beginning to put 2 words together; for example, "more juice" and "get up." They use many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

 

What You Can Do to Help

 

  • Continue to talk while doing things and going places. When taking a walk in the pram, for example, point to familiar objects (e.g., cars, birds) and say their names. "I see a dog. The dog says 'woof.' This is a big dog." Use simple but grammatical speech that is easy for your child to imitate.

 

  • Expand on single word utterances. For example, if your child says "car," you can say: "You're right! A big car."

 

  • Find time to read to your child every day. Try to find books with large pictures and 1-2 words or a simple phrase or sentence on each page. When reading to your child, take time to name and describe the pictures on each page. Have your child point to pictures that you name and then ask them to name pictures.

 

Two to Three Years

Children are beginning to understand differences in meaning like the difference between "up and down," and "big and little”.

They notice noises, such as the doorbell ringing, the telephone, and sounds on the television. They follows requests or directions that have two parts to them (e.g., "Get the ball and throw it to me").

 

Expressively, children have a word for almost everything, and they are beginning to use 2-3 word phrases to talk about things ("My baby") and ask questions ("Where's mommy?"). They direct attention to or asks for objects by naming them. Familiar listeners should understand children's speech at this age most of the time.

 

What You Can Do to Help

 

  • Use clear, simple speech that is easy to imitate. Show your child that you are interested in what he or she says to you by repeating what he or she has said and expanding on it. For example, if your child says, "pretty flower," you can respond by saying, "Yes, that is a pretty flower. The flower is red."

 

  • Let your child know that attempts at communicating are important to you by asking him or her to repeat things that you do not completely understand. For example, "I know you want a block. Tell me again which block you want."

 

  • Expand on your child's vocabulary. Introduce new vocabulary through reading books that have a simple sentence on each page. Continue to name objects and describe the picture on each page of the book. State synonyms for familiar words (e.g., mommy, woman, lady, grown up, adult), and use this new vocabulary in sentences to help your child learn it in context.

 

  • Put objects into a bucket, and have your child remove one object at a time, saying its name. You repeat what your child says, and expand upon it. "That is a comb. Sam combs his hair." Take the objects from the bucket and help your child group them into categories (e.g., clothes, food, drawing tools, etc.).

 

  • Cut out pictures from old magazines, and make a scrapbook of familiar things. Help your child glue the pictures into the scrapbook. Practice naming the pictures, using gestures and speech to show how you use the items.

 

  • Look at family photos and name the people. Use simple phrases/sentences to describe what is happening in the pictures (e.g., "Sam swims in the pool"). Write simple appropriate phrases under the pictures. For example, "I can swim," or "Happy birthday to Daddy." Your child will begin to understand that reading is oral language in print.

 

  • Ask your child questions that require a choice, rather than simply a "yes" or "no" answer. For example, rather than asking, "Do you want milk? Do you want water?", ask, "Would you like a glass of milk or water?" Be sure to wait for the answer, and reinforce successful communication. "Thank you for telling mommy what you want. Mommy will get you a glass of milk."

 

  • Continue to sing songs, play finger games ("This little piggy"), and tell nursery rhymes ("Hickory Dickory Dock"). These songs and games introduce your child to the rhythm and sounds of language.

 

Three to Four Years

Your child now talks in sentences of 4 or more words. He or she talks about activities

(e.g., what was done in preschool that day) easily and fluently, without repeating syllables

or words. Now people outside of the family are able to understand him or her. Your child understands and answers simple who, what, and where questions. He or she hears you

when you call from another room. He or she can hear the television or radio at the same

loudness level as other family members.

 

 

 

What You Can Do to Help

 

 

  • Continue to sort pictures and items into categories, but increase the challenge by asking your child to point out the item that does not belong in a category. For example, a baby does not belong with a dog, cat and mouse. Tell your child that you agree with his or her answer because a baby is not an animal.

 

  • Continue to expand vocabulary and the length of your child' s utterances by reading, singing, talking about what you are doing and where you are going, and saying rhymes.

 

  • Now you can read books that have a simple plot, and you can talk about the story line with your child. Help your child to retell the story or act it out with props and dress-up clothes. Tell him or her your favourite part of the story and ask for his or her favourite part.

 

  • Continue to look at family pictures, and now have your child explain what is happening in each one.

 

  • Work on comprehension skills by asking your child questions. Have him or her try to fool you with his or her own questions. Make this game playful by pretending that you have been fooled by some of his or her really hard questions.

 

  • Expand on social communication and story-telling skills by "acting out" typical scenarios (e.g., cooking food, going to sleep, and going to the doctor) with a dollhouse and its props. Do the same type of role-playing activity when playing dress-up. As always, ask your child to repeat what he or she has said if you do not understand it completely. This shows that what he or she says is important to you.

 

Four to Five Years

At this age, children pay attention to short stories and answers simple questions about them. They understand most of what is said at home and at school. Children communicate easily with other children and adults. Sentences give details, and use adult-like grammar. When explaining something or telling a story, children stick to the topic and string together ideas in an understandable sequence. They may still have some errors in pronunciation (e.g., /s/, /r/, /l/, /v/, /ch/, /sh/, /th/, /j/, /z/), but are still easy to understand.

 

What You Can Do to Help

 

 

 

  • Continue sorting items into categories. Now try to sort them by pointing out more subtle differences between objects (e.g., rocks that are smooth versus those that are rough, heavy vs. light, big vs. small). Again, have your child identify the object that does not belong in a given category, but now ask him or her to explain why the item does not belong.

 

  • Continue reading stories with easy-to-follow plots. Help your child predict what will happen next in the story. Act out the stories, and put on puppet shows of the stories. Have your child draw a picture of a scene from the story, or of a favourite part. You can do the same thing with videos and television shows, as these also have plots. Ask "wh" questions (who, what, when, where, or why) and monitor his/her response.

 

  • Expand on your child' s comprehension and expressive language skills by playing "I Spy." "I spy something round on the wall that you use to tell the time." After your child guesses what you have described, have him or her give you clues about something that he or she sees.

 

  • Give your child 2-step directions (e.g., "Get your coat from the closet and put it on"). Encourage your child to give directions to explain how he or she has done something. For example, ask your child to explain how he or she made a structure out of Lego blocks. Draw a picture, and write down your child's story as he tells it. He will soon grasp the power of storytelling and written language.

 

  • Have your child help you plan and discuss daily activities. For example, have him or her make a shopping list for the grocery store, or help you plan his or her birthday party. Ask his or her opinion. What do you think your cousin would like for his birthday? What kind of fruit do we need to buy at the store?