Language Development 0-5 years - Professional Development for Parents
We all want our little people to be good communicators who can talk with clarity and can read and write with ease. I have put together some information about the developmental stages children go through as they acquire their language skills as well as a few tips on how you can support them on their learning journey.
I have used my knowledge and experiences as an early childhood teacher, Montessori teacher Primary teacher and Mum to put together these ideas and diagrams. If you have any questions please leave me a message.
0-1 years
From the moment babies are born they are absorbing the language around them. You will have observed that their oral language develops rapidly and follows a pretty predictable order. The more you talk and sing to your baby they more quickly they will learn so keep this in the back of your mind at all times.
Cooing - first your baby will coo to you. These noises sound like vowels such as oooh, aaah, this is because these sounds are easy to make with an open mouth.
Babbling - next your baby will learn how to arrange his/her tongue and mouth to start communicating with repeated consonant sounds such as daa da and baa baa. Sorry Dad all babies do this and 'Dadda' is not the official first word, not yet anyway.
Rhythmic Babbling - next your baby will begin babbling away in quite a rhythmic fashion. It almost sounds like they are talking as they are mimicking your own speech. You can support your baby's oral language acquisition by using baby sign. Ensure that you say the word as you show them the sign. They will learn to sign back and then begin saying the word soon after.
1 - 3.5 years (approx)
You will have observed that children around the age of 1 - 2 years are fascinated with language and their vocabulary simply explodes!
One-word communicating - that big moment when your baby/toddler says his/her first word! Such an exciting time. From there things move pretty swiftly and they will be learning all sorts of words - mostly these are nouns like car, dog, tractor, teddy and so on. Your child may make up their own words at this stage, like a cute name for their favourite toy. Remember to affirm all of your child's efforts and tell them that they are getting really good at talking.
Two-word robot talk - Next your toddler will learn to put words together - such as big dog, where's Daddy, yellow car. They sound a bit like robots at first but they soon get the hang of it and their words begin to flow more smoothly.
Talking in sentences - Before long your child will be stringing together very simple sentences. Encourage this as much as you can and increase their vocabulary by using new words and full sentences with them. For example they may say "Mummy gone in car." You can reply with, "Yes Mummy has gone in the car to the supermarket."
Phonemic awareness (developing listening skills) - As your child begins to talk more and more, incorporate fun games like I Spy. Focus on the sounds of the letters, not the names at this stage Sing rhyming songs and read books with rhyme and alliteration such as Hairy Mclairy from Donaldson's Dairy.
Fine motor development - encourage your children to write with chalk, colour in, use tongs and tweezers to pick up small objects, weave and sew, post coins into a money box- all of these types of activities develop your child's fine motor skills and get them ready to hold a pencil down the track.
Phonics (knowing letters and their sounds) - play fun games where children match objects to their letter sounds, read books about letters with lots of alliteration, focus on the sound the letter makes rather than the name of the letter. Introduce the name later on.
Tracing letters - have a sand box where children can practise writing letters in the sand. Also, make sandpaper letters for children to trace with their finger by gluing sand to individual boards in the shape of letters.
Develop pencil grip - encourage your child to practise using a pencil by having lots of colouring in and stenciling activities available.
3.5 year - 5.5 years (approx)
Begin building words - Have magnetic letters and other moveable letters available. Support your child to sound out words and build them. Don't worry about spelling, aim for phonetic sounding out at this stage.
Knowing Digraphs - By this stage your child will probably have good phonemic and phonetic awareness. The next step is to teach your child about digraphs. These are two letters and one sound, e.g. sh, ch, wh, ph. You can play 'digraph I Spy' with your child, e.g. I spy with my little eye something that begins with 'ch'. It helps to have a collection of about 5 objects in front of the child, to make it easier than things all around the room. You can make up silly rhymes or poems such as "I choose chocolate chips".
Writing begins - have lined writing books available for children to use. Encourage your child to draw a picture and write what it is about. Praise all attempts at writing, even if it's just squiggles. You can have a letter sound card available to help your child sound out words.
Reading words- you can support your child to begin reading words using their knowledge of phonemics and phonics. Have a selection of word cards in a box with corresponding objects. Encourage your child to sound out the words and match the objects.
Reading sentences - Have a bunch of command type sentences in a box for your child to read and do, e.g. hop to the front door, jump on the tramp. This will keep your child busy for hours. Rotate and replenish these regularly to keep it interesting and challenging.
Reading books and signs - Go to the library and get out simple 'readers' for your child to enjoy. Show them signs around your community and demonstrate how to sound these out. You will be amazed at how empowering this is for them.
3 period lesson - sandpaper letters video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbtjXFlHktE
It's not rocket science and your child will most probably want to do all of these fun activities with you. Just remember that your child's literacy development will happen naturally and it shouldn't be a chore for them. Always invite them to play with you, don't force it as it will become a negative experience for everyone and could effect their self-esteem in this area.
Good luck!
