Language Development Milestones Every Parent Should Know

 

One such moment that we're never going to forget is when our child says his or her first words. Once your child has produced a first "mama" or "dada", which is the next step? How do you know when your child is progressing with or has passed the point of being on track, or when is the time to see a doctor?

Early childhood is a time of great excitement in language development, and can be very confusing to parents. All children have their own 'time table' and there are certain trends of progress amongst children in general. By understanding these patterns you can better enjoy the victories you're having and be aware that something is in need of more focus if it seems like it.

In this blog, we'll explore the big words and concepts you need to know starting from infancy to the early school years in language, specifically in simple and easy to understand language.

Why is Language Development so important?

Language is more than a mode of speech! It's the base of all children's thinking, learning and interacting. A child in a position to communicate his/her emotions, question and listen to instructions has a greater ability to cope with school life, a peer group and daily life.

Good early language skills are also closely related to the abstract skills of reading and writing later. The stronger the children's vocabulary and sentence building skills are, before school, the easier it will come to them to read. That is why it is important parents, teachers and doctors keep a careful watch on a child's developing speech and understanding throughout their childhood.

Early Years Foundation Stage (birth to 12 months)

Much is going on before your baby speaks his first word. Pupil ears detect sounds, their eyes see faces, and they are learning to pick up the pace of language well before they have the chance to respond with their own words.

• Babies typically cook and produce soft vowels by 2 months.By 2 months, babies make soft vowel sounds and cook.

• From between 4 - 6 months, babies start to babble, for example with ‘ba-ba' or ‘da-da'.

• In this age range, by 9 months, babies begin to respond with simple words, such as 'no'.

• Most babies are pronouncing 1 or 2 "real words", and are making gestures with others, by 12 months.

Listening is the key in this stage as it will help develop a working range of speech. Communicate with your baby frequently - even if he/she is unable to respond.

Between 1 and 2 years of age what happens?

This can be referred to as the "word explosion period". Most children typically will develop short phrases between 12 and 24 months when they were formerly able to say a few words.

By approximately 18 months, the majority of toddlers use 20-50 words. At the age of 2, children are able to say approximately 200 words and begin to put two of them together, e.g., to say "more milk" or "big dog. At this point, one's understanding develops and progresses faster than the ability to speak. My toddlers were often aware of much more than they could communicate verbally and could easily understand and accomplish the simple instructions like "put on your shoes.

Should all children speak in the same manner?

Not at all. Some children begin to speak early, and some take a bit longer to warm up, either child may be quite normal. There is some extra time for boys to begin talking. First born children may talk before younger children, who are more likely to be supplanting the older kids.

However, there is a difference between childhood speech delay, which may simply be a "late talker," and childhood speech delay that may require help. It's best to monitor your child's growth trends rather than comparing him or her to another child.

Preschool Years (Ages 2-4)

Language begins to really form at this point and it seems like "conversation" !

Children now start to be able to make longer sentences, ask tons of questions and start to use words to show how they are feeling, such as happy, tired, and upset. Kids' speech development progresses in a net leap from 2-word phrases to 3-4 word sentences between the ages of 2-3. They begin using pronouns such as I, you and me, sometimes in the wrong order.

By the time children are 4 years old, they are able to converse well back and forth, answering questions with reasonable length. Tell simple stories, ask ‘why?’, questions all the time, and be able to take in two-step instructions, e.g. ‘pick up your toy and put it in the box'. There is some grammar development at this age and it is not unusual for children to make, for example, the mistake of saying "goed" when it should be "went" etc and this will correct itself over time.

What can Parents do at home to promote language development?

There's no need for special tools and apps to help your child's language skills develop. One of the things that can be most effective, are things you might already do every day.

• Talk to your child, even when doing routine tasks such as cooking or putting clothes on your children

• Read books together, ask and answer questions about the pictures in the book and the story

• Show your child that it is okay to not complete their sentences; give time for them to respond.

• Say a lot of the same thing again but add something occasionally such as, if they say "dog run," "yes the dog is running fast.

• Sing songs and rhymes, to develop a sense of rhythm and memorize words

Language has a solid base which is language that is used in a simple, everyday manner.

School-Age Milestones: 5 Years and Beyond.

Children's language progresses to a more advanced level once they begin school. Not only is clarity in speech encouraged, but a grasp of more complex ideas and a use of language for learning are encouraged.

By the end of Year 2 (aged 5) children can speak in complete and grammatically correct sentences and narrate a story of a clear beginning, middle and end. They know some concepts such as time (yesterday, tomorrow), and can follow more complex instructions only needing a few reproductions.

The vocabulary increases greatly in children from 6-8 years of age, where the children begin to read independently. Start to begin to learn humour, sarcasm and more abstract language. Talk is more specific and children begin to exchange their thoughts as they share, make decisions and explain how they think and feel.

Can screen-time impact language skills?

Many parents ask this, and the answer is definitely yes, this is something that can happen - particularly in the early years. Screen time (passive watching) does not provide the same language learning opportunities as meaningful conversation.

Babies and toddlers are taught language best in an active and reciprocal way with genuine people. A screen can't react to a baby's mumbling and it can't change any settings or otherwise make itself available for what the baby is interested in at that time. At least, children under age 2 years should have limited exposure to screens and older children should have exposure to interactive, educational content in moderation with real-world conversation.

Other Key Components: Bilingual Homes and Language Development

If both you and your child speak more than one language, you may be concerned that this will delay or confuse your child's speech development. In general, research reveals the exact opposite. Children who are growing up bilingual can easily achieve the same type of language milestones as children who are learning one language.

In the early years it was a common practice for bilingual children to use words from both their home language and English in one sentence. This is a common phenomenon during the early stages of 2 Language acquisition, and tends to resolve with age. Exposure to more than one language can be a long-term benefit to the brain.

Helpful Tips For Parents

Language development is an individual process for every child and language milestones are intended to be used as a guide, not as a checklist or comprehensive list. Some children start babbling early and others are initially not talkative, but begin to string sentences together.

The most important thing is having a positive space that is rich in discussion, understanding and encouragement. Acknowledge any steps forward, discuss and read with your child and be confident that most kids will find their own pace with time and nurturing.

Conclusion

Language development is a lovely and incremental process with minuscule moments leading to something extraordinary, a child who can articulate, communicate and express their emotions and ideas to the world around them. Milestones provide a parent with a useful framework but there are individual differences and that's fine!