When all know that a newborn baby will cry but, does anyone understand how that baby goes from crying to language development. If you have ever watched an infant become a toddler, you know that by a certain age usually two years of age children have developed a least a few sounds and words. Language starts to form at birth as babies listen to and absorb the sounds that are around them. By around two years of age children are starting to put two letter words together.
There are five stages of language development in children. The first stage is the prelinguistic stage and is from birth to six months of age. Babies will be listening to sounds around them and will start to recognize their caregiver’s voice. They also learn cause and effect at this age and early communication takes place with crying. They learn that if they cry for something they will get that need met.
The second stage is the babbling stage which takes place from six to nine months of age. Different vowel and consonant sounds are made at this age. Babies begin combining vowels and consonants. Babies start to test how their voice works and discover how loud or soft it can get.
The third stage is the one-word stage which takes place from between 9 to 18 months. Babies begin to speak their first words at this stage. Most words are things they heard repeated or things around them that the parents have pointed out.
The fourth stage is the two-word stage which occurs between the ages of 18-24 months. Simple sentences are formed at this stage. This stage is also when the vocabulary begins to grow rapidly. Children average one to two words per day.
The fifth stage is the telegraphic stage and occurs between 24-30 months of age. Several words are combined to express themselves. Children grow bigger in their language and sentences skills from this stage.
Language Development takes place in the first three years of live and it’s important for caregivers to provide an environment where children can learn and grow. Talking to your infant and then toddler every day and pointing out things in the environment while naming them can be helpful for fostering growth. An environment that is providing little opportunity for language development can make it more difficult for a child to learn language.
If you want your child to grow their vocabulary and develop in a healthy way it is important to provide conversation to the child. In addition, playing music for toddlers and babies that has words can help teach them as well. There are some great toys out there that are helpful as well such as the see and say which names the animal with the sound it makes.
The best way to help your child to reach their full potential in development is to provide them with an environment that fosters language development in a warm, loving environment. Have fun teaching your child to speak the language.
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