Infants Pay Close Attention To Language.

Communication Skills
Long before children can say words or join them into sentences, they are active language learners. Within a few short years, young children go from newborns without language to excellent communicators and lively inventers and tellers of stories.

Age Milestones
The first year

Birth to 3 months

 # From the very start, infants pay close attention to language. In the first year, they can distinguish all of the speech sounds that occur in natural language; then they begin to specialize in the sounds of their home language. Most infants will: Respond to speech by looking at the speaker

# Respond differently to the voice of a parent than to other voices

# React to changes in a speaker's tone, pitch, volume, and intonation

# Respond differently to their home language and another language

# Communicate with bodily movements, by crying, babbling, and laughing

# Attempt to imitate sounds

3 months to 6 months

 # Even small babies love to have "conversations." Most children of this age: Exchange sounds, facial expressions, or gestures with a parent or caregiver
# Listen to conversations

# Repeat some vowel and consonant sounds

 

6 months to 9 months

 # Children's vocalizations increase. Most babies of this age: Begin repetitive babbling (deaf children also start to babble with their hands)
# Associate gestures with simple words and two-word phrases, like "hi" and "bye-bye"

# Use vocal and non-vocal communication to express interest and influence others

 

9 months to 12 months

 # Children are getting ready to talk. Around the first birthday, language production doubles. Many babies of this age: Understand the names of familiar people and objects

# Show their understanding with responsive body language and facial expressions
# Say a few words

# Respond to a firm "no" by stopping what they are doing

 

1 years to 2 years

# Children begin to learn many new words and begin to use simple phrases. Many children can: Understand many words, as well as simple phrases and directions ("Drink your juice")

# Follow a series of two simple but related directions

# Respond correctly when asked "where?"

# Say a few words clearly, and a few dozen additional words so that family members can understand. The words denote important people and common objects, and a few prepositions such as "on," "in," or "under." Many can say "more" and "all gone."

# Say successive single words to describe an event

# From about 18 months, begin learning about 9 new words a day

# Use "my" or "mine" to indicate possession; begin to use "me," "I," and "you"

2 years to 3 years

# Both understanding of language and speaking develop more rapidly at this stage. Most 2-year-olds can: Join familiar words into phrases

# Begin to use modifiers (adverbs and adjectives)
# Point to common objects when they are named

# Name objects based on their description

# Respond to "what?" and "where?" questions
# Enjoy listening to stories and asking for favorite stories
# Recount events that happened that day


3 years to 4 years

# Language usage becomes more complex. Most 3-year-olds can: Make themselves understood to strangers, despite some sound errors

# Use and understand sentences
# Use more complex grammar, such as plurals and past tense

# Understand sentences involving time concepts (for example, "Grandma is coming tomorrow") and narrate past experiences

# Understand size comparisons such as big and bigger

# Understand relationships expressed by "if… then" or "because" sentences

# Follow a series of two to four related directions

# Sing a song and repeat at least one nursery rhyme

4 years to 5 years

# 4-year-olds use language not only to converse, but also to exchange information. Most can: Retell a story (but may confuse facts)

# Combine thoughts into one sentence
# Ask "when?" "how?" and "why?" questions

# Use words like "can," "will," "shall," "should," and "might"

# Combine thoughts into one sentence

# Refer to causality by using "because" and "so"
# Follow three unrelated commands appropriately
# Understand comparatives like loud, louder, loudest
# Listen to long stories (but may misinterpret the facts)
# Understand sequencing of events when clearly explained (for example, "First we plug the drain, then we run the water, and finally we take a bath")

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Infants Pays Close Attention To Language