Language Development

Language development is separated into two developmental stages.

1. oral language development and vocabulary

2. literacy development (phonemic, phonological, and print awareness)

Vocabulary and oral language development are at the core of literacy skills, like reading and writing. Research shows that exposing children to words they are unfamiliar with in conversation has a positive impact on their vocabulary development. Using complex words with young children benefits their reading comprehension. The best way to support oral language development is simply to conversate with your child and make reading part of the daily routine. Here are additional ways for you to promote oral language and vocabulary development at home:

Infants:

• Direct eye contact as you talk with your baby. This establishishes an understanding of the norms of communication.

• Use gestures as you talk. For example, sign "eat" as you say eat. Whenever you say “eat” repeat the motion. With consistency, your child will start signing to talk to you.

• As your baby coos, listen and repeat their babbles. Give them time to respond. This is the start of oral language and will show the flow of a conversation.

Toddlers/Twos:

• Read books and sing their favorite songs repeatedly. Encourage them to tell parts of the stories and sing the songs with you.

• When you are talking to your child about something, point it out. If your child points to something, point to it as well and tell them what it is.

• Build on your child’s comments to make bigger sentences. For example, if your kiddo says, “small dog,” you can add to their comment by saying, “Yes, there is a small dog in the park.”

Preschool/Pre-K:

• As you read with your child, ask them open ended questions. This could be about what’s happening in the story or how they feel about it. This serves as practice for their listening and verbalization skills. Ask questions that encourage your child to talk about the events of the story in order.

• As your child chats, sit and listen. The best questions are open-ended, meaning they don’t have a right or wrong answer. Give time for them to respond. In addition, ask follow-up questions, ask your child to explain what they’ve said or to give more detail.

• Have conversations with your child about things that interest them. Use unfamiliar words and discuss what those words mean.