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 Language Development
“All of the young child's learning grows out of communication with self, others, and the environment, as meaning is attached to experiences, events, and interactions. Communication is a process of giving and receiving nonverbal and verbal messages to reflect self, share with another, test out ideas and feelings, and construct shared meanings. Communication grows from the first non-language interaction, through listening and speaking with others, to using language in more formal ways through writing, reading, and interpreting skills.”
(Minnesota Department of Education, 1991, p. 27)
Language is a system of symbols that people use to communicate with each other. It is one way to receive and to give information. Two systems work together to produce language:
- Receptive language — the input system in which information is taken in through the senses.
- Expressive language— the output system that involves speaking, gesturing, or writing.
Receptive Language
 Receptive language is what we see and hear and the information that we take in. A normal sequence of receptive language development begins at birth. A newborn infant responds to sounds. By 4 months old, most infants will turn their head toward the source of a sound. By 6 months old they may respond to their name and recognize words like “daddy” and “mommy.” By the end of the first year, infants will recognize the names of some common objects and will respond to simple questions and directions, such as "Where's the ball?" and "Give me the bottle."
Between ages 1 and 2, receptive language develops quickly. The toddler understands new words each week, identifies pictures and body parts, and understands possession (e.g., "Where's mama's shoe?") and prepositions (e.g., in, out, on, off, up, down). By the end of the second year, many children understand pronouns (e.g., I, me, and mine). By the third year, most children are able to understand simple stories and follow two-step directions.
Receptive language development continues throughout childhood as children learn new vocabulary words, understand complex sentences spoken by others, and begin to read. During development, a child's receptive language development is usually more advanced than his or her expressive language.
Expressive Language
Most children learn to talk in predictable stages. This is true even for many of the children for whom language is delayed. During the first few months of life, babies are already preparing to speak. During the first two months, different cries are produced for different reasons. Over the next few months, babies begin to use their voices in ways other than crying. They learn to vary their tone of voice to express different feelings, and new sounds emerge. Within six months, babbling or vocal play begins.
Over the next six months, babies put two syllables together while babbling, and some sounds begin to sound like real words. By the end of the first year, babies may have one to three spoken words, may "sing along" to music, and may "talk" to family without using real words. The words the child does know may be generalized and used to describe many different things. For instance, "ball" may be used to describe any toy. Babies also have a set of gestures they use to communicate, such as nodding the head or waving "bye-bye."
During the second year, most children will learn about 50 new words. They are learning to understand simple rules such as taking turns and are beginning to "converse" with adults. Young toddlers usually repeat words they hear and will try to communicate using words. They might say things like "Mommy ... cookie" or "All gone ... milk." During the second year, children use simple two-word phrases in order to talk about objects, locations, and actions. Toddlers will use language to request toys, answer questions, and—of course—to say "no." By the end of the second year, children will put together three-word phrases and will go through books and identify pictures. They learn turn-taking skills during conversations.
Three-year-olds are rapidly learning to use grammatical skills when they speak. They learn to use verb tenses and can use different kinds of words in conversation. Nouns, adjectives, plurals, and prepositions are used in speaking. Children become more conversational, and can discuss a single topic over an extended conversation.
The development of writing begins when children use crayons to make a scribbles on paper. Eventually, they begin to apply meaning to the scribble, as in "writing" their name on a piece of paper. When children enter preschool or kindergarten, they begin to write their names and other letters of the alphabet.
Vocabulary development continues throughout childhood. Communication skills, such as making facial expressions and gesturing as well as waiting and listening to other speakers, are combined with language production skills as children become more expressive speakers.
Information in this lesson is used with permission from:
Minnesota Department of Education. (1991). Model learner outcomes for early childhood
education. Minneapolis, MN: The Minnesota Curriculum Services Center.
Rush, K. (1999). Early childhood: The role of the paraprofessional. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration.
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