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Prenatal development to 3 months old
Prenatal to infant: A fetus begins to hear sounds and speech coming from outside the mother's body. Infants are attuned to the human voice and prefer it to other sounds. Crying is a child's primary means of communication at birth, language immediately begins to develop via repetition and imitation. -
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1 to 3 months old
Between birth and three months of age:
seem to recognize their mother's voice
quiet down or smile when spoken to
turn toward familiar voices and sounds
make sounds indicating pleasure
cry differently to express different needs
grunt, chuckle, whimper, and gurgle
begin to coo (repeating the same sounds frequently) in response to voices
make vowel-like sounds such as "ooh" and "ah -
3 month old
Crying to express their need -
Period: to
3 to 6 month old
Between three and six month:
turn their head toward a speaker
watch a speaker's mouth movements
respond to changes in a tone of voice
make louder sounds including screeches
vocalize excitement, pleasure, and displeasure
cry differently out of pain or hunger
laugh, squeal, and sigh
sputter loudly and blow bubbles
shape their mouths to change sounds
vocalize different sounds for different needs
communicate desires with gestures
babble for attention
mimic sounds, inflections, and gestures -
Period: to
6 to 12 month
Six to 12 months is a crucial age for receptive language development. Between six and nine months babies begin to:
search for sources of sound
listen intently to speech and other sounds
take an active interest in conversation even ones not directed at them
consistently respond to their names
respond appropriately to friendly and angry tones
express their moods by sound and body language
babble random combinations of consonants and vowels
use their tongues to change sounds
repeat syllables -
Period: to
Age 2 to 3 year old
Between two and three years of age children:
a 400-word vocabulary including names
a word for most everything
the use of pronouns
three to five-word sentences
the ability to describe what they just saw or experienced
the use of the past tense and plurals
names for body parts, colors, toys, people, and objects
the ability to repeat rhymes, songs, and stories
the ability to answer "what" questions -
Period: to
3 to 4 year old
Three to four-year-olds usually can do the following:
understand most of what they hear
converse
have 900 to 1,000-word vocabularies, with verbs starting to predominate
usually talk without repeating syllables or words
use pronouns correctly
use three to six-word sentences
ask questions
relate experiences and activities
tell stories -
4 year old
Recognizes her shoulder and other body parts -
Period: to
4 to 5 year old
Language skills usually blossom between four and five years of age. Children of this age can do the following:
verbalize extensively
communicate easily with other children and adults
articulate most English sounds correctly
know 1,500 to 2,500 words
use detailed six to eight-word sentences
can repeat four-syllable words
use at least four prepositions
tell stories that stay on topic
can answer questions about stories -
Period: to
Age 6 to 12 years old
6 year old: can correct their own grammar and mispronunciations. Should have all vowels and consonants listed
7 year old: Should be able to do simple reading and print many words
8 to 12 year old: all speech sounds established, carries on conversation at an adult level, easily uses complex and compound sentences, read simple stories with ease and can write stories. Also able to tell complicated stories of past events. -
8 year old reading a book
