Parkland and Meadowbrook Players Childcare Center

Tips on Learning to Talk

Learning to talk is a process that starts at birth, when your baby experiences how voices can sound. By two years, most babies have a large vocabulary and can put words together to express their needs and ideas. Let’s see how this process unfolds and what you can do to encourage your baby’s ability to communicate.

From birth to three months, your baby listens to your voice. He coos and gurgles and tries to make the same sounds you make. You can help your baby learn how nice voices can be when you:
• Sing to your baby. You can do this even before he is born! Your baby will hear you.

• Talk to your baby. Talk to others when she is near. She won’t understand the words, but will like your voice and your smile. She will enjoy hearing and seeing other people, too.

• Plan for quiet time. Babies needs time to babble and play quietly without TV or radio or other noises.

Between six and nine months, your baby will play with sounds. Some of these sound like words, such as “baba or “dada.” Baby smiles on hearing a happy voice, and cries or looks unhappy on hearing an angry voice. You can help your baby understand words (even if she can’t say them yet) when you:
From three to six months, your baby is learning how people talk to each other. You help her become a “talker” when you:
• Hold your baby close so he will look in your eyes. Talk to him and smile.

• When your baby babbles, imitate the sounds.

• If he tries to make the same sound you do, say the word again.

Between six and nine months, your baby will play with sounds. Some of these sound like words, such as “baba or “dada.” Baby smiles on hearing a happy voice, and cries or looks unhappy on hearing an angry voice. You can help your baby understand words (even if she can’t say them yet) when you:
• Play games like Peek-a-Boo or Pat-a-Cake. Help her move her hands along with the rhyme.

• Give him a toy and say something about it, like “Feel how fuzzy Teddy Bear is.”

• Let her see herself in a mirror and ask, “Who’s that?” If she doesn’t respond, say her name.

• Ask your baby questions, like “Where’s doggie?” If he doesn’t answer, show him where.

Between nine and twelve months, your baby will begin to understand simple words. She stops to look at you if you say “no-no.” If someone asks “Where’s Mommy?” she will look for you. She will point, make sounds, and use her body to “tell” you what she wants. For example she may look up at you and lift her arms up to show you she “wants up.” She may hand you a toy to let you know she wants to play. You can help your baby “talk” when you: Show him how to wave “bye-bye.” Between fifteen and eighteen months, your child will use more complex gestures to communicate with you and will continue to build her vocabulary. She may take your hand, walk you to the bookshelf, point to a book and say “buk” to say, “I want to read a book with you.” You can help your child talk with you when you:
• Tell him “Show me your nose.” Then point to your nose. He will soon point to his nose. Do this with toes, fingers, ears, eyes, knees and so on.

• Hide a toy while she is watching. Help her find it and share in her delight.

• When he points at or gives you something, talk about the object with her. “You gave me the book. Thank you! Look at the picture of the baby rolling the ball.”

Between twelve and fifteen months, babies begin to use words. This includes using the same sounds consistently to identify an object, such as “baba” for bottle or “juju” for juice. Many babies have one or two words and understand 25 or more. He will give you a toy if you ask for it. Even without words, he can ask you for something—by pointing, reaching for it, or looking at it and babbling. You can help your child say the words she or he knows when you:

• Talk about the things you use, like “cup,” “juice,” “doll.” Give you child time to name them.

• Ask your child questions about the pictures in books. Give you child time to name things in the picture.

• Smile or clap your hands when your child names the things that he sees. Say something about it. “You see the doggie. He’s sooo big! Look at his tail wag.”
• Talk about what your child wants most to talk about. Give him time to tell you all about it.

• Ask about things you do each day—“Which shirt will you pick today?” “Do you want milk or juice?”

• Build on what your child says. If he says “ball,” you can say, “That’s your big, red ball.”
• Introduce pretend play with your child’s favorite doll or toy animal. Include it in your conversations and your play. “Rover wants to play too. Can he roll the ball with us?”

Between eighteen months and two years, your baby will be able to follow directions and begin to put words together, such as “car go” or “want juice.” She will also begin to do pretend play which fosters language development. You can spur your child’s communication skills when you:
• Ask your child to help you. For example, ask her to put her cup on the table or to bring you her shoe.

• Teach your child simple songs and nursery rhymes. Read to your child. Ask him to point to and tell you what he sees.

• Encourage your child to talk to friends and family. She can tell them about a new toy.

• Engage your child in pretend play. You can talk on a play phone, feed the dolls or have a party with the toy animals.

Between two and three years, your child’s language skills will grow by leaps and bounds. He will string more words together to create simple sentences, such as “Mommy go bye-bye.” He will be able to answer simple questions, such as “Where is your bear?” By 36 months he will be able to answer more complicated questions such as, “What do you do when you are hungry?” He will do more and more pretend play, acting out imaginary scenes, such as going to work, fixing the toy car, taking care of his “family” (of dolls, animals.)

You can help your child put all his new words together and teach him things that are important to know when you:
• Teach your child to say his or first and last name.

• Ask about the number, size and shape of the things your child shows you.

• Ask open-ended questions that don’t have a “yes” or “no” answer. This helps them develop their own ideas and learn to express them. If it’s worms, you could say: “What fat, wiggly worms! How many are there?...Where are they going? Wait, watch and listen to the answer. You can suggest an answer if needed: “I see five. Are they going to the park or the store?”

• Ask your child to tell you the story that goes with a favorite book. “What happened to those three pigs?” Reading spurs language development. Take him to storytime at your local library. Your toddler will enjoy sharing books with you as well as peers.

• Do lots of pretend play. Acting out stories and role-playing create rich opportunities for using, and learning, language.

• Don’t forget what worked earlier. For example, your child still needs quiet time. This is not just for naps. Turn off the TV and radio and let your child enjoy quiet play, singing and talking with you.

About good decision-making

Children as well as adults make decisions every day

Even young children regularly choose how they will behave, which toys or games they would like to play with, which books they would like to have read to them, or which television shows they would like to watch. As they get older children make bigger decisions that often involve their family, their friends and their schoolwork. The kinds of decisions children make affect their wellbeing, their relationships and their success.
Children learn skills for making good decisions gradually. Parents, careers and teaching staff can help children learn how to make good decisions by providing effective guidance and supporting them as they practice.

How decision making skills develop

Children’s decision making is strongly influenced by the expectations and values they learn from those around them. This occurs through observing others (particularly those close to them), hearing about and discussing values, and having opportunities to make decisions and experience their consequences. Though young children have some skills for making decisions, they do not yet have the experience to understand and decide about the complex situations that adults must deal with.
Developing skills for logical thinking and problem-solving supports children’s growing abilities for effective decision-making. As children develop skills for managing their thinking as well as their feelings, they become better at putting decisions into practice and at keeping them on track. For example, children who have learned to use thinking to manage their behavior are able to say to themselves, “Stop, I’d better think about this first.”
The ability to think before acting helps children control impulsive behavior and make better decisions. Being able to think about time and plan ahead provides a basis for children to evaluate options by considering long-term goals, not just immediate circumstances. The table below
shows some ways that children’s developing thinking skills help them learn to make decisions and solve problems.

10 good reasons your child should attend preschool

"But my child is so small!" Yes, they're still wee tykes, but a high-quality preschool is designed to set up young scholars up for future academic, emotional, and social success.
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By Linda Broatch, M.A.

Preschool provides a foundation for learning both socially and academically that will help your child succeed in elementary school.

1. Preschool is an opportunity for growth
For many children, preschool is their first experience in a structured setting with teachers and groups of children. It's an opportunity to learn to share, follow instructions, and begin the foundation for learning that will occur in elementary school.

2. Preschool prepares children for kindergarten
As kindergarten becomes more academic, many parents look to preschool to launch their child on the path to success in school. At the same time, parents may worry that the current trend to focus on pre-math and pre-literacy skills in preschool cuts into important play time and pushes a child to grow up too fast. It's a confusing issue, especially with friends and family offering different opinions and advice.
Fortunately, in selecting a preschool, parents aren't forced to choose between protecting a child's play time and making sure she's ready for kindergarten. A high-quality early childhood education program will offer children both.
But how do high-quality preschools benefit children's learning and development? And what features should parents look for in a preschool program? One answer to these questions is that the staff at high-quality preschools and child care programs understand the particular ways that young children develop and learn. And they organize space, time and activities to be in sync with children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical abilities.

3. Preschool promotes social and emotional development
In order to learn, a young child needs to feel cared for and secure with a teacher or caregiver. A 3-year-old child is able to spend time away from parents and build trusting relationships with adults outside the family. High-quality preschool programs nurture warm relationships among children, teachers and parents. And teachers build a close personal connection with each child in their care.
Children thrive when there is consistency in care between home and school. In high-quality preschools, teachers value parents as the experts on their children. Parents get daily reports on their child's activities and regular meetings are scheduled for more in-depth conferences with staff. Teachers strive to understand and respect parents' child-rearing goals and values.
Young children learn social skills and emotional self-control in "real time." Three- and 4-year-olds learn through their experiences and good teachers make time for those "teachable moments" when they can help children learn to manage frustrations or anger. They don't automatically step in to resolve children's conflicts for them; they have a well-honed sense of when to let children work out their own problems and when to intervene. Without shaming a child, they encourage her to notice the impact of her aggressive or hurtful behavior on another child.

4. The preschool environment is structured, although it may not appear that way
A highly structured environment helps young children learn to make friends and play well with others. This doesn't mean there are lots of rules or that adults constantly direct children's activities. On the contrary, the structure of a high-quality preschool classroom is largely invisible to children. Classroom space is organized to encourage social interaction, and minimize congestion and conflicts.

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What to Expect: Ages 6-9

As your child continues to grow, you’ll begin to notice new and exciting abilities. You’ll also notice a keener interest in the differences between boys and girls. It’s not uncommon for children of this age to want to play only with friends of the same s*x.
And while children of this age enjoy many activities, they may also feel that their appearance or cultural background makes them “too different.” They may be reluctant to participate in activities outside of home, such as Cub Scouts or Girl Scouts. Reassure your child that you love and accept her just for who she is. Continue to encourage her to explore new activities.
Appreciate your child for the unique, lovable person he is. How you interact during an activity is what’s most important. Remember that helping your child develop good feelings about himself is also doing things with him, not just for him.
Click on the links below for a developmental overview of this age group.

Intellectual Development
• Kids learn to read gradually. Children who are read to aloud and are encouraged to read tend to develop more quickly intellectually.
• Your child will become more sophisticated in understanding the concept of time. They enjoy hearing about times past.
• By age 6, most children can count to 100. By age 9, they are beginning to learn how to multiply.
• Engaging the bodies as well as the minds of children this age will help them learn.

Physical Development
• More physical abilities will develop. Many children can dribble a ball with one hand by age 6. Most learn how to ride a two-wheel bike. They become more skillful at skipping and catching and throwing a ball.
• Kids this age like to move. Many become restless and wiggle if they sit for too long, which is why school can be difficult for some children at this age.
• Your child may practice balancing a lot. They balance on curbs, chairs, and other high places. Monitor their balancing acts to make sure they’re safe.

Social Development
• Children this age become more adept at relationships, but they also may have many conflicts with their peers.
• Many children are competitive, and can become argumentative and quarrelsome when they lose.
• Children in this age group can be hard on their younger siblings.
• At age 6 or 7, kids tend to do best with one friend, but by age 8 or 9 they can begin working well in small groups of three or four.

Emotional Development
• Children still tend to be self-centered. Most want to be first, and most want all the attention. Squabbles can break out when your child feels slighted.
• You’ll notice periods when your child sulks, pouts, and worries. Help him deal with disappointments and worries.
• Children tend to have their feelings easily hurt. They also tend to assume that people who hurt them “did it on purpose.” Help your child not feel victimized or always jump to acting on revenge.

Spiritual Development
• Kids begin to wonder more about the world around them, and they are more likely to ask why things happen.
• Your child may ask cause-and-effect questions, such as “What happens after Grandpa dies?” or “What will happen if someone breaks a window?”
• Children at this age begin to notice that friends may have different spiritual practices.
• Children still tend to be self-centered. Most want to be first, and most want all the attention. Squabbles can break out when your child feels slighted.
• You’ll notice periods when your child sulks, pouts, and worries. Help him deal with disappointments and worries.
• Children tend to have their feelings easily hurt. They also tend to assume that people who hurt them “did it on purpose.” Help your child not feel victimized or always jump to acting on revenge.

Developmental Overview: Ages 3-5

Intellectual Development
• Imaginary play is a notable milestone of this stage.
• Children begin to name colors and begin to understand simple counting.
• It’s important to stimulate your child’s intellectual development by reading aloud to him every day.
• Kids gradually begin to understand the concept of time.
• By age 3, preschoolers know 300 words. That expands to 1,500 words by age 4, and to 2,500 words by age 5. Stimulate their language development through reading, talking, and asking them questions.
Physical Development
• Hopping, climbing, swinging, and doing somersaults begin at this stage. By age 5, many kids can stand on one foot for at least 10 seconds.
• Children can draw a person with up to four body parts by age 5. They draw circles and begin to learn how to copy a square and some capital letters. They learn how to use scissors.
• Kids often become frustrated with wanting to do something physically and not being able to do it yet. Thus, they have lots of falls and mishaps.

Social Development
• Interaction with other children increases.
• A great deal of social development occurs through fantasy play and imagination.
• Children this age need to learn how to deal with conflict and how to solve problems without so much emotion.
Emotional Development
• Kids move easily between fantasy and reality, and can become quite emotional about their imaginary play. They often do not know the difference between fantasy and reality, so imaginary monsters under the bed or in the dark are as frightening to them as a real threat.
• Take your child’s emotions seriously. Help her make sense of her emotions. Some preschoolers can throw wild, long tantrums. Calm her down and teach her how to deal with her strong emotions.
• See a pediatrician if your child is extremely aggressive or fearful at this age.

Spiritual Development
• Children have an active imagination and are open to the supernatural.
• You might be surprised to hear your child say insightful or profound things about God, the world, and life.
• Kids respond to concrete spiritual stories, symbols, and experiences.
• Your child will tend to be a black-and-white thinker. Thus, he knows about good and evil.
• Children at this age begin to use the religious or spiritual language of the family.
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