One of the most important areas of early childhood development is language. Language is the processes that occur in the brain when we hear, understand, or use verbal information.
Oral language development is closely related to later reading and writing ability.
Why is this so important?
Across both language and reading development, a child first learns the skill and then uses the skill to learn. We learn to speak – and then we speak to learn. We learn to read – and then we read to learn. A child who doesn’t learn to read confidently in the first few years of school is quite likely to struggle academically from Year 3 onwards as reading becomes necessary in all their subjects.
Environmental factors (that is, things that parents and carers do) have a huge impact on language development and early academic skills. You don’t need to be a teacher or specially trained in child development to really make a difference in this area. Read on for some simple ideas you can do in day-to-day life – no worksheets or special equipment needed!
Birth to 12mths (Introducing language)
Talk to your baby – it doesn’t matter about what at this early stage so feel free to share your thoughts on world events,gossip about your sister’s cheating boyfriend or narrate that you’re changing your shirt because they spit up on you for the fourth time this morning. The important parts are eye contact, hearing words from someone they love and trust and enjoying communication.
Respond to their attempts at communicating – you will notice that your baby is attempting to “talk” with you from very early on, often within the first 2 months. Early coo sounds and smiles become babbled consonants and baby belly laughs, pointing and clapping and maybe even a few words by the time they have their first birthday. It can’t be overstated how important carers are during this stage. You are the sun, the moon and all the stars to your baby. These noises and words are their attempts to join you in conversation. When you coo back or babble with them, every reward centre in their brain lights up (sort of how it feels for teenagers when the kid they have a crush on says hi as they walk past). The message those neurons get is “talking feels good. Do more of this".
The more words the better – even though they aren’t talking themselves yet, the brain is building a library of words and grammar rules. Singing, playing games like pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo and Round and Round the Garden, and attending rhyme time at the library or baby music classes are all great ways to expose your baby to language.
1-3 years (Gaining language)
Name EVERYTHING – your little one is now gaining around 20 words every single day. The brain stores words in categories (which is why all those ‘first words’ books have a page for animals, a page for food, a page for clothing etc). Name each body part as you wash during bathtime, talk about what food is on the plate at meals, point at pictures in books.
Talk about concepts – big and small, first this and then that, up and down, hot and cold, numbers, colours.
Encourage and Expand – as your toddler gains spoken language, their first words will usually be names of people and items (Mama, Dada, shoe, ball, cup, "woof woof” are common!). You can encourage their speech by responding enthusiastically (“Yes! That’s a ball!) and expanding with a concept (“It’s a blue ball!”).
Use correct speech – resist the urge to mimic your toddler’s mispronunciations or use “baby talk”. It’s hard for them to learn to say “water” if we’re saying “wa-wa” too. Speak in simple, short grammatically correct sentences.
Why? Why? Why? Why? – as someone currently living through this phase, I empathise. It’s a lot. As often as you can, try to answer them with simple explanations that they can understand. Their brain is at it's most “sponge-like” and they can soak up information at this age more than any other point in life.
Rhyme is important – whether it’s through talking, or songs or Dr Seuss, exposing children to rhyme is important for beginning to understand letter sounds.
Age 3-5 (Using language to learn and laying the foundation for reading)
This is a crucial period for developing the brain processes that are going to be needed for academic learning. Learning to read requires the following skills:
Being able to sound out words (phonological awareness)
Being able to store and then recall words we already know (rapid naming)
Being able to remember the words we have already read in the first half of the sentence while reading the second half (verbal working memory)
Using information a child already has to make a “good guess” about what a word might be (general knowledge)
Understanding what we have read to answer questions or predict what might happen next (comprehension)
Strategies to try when we aren’t sure what to do (problem-solving)
Expose kids to letters and letter sounds: The more the better. Magnetic letters for the fridge, foam letters for the bath, talk about beginning letter sounds, sound out simple words together, and keep reading books with lots of rhyme. The best teacher is still a caring adult but there is also a lot of great media focused on early phonics including:
Alphablocks (Netflix)
Leapfrog toys (available at Big W, Target etc)
Reading Eggs app (www.readingeggs.com.au)
Some 3-4yr olds are keen on worksheets and practising writing letters – don’t push, but if they’re enthusiastic, there are loads available for free on www.twinkl.com.au aligned to the Australian curriculum
Embrace the old-school activities: jigsaw puzzles, board games, lego and card games are all EXCELLENT for developing memory, focus, reasoning and problem-solving. Plus, it’s a great way to spend a bit of quality time together, and develop social skills like taking turns and coping with not starting first or winning (all really important out on the playground) - and grown-ups might even have fun as well!
*Pro-tip: Explaining your thought processes in these activities out loud models problem-solving and reasoning. “I can see this piece has two straight edges, so I know it must be a corner piece”
If your kids have become used to a diet of more high-tech, flashy, constantly stimulating games, you might get a bit of resistance when you try to introduce these slower activities that challenge them and require more concentration than they’re used to. It’s worth persisting - try adding in “family game night” to the routine, letting them choose the game and having some dedicated non-screen time daily.
Memory really matters – good memory is a huge asset in learning. It does come easier to some than others, but it also improves with practice. Memory matching games are great from around age 2.5+ but real-life practice is important too. Learning to spell their own name or recalling their address, birthday and Mum’s phone number are good things to start with. You can also assign your child the job of remembering a couple of items needed from the supermarket or what level you parked on at Westfield. Use multi-step instructions to encourage them to practise “holding information in their head”. Be careful not to do all their thinking for them – rather than reminding them of the next step in the morning routine, you can ask “What do you need to do next?”.
Ask questions to develop comprehension: Helping your child understand and process information is one of the best ways to support their language development. As their language skills grow, you’ll notice a progression: they’ll move from answering simple questions about what happened to explaining why and how, and eventually predicting what might happen next.
Engage in activities that encourage reading and following instructions, such as baking, planting flowers, or building with LEGO. Read the instructions aloud and give your child the opportunity to interpret what the words mean, fostering their ability to connect language with action and meaning.
BrainQuest Smart Cards for Threes (available on Amazon) are a fun and portable quiz game to help your child practise understanding and answering questions (options for older kids too)
Expose them to complex, factual information: you might have noticed that when your kid is interested in something, they’re able to learn and retain an extraordinary amount of information – as anyone who has survived the dinosaur phase can attest to! This is super important for two reasons. First, this is an example of the brain changing in response to stimulation. They can take in huge amounts of info – if we give them the opportunity.
Children’s IQ level and their cognitive and learning abilities are not set in stone. The more input they get, the bigger that capacity grows. The second is that this non-fiction information comes with a whole set of vocabulary that kids wouldn’t otherwise hear. This is what the experts call “academic language” and is a big factor in school success.
Ideas for home:
Use more complex words yourself. You might say “special doctor medicine” to a 2yr old but as they get older, you can start using and explaining words like “antibiotics”, “infection” and “stethoscope”.
Visit places like the zoo, aquarium, observatory, farms and museums. Remember it’s all brand new and interesting to them – we don’t think twice about a train ride but it’s mind-blowing to a transport-obsessed toddler.
Share special knowledge or skills you have with your child. Helping with chores, gardening, building, cooking, crafts or pet care are all great hands-on ways to increase skills and language
Books and media are a great way to introduce more complex information. Go with their interests, and embrace each new phase as it comes. Some ideas:
Usborne ‘Peep Inside’ and ‘Look Inside’ series
National Geographic kids’ books – or subscribe to one of their kids magazines
The Magic School Bus – books and a Netflix show
Storybots on Netflix
Age-appropriate documentaries such as Animal Planet
5+ (Starting formal schooling – readiness makes a difference)
Children arrive at kindergarten with a wide variation in their level of ‘readiness’. Research consistently shows that children who have strong early literacy, comprehension and memory skills when they enter formal schooling settle in better and are more successful in school. Most importantly, these trends stay consistent across time. Early academic skills are the most significant predictor of later academic achievement.
For parents and carers, the takeaways from today's blog are this: that everyday activities and interactions you share with your child in their first five years can profoundly shape their development and set the stage for future success at school and beyond.
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