The Natural Progression of Your Child's Communication
Ages 0-5
The Natural Progression of Your Child's Communication
Your child is capable of communicating his basic needs right from day one. As time marches on, he gradually learns more about communicating his wants and needs to you and others. This is the natural progress of communication.
Birth to Age Two
Most newborn to three-month-old babies can distinguish between pitch and volume of sound. Cooing and making soft noises will get your newborn's attention and help her feel secure. You can never talk too much to children in this age group. As they begin to notice the different things that you are doing, verbalize the actions. "Let's change your diaper" and "Mommy is turning out the light" may seem silly to say to a baby, but she loves to hear the sound of your voice. She will communicate with you by her actions—crying, smiling, and babbling. As infants come close to the age of one, they will be able to imitate expressions, associate simple gestures with words such as waving and saying hi, and respond to a firm "no."
When your child gets closer to the age of two, she may begin to think that her name is "no," and you may also think that it is the only word left in your vocabulary. That's perfectly normal. Children in this age range can say six to twenty words, but they understand many more. They start learning simple phrases and respond correctly to simple questions, such as "What?"
Ages Three to Five
Between the ages of three and five, quite a bit of language development occurs. Children go from joining similar words to make phrases to being able to retell a story. At age three, your child will be able to follow a series of two to four related directions, and he will be able to sing a song and repeat a line or two of his favorite story.
Fact
About 5 percent of school-age children have speech and language disorders, including voice disorders and stuttering. These disorders are handled through speech therapy often provided by the public school system.
At the ages of four and five, your child will be able to retell a story, but she may confuse the order. She will combine different thoughts into one sentence, listen to long stories, and be able to follow a more complex set of directions. She will be able to use "because" and "so" casually in a conversation and begin to use words like "might," "should," and "can."
Ages 6-17
Ages Six to Nine
Kids in this age group love to regale you with their stories. They have active imaginations and the capability of adding drama through action and expression. They like to laugh and make others laugh; therefore, jokes become a favorite form of entertainment. Their vocabulary grows as their reading skills improve. Before you know it, you may have to start looking up words in the dictionary in order to converse with them!
Ages Ten to Twelve
Kids in this age group are capable of learning the art of conversation. They have enough knowledge about the world around them and the vocabulary to enjoy a good conversation with you that isn't about when they need to complete their chores. Dinnertime is an excellent opportunity to enjoy such talks. You can start them out with "What did you learn today?"
Alert!
Never talk back to your child. There is no room for a snipping and yelling match between parent and child. Although the frustration of dealing with a child who is talking back can become overwhelming, remember that you are the adult.
Children in this age group tend to have problems with back talk. While this may drive you crazy, know that there are reasons behind this behavior. Back talk happens when your child is having strong emotions that he isn't able to express in an appropriate manner. To dissuade back talk, wait until your child is calm and come up with a plan together. Use I-messages to tell your child how his back talk makes you feel and then ask him what he thinks he could do instead of talking back to you. Offer suggestions and then agree on a solution.
Ages Thirteen to Seventeen
Teenagers are capable of having adult-like conversations, although they will want to have them with their friends instead of with you. You may at some point feel as if you need to stand on your head to get more than two words out of them. This is part of the normal adolescent life stage. But don't stop trying. Keep those lines of communication open and remain available to them for when they need to talk to you. They will, and it will be when you least expect it.
While conversations about tough issues can happen at any time in your child's life, as children in this age group near adulthood, they are more frequent. The single, best piece of advice is to prepare yourself long before having any of these conversations. Know that you are not alone in the situation. Many parents have gone through and will go through the same type of conversations you are having. This is the age where not-quite-children-anymore and not-quite-adults make dire mistakes in judgment. It's normal behavior to do this. Keep the lines of communication open. That is the single most important thing you need to do for them at this time.
-
Quiz 1. What percent of homicides and suicides of school-aged kids occur at school, or during school activities? Less than 1 percent. Yes. While tragic school shootings have gotten the publics attention, the facts show that less than 1 percent of
-
Parents and school teachers can become overwhelmed by defiant children. When implementing a new plan to change behavior, it is important to include the child. An important reminder for adults is to not take the defiance personally. Many strategies ex
-
We love our children, so it seems obvious that they should love themselves. Confidence and feeling comfortable in your own skin are life goals for everyone. But if encouraging these qualities is your priority as a parent, you might avoid dea
