Events in Language Learning

By csarah55

  • Before birth

    While the baby is still in the uterus, the baby tunes into the sound of it's mother's voice. (Language Development-3)

  • Newborn

    Newborns will initiate interaction through eye contact or terminate interaction by looking away. (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 2 months

    Infants will begin to make vowel sounds like cooing.

  • 3-4 months

    Infants will begin to take interest as the parent or caregiver plays turn-taking games like peek a boo. They will also begin to stare in the same general direction adults looking. (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 5 months

    Infants will begin to respond to their name. (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 6 months

    Infants will begin babbling, adding consonants to their vowel sounds and repeating syllables. (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 7 months

    The infant's babbling will start to include many sounds of oral language. (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 9 months

    The infant will begin to point at things and imitate the gestures of others. (CDC Milestones)

  • 1 year (12 months)

    The toddler's speed and accuracy of word comprehension increases and the toddler says his/her first recognizable word. (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 18-24 months

    During this time frame, a toddler's vocabulary will expand to about 50 words, then 200 words, then 250 words. (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 2 years (24 months)

    The toddler will begin using telegraphic speech, which is the combination of 2 simple words (ex: "go car"). (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 3 years

    Strangers will be able to understand the toddler most of the time, they will be able to follow 2 or 3 step directions and can hold simple conversations. (CDC Milestones)

  • 4 years

    The toddler will know basic grammar, tell stories, and know their first and last name. (CDC Milestones)

  • 5 years

    At this age, a toddler speaks very clearly, can tell a simple story, and can use future tenses. (CDC Milestones)

  • 6 years

    The child will be able to offer concrete descriptions of an object and its functions. (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 8 years

    The child will be able to comprehend subtle metaphors and will begin to grasp irony and sarcasm. (Infants and Children by Laura Berk & Adena Meyers)

  • 9-12

    The child's language is very well developed. They pay more attention to body language, like to debate things for the sake of it, and can have elaborate conversations with adults.

  • Citations

    Berk, L. E. (2008). Infants and children: prenatal through middle childhood (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. C. (2016, August 18). Developmental Milestones. Retrieved January 13, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html