Stage Start and Stage Start Two: 40 Plays for Children

All of these methods maternal diaries and checklists probably tend to underestimate the number of words about young children actually know something, although they also may overestimate the number of words to which they attribute adult-like meanings. During the second year, word combinations begin to appear.

Novel combinations where we can be sure that the result is not being treated as a single word appear sporadically as early as 14 months. In some cases, early multiple-unit utterances can be seen as concatenations of individual naming actions that might just as well have occured alone: However, these combinations tend to occur in an order that is appropriate for the language being learned:. Some combinations with certain closed-class morphemes begin to occur as well: However, these are the closed-class words such as pronouns and prepositions that have semantic content in their own right that is not too different from that of open-class words.

The more purely grammatical morphemes -- verbal inflections and verbal auxiliaries, nominal determiners, complementizers etc. Since the earliest multi-unit utterances are almost always two morphemes long -- two being the first number after one! Quite soon, however, children begin sometimes producing utterances with more than two elements, and it is not clear that the period in which most utterances have either one or two lexical elements should really be treated as a separate stage.

In the early multi-word stage, children who are asked to repeat sentences may simply leave out the determiners, modals and verbal auxiliaries, verbal inflections, etc. The same pattern can be seen in their own spontaneous utterances:. At about the age of two, children first begin to use grammatical elements. In English, this includes finite auxiliaries "is", "was" , verbal tense and agreement affixes "-ed" and '-s' , nominative pronouns "I", "she" , complementizers "that", "where" , and determiners "the", "a". The process is usually a somewhat gradual one, in which the more telegraphic patterns alternate with adult or adult-like forms, sometimes in adjacent utterances:.

Over a year to a year and a half, sentences get longer, grammatical elements are less often omitted and less often inserted incorrectly, and multiple-clause sentences become commoner. Several studies have shown that children who regularly omit grammatical elements in their speech, nevertheless expect these elements in what they hear from adults, in the sense that their sentence comprehension suffers if the grammatical elements are missing or absent. In the beginning, such words will be used in their root form.

As inflections first start being added, both regular and irregular patterns are found. At a certain point, it is common for children to over-generalize the regular case, producing forms like "bringed", "goed"; "foots", "mouses", etc. At this stage, the child's speech may actually become less correct by adult standards than it was earlier, because of over-regularization.

This over-regularization, like most other aspects of children's developing grammar, is typically resistant to correction:. A good starting point for more information about child language acquisition is the CHILDES web site at CMU, where you can find out about downloading the raw materials of child language research, and also search a specialized child language bibliography. The abstract from the paper:. By age 3, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from underprivileged families.

Longitudinal data on 42 families examined what accounted for enormous differences in rates of vocabulary growth. Children turned out to be like their parents in stature, activity level, vocabulary resources, and language and interaction styles. Follow-up data indicated that the 3-year-old measures of accomplishment predicted third grade school achievement.

Another, more recent, study suggesting the same conclusion is Martha J. Specific associations with neurocognitive development ", Brain Research 1 , September By the age of 12 to 14 months, most toddlers begin to use toys in specific and appropriate ways. One-year-old Tommy knows - most of the time, anyway - that the ball is for throwing and the toy car is for pushing. Within six months, symbolic play begins, and Tommy starts to use blocks to build garages for his toy cars.

How Your Child’s Writing and Art Changes Over Time

Around his second birthday, Tommy squeals excitedly, "Daddy, baby, go, go! He's using his imagination to understand real events in his life - such as being driven to the store by his father and to express his memories. Tommy's stories are simple and based on his own experiences, but he is developing the ability to create and tell stories using characters, action, and setting.

During their twos, toddlers gradually begin to engage in more imaginative play. A group of 2-year-olds can turn a long bench into a bus and, with the playful cooperation and suggestions of an adult, take a trip to the zoo. Toddlers' grasp of the line between fantasy and reality, however, is very fragile. When Johnny roars loudly, pretending to be a lion at the zoo, his playmate Sam becomes scared. Sam wonders if his friend might really become a lion - he sure sounds like one!

It Takes a Village

The quality of infant and toddler experiences has an effect on a child's play - a secure and happy 2-year-old will easily begin to develop more extended and imaginative play episodes. Comforting hugs and predictable routines help the toddler develop the focused energy for meaningful pretend play - and set the scene for the rich imaginary play that takes places in his threes and fours.

You play an important role in helping infants and toddlers expand their ability to imagine and pretend - from how you interact with them to the toys you offer. Engage young children in activities that develop symbolic play and encourage imagination. Give babies a variety of toys - rattles to shake, squeaking toys to pat, plastic blocks to bang. Exploring these helps infants learn that different toys have different purposes - an important step toward symbolic play.

When symbolic play begins, provide toys with a clear purpose. Sometime after their first birthday, toddlers need items that elicit specific dramas. Plastic spoons and plates and a small stove top, for example, will lead to pretend cooking and eating. Play along and offer suggestions. Sometimes 2-year-olds need a little help expanding their play.

If a child is busy pretending to make soup but doesn't know what to do next, for example, you can suggest that he pour some soup in a bowl so you can taste it - "Mmmm, yummy! A small group of 3-year-olds asks the teacher for some cardboard boxes. They're playing "moving," they announce. Maria is the mother. Ashley, she explains, is the little girl, and Romana is her sister. They fold the dress-up clothes and then pack them and the doll's dishes in the boxes.

As they carry their packed possessions, they say good-bye to a neighbor - "We'll miss you!

Three-year-olds' imaginative play is usually based on their own experiences, and chances are one or all of these girls has moved. Often the pretending is fixated on and extended by a special prop, such as the boxes. Language also has a large role in preschoolers' imaginative play. Threes like to talk to set the scene for their activity -- stating that they're playing "moving," for example and use dialogue to express their feelings, such as sadness about missing an old neighbor.

Three is a common age for children to create imaginary friends. A child may talk for and to this special friend and include him quite naturally in daily activities -- waiting for him to get dressed and saving him a seat at the snack table. Threes are also becoming adept at inventing characters and scenes. But these usually have a short run - 3-year-olds change roles quickly and switch plots just as rapidly. Children now understand that writing is made up of lines, curves, and repeated patterns. They try to imitate this in their own writing.

So while they may not write actual letters, you may see components of letters in their drawing. These might include lines, dots, and curves. This is an exciting time as your toddler realizes that his drawing conveys meaning! For example, he may write something down and then tell you what word it says.

Learning to Write and Draw

This is an important step toward reading and writing. This ability to hold an image in your mind and then represent it on the page is a thinking skill that takes some time to develop. At first, children name their unplanned creations. This means that they finish the picture and then label their masterpiece with the names of people, animals, or objects they are familiar with.

This changes over time. Soon you will see your child clearly planning prior to drawing what he will create. You will also see more detail in the pictures, more control in the way your child handles the crayon or marker, and the use of more colors. What else to be on the lookout for? Once your child has begun to purposefully draw images, she has mastered symbolic thinking. This important milestone in thinking skills means that your child understands that lines on paper can be a symbol of something else, like a house, a cat, or a person.

At this stage, your child also begins to understand the difference between pictures and writing. Children have had experience with letters and print for several years now and are beginning to use letters in their own writing.

Usually children start by experimenting with the letters in their own names, as these are most familiar to them. During this time, children also begin to understand that some words are made of symbols that are shorter and some words are made of symbols that are longer. As a result, their scribbles change.

While these letters and words are probably not technically correct, it does not matter. This exciting milestone means that your child is beginning to understand that text and print have meaning. Offer chunky, easy-to-grip crayons, thick pencils, and washable markers. Cut paper bags up to draw on.

For salt-dough recipes, check the Internet or your local library. Let your child wear an old shirt of yours with sleeves cut off as a smock and lay newspaper or an old shower curtain over the table to keep it clean. Let your child experiment and explore. Creativity means having the power to express yourself in your own way Lagoni et al. This independence is just what a growing toddler is looking for to feel confident, competent, and clever. As parents, we often tend to compliment children on their successes: And sometimes we get hung up on the fact that trees should be green, not purple.

Ages & Stages: Imagine & Pretend | Scholastic

Look at the lines you are making—there are so many of them! Or, That picture is really interesting. Those colors make me feel happy.