Reading Strategies for Success Early Oral Development Developmental Stages 0-2 Months Baby can see well to about two feet in front of his eyes. Come close to him and let him watch your face often. This helps his vision develop. Support and protect his head. Don t jiggle or shake him. Neck muscles are not strong enough to support nerves and spinal bones in neck His skin is very receptive to touch. Hold, cuddle and rock him gently. Respond to his crying He can hear a variety of sounds and is sensitive to human speech He can tell one language from another and ignore sounds from foreign languages. He begins cooing. Early Learning His brain must still develop many of the connections between cells. Let your baby hear your voice. These help his hearing and language develop. Talk and sing to him. This gives him a great head start for understanding and speaking a language. Play with him and give him interesting things to hear, smell, see and touch. 2 6 Months Baby s vision is almost as good as an adult s. Deliberate movements replace automatic reflex movements. Her brain can distinguish several hundred spoken words. The brain organizes itself around the words that are heard most often. She begins to babble around the end of the third month. This increases each month. Expose your baby to many interesting sights and talk to him about what she sees. Let her look in a mirror. Give her many opportunities to safely move around and use her large muscles. Give her a few simple toys to help her practice her grasp. Talk to her. This promotes her language development. Play word games like patty cake or rhyming games. Sing songs to her and read simple books aloud. Respond to her babbling. Reading Strategies for Success Early Oral Development: Developmental Stages Page 1 of 5
6-9 Months Baby learns about his world by using all his senses. He is becoming more coordinated with his motor movements. Baby can group up to four syllables together as he babbles. He has fun imitating sounds that he hears. His first words appear around 8 months, about the time he can understand simple instructions. Social Baby is developing ideas about who he is and who cares about him. Provide noise-making toys and toys of different textures. Baby-proof the house. Supervise crawling and chair climbing. Dance together to music. Place an appealing toy out of reach to encourage him to grasp it. Talk and sing to your baby during everyday activities. Describe what you re doing. Imitate the sounds he makes. Read aloud to him every day. Encourage him to respond to simple requests, like pointing to a certain picture in a book. Be warm and affectionate. Give him a chance to be around other children. 9-12 Months Early Learning Baby investigates similarities and differences between objects She uses repetition and imitation to learn by doing. She explores the world with growing independence. She learns language as a result of hearing it. By 8-10 months, she shows signs that she understands your words. She may look up when you call her name, or wave bye-bye. This is called receptive language. She makes sounds that are not yet meaningful as words (for instance, ma ). Social/Emotional Provide many chances for her to handle many objects in her environment. Label and describe objects. Encourage her to imitate you, and imitate her back. Use routine tasks as learning opportunities for her. Provide safe environment for her to explore. development takes place within warm, safe relationships. Ask her questions. Reward her attempts to communicate. Keep background noise at a minimum. Sing to her and play repetitive songs. Help her associate words with objects, gestures and events. Explain what you are doing during the day. Reading Strategies for Success Early Oral Development: Developmental Stages Page 2 of 5
She displays more varied emotions and moods, and becomes more independent. Be calm as you teach her what behavior is acceptable. 1 year How your toddler changes Toddler remembers events that happened a few hours or even a day earlier. He uses all his senses when learning. Allow him to make limited choices, and to make mistakes. Provide objects that have various shapes, weights, textures, etc. He learns to walk. Provide plenty of safe places for him to explore. Take walks with him. Beginning around 12 months, he says his first words, which may be hard to identify. Babbling may continue even after he begins acquiring words. He understands much more than he can speak. He often points to items and asks, What dat? Label objects and events for your child as you go through your everyday routine. Describe what he is doing as he does it. Repeat favorite songs and stories. Encourage him to use words to express himself. Play imitation games. He is not good at controlling his impulses. State clear consequences for behavior. 2 years How your toddler changes Toddler likes to explore her surroundings and take things apart She can feed herself with a spoon and drink from a straw. She is able to open cabinets, drawers and boxes. She can walk up stairs with help and take steps backward. Encourage sand, mud, clay, and water play. Toddlers enjoy messy play and learn a great deal from mixing, sifting, pouring, stirring and shaping. Give her clear and simple choices ( Do you want milk or a banana? ) Provide safe outlets for physical activity. Baby-proof your house again. Toddlers are taller and more skillful at getting into mischief. Reading Strategies for Success Early Oral Development: Developmental Stages Page 3 of 5
Toddler uses a vocabulary of several hundred words and uses 2-3-word sentences to verbalize her feelings and desires. She can name her toys and point to her ears, eyes and nose when you ask. She enjoys looking at one book over and over and listening to short rhymes. She sometimes gets angry and has temper tantrums. She may act shy around strangers. Try to expand her knowledge of words and sentence structure. If she says, more milk, say, Essie wants more milk. Encourage verbal skills by giving simple directions. Read aloud to her every day. Teach her fingerplays and short rhymes. Have her imitate you. Remain calm, touch her and talk in a soothing tone. 3 years How your preschooler changes Child is inquisitive and asks who, what, where and why questions. He can dress himself with help and feed himself with some spilling. Child talks so that 75-80% of his speech is understandable, and uses sentences of 3-5 words. He listens attentively to short stories and books, and likes familiar stories retold without any change. He is able to tell a simple story from pictures in a book. Social/Emotional He enjoys helping with simple household tasks. Help him do simple science activities like magnetic attraction, freezing water or planting seeds. Encourage development of hand-eye coordination by providing large buttons or old beads to string on a shoelace. Talk frequently with him, using short sentences. Ask questions and listen. Add new information to his sentences: Yes, that s a puppy. It s a small, brown puppy that barks very loudly. Encourage him to repeat a story and to discuss the ideas and events. Ask for help with very simple household tasks such as putting the napkins by each plate or putting socks in the drawer. 4 years How your preschooler changes She can place objects in a line from largest to smallest, and count one to seven objects out loud (but not always correctly). She asks a lot of questions, including ones about birth and death. Teach important number and size concepts. Help her sort and count various objects. Promote a respect for life and living things. Reading Strategies for Success Early Oral Development: Developmental Stages Page 4 of 5
She uses a spoon, fork and dinner knife skillfully. She can dress herself, feed herself, brush her teeth, and comb her hair with little assistance. She can walk in a straight line, hop on one foot, pedal and steer a tricycle, and run, jump, hop and skip around obstacles She can recognize some letters if taught and may be able to print their own name. She can recognize familiar words in simple books. She can pronounce consonant clusters (for instance, sm, sp, tr, cl ) She speaks in fairly complex sentences ( My brother ate the banana after I gave it to him ) She enjoys playing with other children. She understands and obeys simple rules. She can has a vivid imagination and sometimes imaginary playmates. Set up a bird feeder and plant a garden. Answer her questions honestly. Praise accomplishments, and provide opportunities to experience freedom and independence. Encourage physical development. Play follow the leader. Pretend to walk like various animals. Set up an obstacle course with challenges such as crawling, leaping and balancing. Read aloud to her each day and encourage her to look at books on her own. Provide alternative reading material (coupons, junk mail, newspaper ads, old cereal boxes) Say nursery rhymes and fingerplays together. Encourage multicultural awareness through dolls, puppets and books. Expand dramatic play by providing a variety of props for themes like grocery store, pizza parlor, birthday party and firefighter. Reading Strategies for Success Early Oral Development: Developmental Stages Page 5 of 5