Play and Free Play

Two fundamental ways in which children learn to engage with the world are through structured play and free play. They develop critical life-long skills through play. As child development expert Syeda Sazia Zaman highlights, “Play is at the core of the child’s development!”

Language Development

Language development is the child’s ability to both understand and use language, such as a 12-month-old baby saying his first words or a two-year-old naming parts of her body.

12-18 MONTHS

Children at this stage will start saying their first words with meaning, for example “out” or “no” will be said in the correct moment. More and more vocabulary will be added to his vocabulary. You will often think (rightly so) that he can understand more than he can say. They will understand gestures and basic instructions, e.g., run, dance, etc.

18 MONTHS TO 2 YEARS

Your toddler’s vocabulary is growing and she will start to put words together into short ‘sentences’. She will understand most of what you are saying and you will be able to understand more and more of what she is saying, even if it is mostly garbling.

Language development varies hugely, but your baby should have a few words by 18 months. If not, talk to your health professional.

2-3 YEARS

Your child can speak in longer, more complex sentences now, and is getting better at saying words correctly. He might play and talk at the same time. He will still confuse time and space but his understanding of how words interact with his environment and how to use them correctly will be growing. Strangers or family members will be able to have more meaningful discussions and they will be able to understand most of what is said.

A full range of vocabulary will initially be between 200 and 300 words with being able to follow a string of two- or three-part instructions. By age three, up to 1 000 words will be understood and used.

3-5 YEARS

You can expect longer, more abstract and more complex conversations now. For example, your child might say things like, “Will a tree grow in my tummy because I ate a seed?”

There will still be confusion between present, past and future tense but this is getting clearer. She will want to start discussing a wider range of topics and her vocabulary will be quite varied.

Up to 1 500 words are being used and by five you will experience sentences made up of four or five words with correct placement of nouns, verbs, pronouns etc.

Always remember, every child is different and will develop at their own pace, so don’t rush them. Consistent development is important, so as long as this can be seen there is little reason for concern, but at any point that development halts or slows down, please chat to your clinic nurse or paediatrician.

Enjoy your little one for as long as possible. Remember they are only little for short time and before you know it, they will be going off to school.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

As parents we tend to focus on what we see as intellectual development. Most children are eager to learn, but education will soon become a huge part of their life. In the preschool years a close family relationship and good examples from caregivers should have more focus than formal learning.

You can encourage cognitive development by helping your child make sense of the world. When they show interest in an object you can help them touch and explore the item and explain what it is and how it can be used. Actively encourage your little one to explore the world. Have patience with them and don’t rush the process of learning.