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Language Development & Communication
Listening & Understanding
WiseTip: LD-UND-M1626-P01A

Acknowledge your toddler’s attempts to communicate with others by listening, and using words and gestures.

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  1. New Jersey Birth to Three Early Learning Standards. (2013). New Jersey Council for Young Children.

  2. Zero to Three. (2016). How to support your child’s communication skills. Retrieved from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/302-how-to-support-your-child-s-communication-skills

16-26 months
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WHY IT MATTERS

Receptive language skills, which involve listening and comprehension of language, develop earlier than expressive language skills.

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  1. Honig, A. ed. (2014). Fostering Early Language with Infants and Toddlers. Montessori Life, 26(2), 28–31.

Encouraging and scaffolding toddlers’ attempts to communicate with others helps toddlers see themselves as good communicators and encourages them to continue practising language and communication skills.

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  1. Zero to Three. (2016). How to support your child’s communication skills. Retrieved from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/302-how-to-support-your-child-s-communication-skills

Studies have also found it beneficial to have a ‘‘print-rich’’ environment from infancy, with ongoing access to books and reading, as this also helps to develop children’s language ability in later years.

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  1. Lawhon, T., & Cobb, J. B. (2002). Routines that build emergent literacy skills in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(2), 113-118.

  2. Mascarenhas SS, & Moorakonda R, Agarwal P, Lim SB, Sensaki S, Chong YS, Allen JC, & Daniel LM (2017). Characteristics and influence of home literacy environment in early childhood-centered literacy orientation. Proceedings of Singapore Healthcare, 26, 81–97.

Reading to infants stimulates listening and language skills.
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  1. Kupetz, B., & Green, E. (1997). Sharing books with infants and toddlers: Facing the challenge. Young Children, 52(2), 22–27.
 Holding infants and showing them the pictures helps with eye focusing.
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  1. Lawhon, T., & Cobb, J. B. (2002). Routines that build emergent literacy skills in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(2), 113-118.
 Reading with infants and toddlers also helps parents to be sensitive to the level of children’s language development and helps them to better pitch their language to the children’s ability. This has effects on later literacy and learning.
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  1. Fletcher, K. L., Cross, J. R., Tanney, A. L., Schneider, M., & Finch, W. H. (2008). Predicting Language Development in Children At Risk: The Effects of Quality and Frequency of Caregiver Reading. Early Education & Development, 19(1), 89–111.