Child will develop the ability to speak and/ or sign in increasingly complete, complex, precise, and varied ways.
What educators might observe
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Points to items that they want or want the caregiver to give attention to
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Uses two words together to express wants, needs, or ideas, such as “Papi, go.”
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Shakes head “no” in response to questions
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Uses made-up words to refer to familiar objects and experiences that family members and educators understand
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Uses some words to refer to more than one thing (e.g., “wowa” may mean both sitting in the stroller and going outside)
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Adds new words to their vocabulary every day
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Socializes and interacts with peers using nonverbal (gestural) means, along with words or phrases (e.g., making a motion to push another child away and saying, “Go Away.”)
Child will develop their ability to listen and understand complete, complex, precise, and varied language.
What educators might observe
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Points to familiar people when asked where they are
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Shows joint attention with adults (e.g., looks at and points to elephant with daddy at the zoo)
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Shows understanding of pronouns such as “my” and “your” (e.g., points to their belly button when asked, “Where is your belly button?”)
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Identifies people, objects, and actions when asked
Child uses language to relate to others according to the social expectations of their family, community, and culture.
What educators might observe
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Starts to shake head “Yes” or “No” in answer to simple questions
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Makes requests by pointing and vocalizing
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Repeats themselves if the educator does not respond or understand them
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Talks into pretend phone and then pauses, as if to listen to the other person
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Makes related comments (e.g., when adult says, “Here is your water,” child says, “cup,” “ agua ,” or “water cup.”
Child enjoys, attends to, understands, and makes meanings from spoken and written language of storytelling and books.
What educators might observe
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Points to and names familiar people and objects in photos or books
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Points to pictures related to the text the educator is reading
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Holds board books upright and turns pages
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Imitates gestures that go with rhymes or simple songs, such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” or “Pin Pon”
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Listens to a story or looks at books for a short period of time
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Responds to storytelling and texts with short questions, comments, or movements (e.g., flapping their arms when a bird appears in a book)
Child develops the ability to recognize and manipulate the different sounds in spoken language(s).
What educators might observe
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Speech shows their ability to use a variety of sounds and syllables from their home language
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Imitates sounds of adult speech to quickly learn new words
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Attends to, repeats, and uses a few words from culturally and linguistically familiar rhymes, phrases, or refrains from stories or songs
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Laughs when adult makes up rhymes containing nonsense words
Child uses materials and/ or language to make meaning for themselves and/or an audience.
What educators might observe
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Makes decisions about how to manipulate and order objects in the environment (e.g., drops crayons into a paper towel tube)
Child views, creates, and makes meaning of visual communication and multimedia documentation, which includes drawings, collections, photographs, videos and displays.
What educators might observe
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Identifies themselves and familiar people in photographs
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Notices and identifies pictures, road signs, and graphics
