Human language is a remarkable way to communicate. No other form of communication in the natural world transfers so much information in such a short period of time. It is even more remarkable that in three short years a child can hear, mimic, explore, practice, and finally, learn language. Let’s take a look at how a child learns to speak and use language through their stages of life.

Birth

Newborn babies make sounds that let others know that they are experiencing pleasure or pain.

0-3 Months
Your baby smiles at you when you come into view. He or she repeats the same sound a lot and “coos and goos” when content. Cries “differentiate”. That means, the baby uses a different cry for different situations. For example, one cry says “I’m hungry” and another says “I have a pain”.

4-6 months

Gurgling sounds or “vocal play” occur while you are playing with your baby or when they are occupying themselves happily. Babbling really gets going in this age range, and your baby will sometimes sound as though he or she is “talking”. This “speech-like” babbling includes many sounds including the bilabial (two lip) sounds “p”, “b” and “m”. The baby can tell you, using sounds or gestures that they want something, or want you to do something. They can make very “urgent” noises to prompt you into action.

7-12 months

The sound of your baby’s babbling changes. This is because it now includes more consonants, as well as long and short vowels. He or she uses speech or other sounds (i.e., other than crying) in order to get your attention and hold on to it. And your baby’s first words (probably not spoken very clearly) have appeared! (”MaMa”, “Doggie”, “Night Night”, “Bye Bye”)

1-2 years

Now your baby is accumulating more words as each month passes. He or she will even ask 2-word questions like “Where ball?” “What’s that?” “More chippies?” “What that?”, and combine two words in other ways to make the Stage 1 Sentence Types (”Birdie go”, “No doggie”, “More push”). Words are becoming clearer as more initial consonants are used in words.

2-3 years

Your two or three year old’s vocabulary is exploding! He or she seems to have a word for almost everything. Utterances are usually one, two or three words long and family members can usually understand them. Your toddler may ask for, or draw your attention to something by naming it (”Elephant”) or one of its attributes (”Big!”) or by commenting (”Wow!”).

3-4 years

Sentences are becoming longer as your child can combine four or more words. They talk about things that have happened away from home, and are interested in talking about pre-school, friends, outings and interesting experiences. Speech is usually fluent and clear and “other people” can understand what your child is saying most of the time. If stuttering occurs, see a speech-language pathologist. Stuttering is not a normal part of learning to talk, and neither is persistent hoarseness.

4-5 years

Your child speaks clearly and fluently in an easy-to-listen-to voice. He or she can construct long and detailed sentences (”We went to the zoo but we had to come home early because Josie wasn’t feeling well”). He or she can tell a long and involved story sticking to the topic, and using “adult-like” grammar. Most sounds are pronounced correctly, though he or she may be lisping as a four year old, or, at five, still have difficulty with “r”, “v” and “th”. Your child can communicate easily with familiar adults and with other children. They may tell fantastic “tall stories” and engage strangers in conversation when you are out together.

In Montessori, silence is not golden. Spoken words are opportunities for learning that should take place throughout the day - especially during conversations between children and between teachers and children. It is important for parents to understand how their child learns to listen and understand language, so we’ll look at how children do just that through their stages of life.

Birth

Language learning starts at birth. Even new babies are aware of the sounds in the environment. They listen to the speech of those close to them, and startle or cry if there is an unexpected noise. Loud noises wake them, and they become “still” in response to new sounds.

0-3 months

Astoundingly, between 0-3 months babies learn to turn to you when you speak, and smile when they hear your voice. In fact, they seem to recognise your familiar voice, and will quieten at the sound of it if they are crying. Tiny babies under three months will also stop their activity and attend closely to the sound of an unfamiliar voice. They will often respond to comforting tones whether the voice is familiar or not.

4-6 months

Then, some time between 4 to 6 months babies respond to the word “no”. They are also responsive to changes in your tone of voice, and to sounds other than speech. For example, they can be fascinated by toys that make sounds, enjoy music and rhythm, and look in an interested or apprehensive way for the source of all sorts of new sounds such as the toaster, birdsong, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves or the whirr of machines.

7-12 months

The 7 to 12 months period is exciting and fun as the baby now obviously listens when spoken to, turns and looks at your face when called by name, and discovers the fun of games like: “round and round the garden”, “peep-oh”, “I see” and “pat-a-cake” (These simple games and finger plays will have regional names and variants). It is in this period that you realise that he or she recognises the names of familiar objects (”Daddy”, “car”, “eyes”, “phone”, “key”) and begins to respond to requests (”Give it to Granny”) and questions (”More juice?”).

1-2 years

Now your child points to pictures in a book when you name them, and can point to a few body parts when asked. He or she can also follow simple commands (”Push the bus!”) and understand simple questions (”Where’s the bunny?”). Your toddler now likes listening to simple stories and enjoys it when you sing songs or say rhymes. This is a stage in which they will want the same story, rhyme or game repeated many times.

2-3 years

By now your toddler will understand two stage commands (”Get your socks and put them in the basket”) and understand contrasting concepts or meanings like hot / cold, stop / go, in / on and nice / yucky. He or she notices sounds like the telephone or doorbell ringing and may point or become excited, get you to answer, or attempt to answer themselves.

3-4 years

Your three or four year old understands simple “Who?”, “What?” and “Where?” questions, and can hear you when you call from another room. This is an age where hearing difficulties may become evident. If you are in doubt about your child’s hearing, see a clinical audiologist.

4-5 years

Children in this age range enjoy stories and can answer simple questions about them. He or she hears and understands nearly everything that is said to them at home or at pre-school or day care. Your child’s ability to hear properly all the time should not be in doubt. If you are in doubt about your child’s hearing, see a clinical audiologist. If you are in doubt about language comprehension, see a speech-language pathologist.

Research has told us that while it may appear that all children are doing is playing for fun; it is actually a much more important part of a child’s developmental process. Playing is a very natural way for children to learn because it uses all of their senses. Playtime is also a cognitive learning process exercise where children practice taking in information and organizing it to solve problems and understand their environment.

Play activities are essential to healthy development for children and adolescents. Research shows that 75% of brain development occurs after birth. The activities engaged in by children both stimulate and influence the pattern of the connections made between the nerve cells. This process influences the development of fine and gross motor skills, language, socialization, personal awareness, emotional well-being, creativity, problem solving and learning ability.

The most important role that play can have is to help children to be active, make choices and practice actions to mastery. They should have experience with a wide variety of content (art, music, language, science, math, social relations) because each is important for the development of a complex and integrated brain. Play that links sensori-motor, cognitive, and social-emotional experiences provides an ideal setting from brain development.

According to Montessori, the essential dimensions of play are:

1) Voluntary, enjoyable, purposeful and spontaneous
2) Creativity expanded using problem solving skills, social skills, language skills and physical skills
3) Helps the child to adapt socially
4) Helps expand on new ideas
5) Helps to thwart emotional problems
6) If play is the work of the child, toys are the tools. Through toys, children learn about their world, themselves, and others. Toys teach children to:
7) Figure out how things work
Pick up new ideas
9) Build muscle control and strength
10) Solve problems
11) Learn to cooperate with others
12) Use their imagination

Play content should come from the child’s own imagination and experiences.

Unfortunately, the play experience for today’s child is often quite different from that of their parents.

With the ever expanding influence of electronic media including TV, videos, video games and the internet, child are spending much of their time being passively entertained by or minimally interacting by way of a keyboard or control pad with an electronic device.

Even today’s toys are more often structured by onboard computers that dictate the play experience.

This robs children of unstructured play with other kids as well as individual playtime spent in creative play. Parents need to understand the play needs of their child and provide an environment to meet those needs.

Become a good play partner by observing your child’s play patterns while concentrating on what they like to do in specific ways. For example, what toys does your child play with the most? Focus on their ideas by not dominating the play but rather watching them to see how they play.

Most importantly spend time with your child, down on the floor sitting at their level and help them feel loved and important.

I can hardly believe our Gold Coast Montessori at Fridays Child has already been open for 6 weeks this year. Where does the time go?

We are madly making sure the paperwork is ready for Accreditation’s visit on the 26th of March. At last they have streamlined the process somewhat, and we don’t have to reinvent the wheel every two years like we used to. This is very helpful to me, as you know I do all the administration myself and can’t pass it onto a manager or assistant.

Nor would I want to - even though it means 60 or 70 hour weeks at the moment, the fact is I can control all the processes, so you as parents can be assured Fridays Child Gold Coast Montessori meets the highest standards.

We now have a Facebook fan page - please visit and become a fan …
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Worongary-Australia/Fridays-Child-Gold-Coast-Montessori-Preschool/205338120889
Once we have 25 or more fans we can qualify for a shorter name than that long URL above

Other news - Alexis is now studying for her Childcare Diploma, and Michelle is still working on her Bachelor of early Childhood.
Kaila has settled in and we are very pleased to have her - she has a great attitude.

Here are a couple of videos to watch from last years Christmas Concert.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jkFLITDMX0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noWN8GR7Vas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txlvLYJUAD4

“Fridays Child is Loving and Giving”
Thank you all.
Laurena.

There was a very interesting article about childcare centres not adhering to their duty of care in last Saturday’s Courier Mail newspaper.

We know some centre operators are better at their job than others for a variety of reasons, and those centres that are not caring for children properly should be pulled up and made to comply with the regulations.

Courier Mail Saturday 14th Nov 2009

Even at Fridays child we have had the odd small compliance notice over the years, always to do with the premises (peeling paint maybe, a cracked tile or two), plant life (you may have noticed some shrubs missing) or surrounds. We don’t mind, because it keeps us on the lookout and your children are the ones who benefit. And it proves the system works, up to a point.

But what struck me most about the article was the photo that accompanied it.

Looking at the 5 children who are staring at the television, you have to wonder what those parents are really paying for?

“Unsupervised children, poorly qualified staff, unacceptable child-to-staff ratios and unresponsive carers were also discovered during recent compliance visits …” is the lead paragraph of the article.

At Fridays Child Montessori Preschool we don’t have a television (here is why) - children have to be under the care of multiple staff members at all times and staff have to interact with the children. Staff are not allowed to stand in a corner and gossip whilst looking after children from the “corner of their eye”.

Staff at Fridays Child are also well qualified - we have two with a Degree in Early Childhood, real Montessori qualifications from London, and the rest have certificate III as a minimum, and working towards a certificate IV or diploma.

When you consider we have 4 full time staff looking after a maximum of 24 (and usually 21 children), then you can see that the ratio is pretty good. Some other centres would only have 2 staff to look after the same number of children. And our staff work hard too.

This means lots of individual and loving attention for your child so they can learn and grow at their own pace.

Just as an aside, three out of four staff are mothers who have a lot of life and teaching experience, so you know that your children will be properly nurtured and kept in a safe environment.

Please contact Laurena and she will be happy to explain why Fridays Child Montessori on the Gold Coast is an ideal option for the care of your two and half year old to preschool aged child.