Early childhood occupies the delicate ages between infancy and preschool. During this time, a child changes from a babbling baby to a talkative toddler. The drastic increase in vocabulary is noticeable, and eventually a child this age will be equipped with the social skills to play and get along with other children.
Language
During this phase of a child's life, her vocabulary expands dramatically. At the age of 1, her language consists mostly of babbling, though she may be able to speak a handful of words, says the National Network for Child Care. Over the next couple of years, Medline Plus explains, she'll learn to name common objects and body parts and will imitate words more often, adding more and more words to her vocabulary each week. According to Ladies' Home Journal, she can speak in five-word sentences and remember stories, songs and nursery rhymes by the age of 3.
Communication
Communicating with others becomes easier for a child during early childhood. Now that he's mastered more words, he can articulate his feelings and desires more effectively. Furthermore, he starts to understand and respond to simple commands, says Medline Plus. A child this age will often ask questions, especially those beginning with the word "why," warns Ladies' Home Journal. These questions signal a desire to learn, but more often they are a child's way of showing they want to communicate and get attention.
Play
As far as social skills, a child in this phase of life does well playing either alone or with others. Thanks to a vivid imagination, he'll spend time talking to toys or imaginary friends when playing by himself, says Healthy Children. Playing with others may be frustrating at first; at the beginning of this phase he'll be more possessive of toys and objects. However, he'll quickly learn about sharing and taking turns with a little direction from patient adults.
Effects
Since vocabulary is limited around the age of 1, a child may use gestures to communicate, such as raising her arms to be picked up, says the NNCC. This will eventually pass as a child becomes more adept at handling words and grammar. In fact, her need to communicate can cause a child to want to be involved in everything a parent does; in this case, Healthy Children advises parents to involve a child by responding to her questions or providing her with an activity to help out.
Additionally, a child's interest in imitating language and actions can affect her personal habits. Healthy Children suggests that parents be conscious of their tone of voice and how they handle conflicts as this can spill over into a child's social interactions with other children.
Considerations
Though each child will develop social skills at a different rate, there are certain signs of a possible developmental delay. If a child is not expanding her vocabulary or learning new social skills during early childhood, contact a pediatrician, says the NNCC. There are several other resources that can also be helpful for questions about child development, such as a local health department or the Parent Helpline.
References
- National Network for Child Care: Developmental Milestones: A Guide for Parents - The First Year
- Medline Plus: Developmental Milestones Record
- Ladies' Home Journal: Children's Age-by-Age Guide, 3 Years Old
- Healthy Children: Social Development, 1 Year Olds
- Healthy Children: Social Development, 2 Year Olds
