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Language Development
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How important is language development? Five year-olds starting school come in knowing 4,000 to 12,000 words. Children need to know about 10,000 words to be successful readers. Why is there such a wide range? Children pick up about 2,000 words per year just by living. Homes where parents read to their children, model reading, talk to and with their children , and play games with their children develop more language for their children. Children who are read to, talked to, and played with about 1,800 hours (1 hour a day from birth) learn about 10,000 words by age 5. Children who are read to, talked to, and played with about 2,000 hours (1.1 hours a day from birth) learn about 10,000 to 12,000 words by age 5. Children who are read to, talked to, and played with 2 minutes per day learn about 4,000 words by age 5. Brains process language through repetition, consistency, frequency, and intensity. 9 month olds can learn sounds. 2 1/2 year olds can learn rhyming words. Brains can be fed language through child/parent involvement using music, art, and conversation. Source: Al Greenfield 1/24/03 |