When a baby cries, a lot of guessing takes place. Parents, caregivers, educators, and peers start to second guess the basis of the cry - is it a cry to express frustration? Expression of hunger? Or the need for attention?
At 18 months, children will begin to realize the importance of articulating their needs and wants through words. The greater a child's exposure to vocabulary and its uses, the sooner a child would be able to draw relevance and accurately apply the use of words to communicate with those around them.
There is so much magic in the power of communication! It eliminates frustration from second-guessing, reduces fears and anxiety, and keeps the Terrible Twos and Threenager phases under control. Trust us! We've seen so many success stories at School of Concepts, where little learners come in at 18 months and gradually, under the specialized guidance of our teachers and curriculum, flourish into effective communicators with the keen ability to express their thoughts and needs at the age of 2 - keeping tantrums at bay!
At 18 months, little ones
develop a sense of self, the ability to see themselves as separate from others so they may develop the ability to articulate fear through words like 'scared' with an accompanying action requesting for a hug.
can find objects when they watch you move to hide it so they may articulate through words like 'where?' with accompanying hand gestures
start to play pretend
can identify body parts so they may be able to say, "eyes" , "nose" , "mouth" etc
can engage in parallel play - play alongside other children
At 21 months, little ones
will use at least 50 words
consistently imitate new words
name objects & pictures like 'car', 'flower' - generally items that intrigue them
understand simple pronouns such as 'me' , 'you', 'my'
understand new words quickly
At 24 months, little ones
will begin to use 2-word phrases such as 'go where?'
understand action words like 'walk' , 'hide', 'run'
use gestures and words in pretend-play hence pretend play serves the best opportunities for children to practise communication skills
are able to follow 2-steps related direction, e.g. “pick up the toy and bring it to me” or "come over here and give Mama/Papa a kiss"
enjoys listening to stories
are able to be away from parents when with familiar or supportive people
are able to self soothe when upset
