Language in Action
A baby points to a bottle and makes a sound. What is the baby doing?
Communicating/expressing a need or want through gesture and vocalization.
Talking, gesturing, and responding back and forth with a caregiver helps develop this.
Language and communication development/back-and-forth communication.
A toddler drops a spoon repeatedly to see what happens. What type of learning is taking place?
Cause-and-effect learning.
A toddler uses a block as a pretend phone. What type of thinking is this?
Symbolic/representational or pretend play.
Crawling, walking, and climbing primarily develop what type of motor skills?
Gross motor skills.
An adult says, “Yes, that's a big red ball!” after a toddler says “ball.” What is the adult doing to support language?
Expanding or extending the child's language.
True or False: Infants need to be able to speak words before adults should have conversations with them.
False.
A toddler tries several ways to get a toy that rolled underneath a shelf. What cognitive skill is being demonstrated?
Problem solving.
A toddler copies an adult stirring food in a bowl. What cognitive process is the child demonstrating
Imitation.
Picking up a small piece of cereal using the thumb and index finger demonstrates what type of motor development?
Fine motor skills/fine motor coordination.
Name TWO ways an infant can communicate before using words.
Examples include pointing, gestures, facial expressions, crying, vocalizations, eye gaze, signs.
Why are everyday routines such as diapering and mealtime important for language development?
Routines provide repeated, meaningful opportunities for adults and children to communicate and learn language.
A child searches underneath a blanket for a toy that was hidden there. What does this show the child is beginning to understand?
Object permanence.
A toddler remembers where a favorite toy is normally kept and goes to find it. What cognitive ability is being used?
Memory.
A toddler watches a rolling ball and reaches out at the right time to grab it. What two areas of development are working together
Visual perception and motor coordination/hand-eye coordination.
A child speaks a home language that is different from the language used in the classroom. Should the caregiver discourage the home language to help the child learn English? Explain.
No. The child's home language should be valued and supported while they develop additional languages.
An adult asks a toddler a question and immediately answers it for them. What simple change could better support the child's communication?
Routines provide repeated, meaningful opportunities for adults and children to communicate and learn language.
A toddler tries to fit a large object through a small opening, changes strategies, and eventually finds a larger opening. What does this demonstrate?
Problem solving and persistence/flexible thinking
A child watches another child make a toy move by pressing a button and later tries the same action. Name the cognitive learning process taking place.
Observation and imitation.
Give ONE way a teacher could modify a ball-tossing activity for a child with limited mobility
Examples: move the basket closer, use a larger/lighter ball, place the basket at an accessible height, or allow the child to roll rather than throw the ball.
A toddler points outside and says, “Dog go!” Give an example of how an adult could respond to extend the child's language without correcting them.
Example: “Yes! The dog is going outside!” or “The dog is going for a walk!”
correcting them.Name TWO things adults can do during everyday interactions to encourage back-and-forth communication with infants and toddlers.
Examples include responding to children's communication, following their interests, expanding what they say, asking questions, pausing for responses, narrating experiences, and engaging in back-and-forth exchanges.
A toddler stacks blocks several different ways until the tower stays standing. Identify TWO cognitive skills the child may be using.
Examples include problem solving, spatial thinking, cause and effect, persistence, or learning through trial and error.
Explain how open-ended materials such as blocks, boxes, cups, and scarves can support cognitive development.
Open-ended materials allow children to explore, experiment, solve problems, imitate, use objects symbolically, and discover different ways objects work.
Explain why opportunities for movement and sensory exploration are important to perceptual and motor development.
Movement and sensory exploration help infants and toddlers learn about their bodies and environment while developing coordination, balance, spatial awareness, perception, and motor control.