URDANETA CITY COLLEGE of

UNIVERSITY
Owned and operated by the City Government of Urdaneta
TEACHER EDUCATION

B. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF PRESCHOOLERS

• Communication Development

• Language Development

Communication Development and Language Development

Know

Preschoolers are able and ready communicators. They communicate primarily through
language, but they also rely on gestures, facial expressions, and behaviors. This next section
will highlight language and communication milestones for preschool children. It will be followed
by a section that discusses these milestones by introducing three aspects of language and
communication that caregivers can think about: receptive language, expressive language, and
conversation skills.

Introduction

Language and communication develop with extraordinary speed during the early
childhood years. Most children babble around 6 months, say their first words at about 1 year,
use combined words around the end of their second year, and by the time they are 4 and 5-
year-olds, they have elaborate vocabularies and know basic grammar rules. During the
preschool years, children increase their vocabulary, use longer and more complex sentences,
engage in problem solving, and talk about more than just what is happening at the moment.

Language and Communication Developmental Milestones in Preschool

Age 3 Age 4 Age 5
• Carries on a conversation • Says sentences that are 4 • Tells a story with at least
using at least two or more or more words two events that they’ve either
back-and-forth exchanges heard about, or made up
•Says some words from a
• Asks “who”, “what”, “where,” familiar song or story or • Answers simple questions
or “why" questions nursery rhyme about a book or story read or
told to them
• Says what action is • Talks about at least one
happening in a picture book thing that happened during • Carries on conversation
when asked like “eating” or their day like, “I played ball.” using at least three or more
“running” back-and-forth exchanges
URDANETA CITY COLLEGE of
UNIVERSITY
Owned and operated by the City Government of Urdaneta
TEACHER EDUCATION

• Answers simple questions

• Says first name when asked like, “What is a crayon for?” • Uses or recognizes simple
Talks well enough for others rhymes (bat, cat, ball, tall)
to understand most of the • Says first and last name
time when asked • Can define common items
by use (e.g., a fork is a thing
• Uses sentences that are • Knows some basic rules of you eat with)
three or four words long grammar, such as correctly
using “he” and “she” • Tells a simple story using
full sentences

Learning to communicate is a unique process and specific to each preschooler and

family. Many aspects of a child’s environment may contribute to challenges with communication
development. A family may wonder about their young child’s communication and language
development and feel uncertain about what they are observing, as well as what to expect. As a
preschool teacher, you have an opportunity to learn first from a family and consider offering
additional developmental information, including possible warning signs.

Possible Warning Signs of Language & Communication Delays in Preschoolers

Three Year Old’s Four Year Old’s Five Year Old’s
• Drools or has very unclear • Can’t retell a favorite story • Can’t give first and last
speech name
• Doesn’t follow 3-part
• Doesn’t speak in sentences command • Doesn't use plurals or past
tense properly
• Doesn’t understand simple • Doesn’t use “me” and “you”
instructions correctly • Doesn’t talk about daily
activities or experiences
• Doesn’t make eye contact • Speaks unclearly
• Doesn’t respond to people
• Ignores other children or or responds only superficially
doesn’t respond to people
outside of the family

How Preschoolers Communicate?

As you study the chart above, you may notice that some milestones are associated with
children’s ability to understand and comprehend language or what others say (receptive
communication), others with children’s ability to use words and speak (expressive
communication), and others with their ability to engage in language exchanges with peers or
adults (social engagement). Let’s take a look at how these aspects of communication unfold as
part of the remarkable development of young children from three to five years of age.
URDANETA CITY COLLEGE of
UNIVERSITY
Owned and operated by the City Government of Urdaneta
TEACHER EDUCATION

Receptive communication refers to a child’s ability to listen and understand language.

Children begin to understand more words, longer sentences, and more elaborate questions.
They understand the names of most things in their daily environment and actions they see or
engage in each day. Children also begin to understand new descriptive words such as “soft,”
“hard,” or “smooth”, and emotion words such as “mad,” “sad,” “happy,” “scary”).
Understanding language is closely related to young children’s cognitive development. For
example, 3-year-olds begin to use and understand “what,” "where," and “why” questions. By the
time they are 4, children understand many words for colors, shapes, and sizes. Understanding
language is also closely related to literacy and early math development. During the fourth year,
children are learning to understand letter names and sounds and number names and values.
Receptive language is essential for success in preschool as children need to understand how to
follow directions, and listen to what teachers, other significant adults in their lives, or peers have
to say.
Expressive communication refers to children’s ability to express themselves through words,
gestures, and expressions. They communicate their actions, emotions, needs, and ideas. They
also respond to what others are saying. This is clear when you watch children playing with each
other: they talk about play, describe their actions and ideas, and respond to what their friends
are saying and doing. Preschool children may also talk to themselves when they are engaged in
difficult tasks, to think out loud, or when they are excited. For example, a child may talk to
herself while she is building a high tower with blocks, saying things like “one more, don’t fall!” or
when she completes a new or challenging activity: “I finished the big puzzle all by myself!”
Social engagement involves the understanding and use of communication rules such as
listening, taking turns, and appropriate ways to use sounds and facial expressions.
Conversations involve both understandings (receptive communication) and expressing
(expressive communication). Preschoolers learn the ways to use sounds, gestures, facial
expressions and words of their family’s language(s) when adults interact, talk, read and sing
with them.