KEY WORD LEVELS (EXPRESSION)

 

One Word Level

First words generally appear around 12 months of age and are commonly:

• Labels for important people, animals and toys in the child’s life e.g. mummy, pet’s name, teddy
• Words to express wants and needs g. no, again, more
• Familiar objects e.g. cup, book
• Social words e.g. hello, bye bye
• Things of particular interest g. trains
• Symbolic words e.g. choo choo, moo moo

Short phrases such as ‘all gone’, ‘sit down’, ‘get up’ are learnt as one unit and are therefore classed as being at a one word level rather than a two word level.

 

Two Word Level

When a child has around 50 words, they begin to join words together e.g. ‘Daddy gone’, ‘want drink’, ‘Mummy car’. These could have several meanings e.g. ‘this is mummy’s car’, ‘mummy has gone in the car’, or ‘let’s go in the car, mummy.’

At this stage, the child begins to use a few action words e.g. cry, sit etc. They try to talk about events using a mixture of jargon and words. They will ask for help (e.g. ‘wash hands’) and begin to ask questions.

 

Three Word Level

At around three years of age, the child begins to join three words together and possibly four e.g. ‘Daddy gone work’, ‘Mummy go shop’.

Gradually the child will begin to use a wider variety of words as their understanding of the world around them grows e.g. descriptions using size (big/little); positions (in/on/under); colours (red/blue/yellow/green); properties (wet/dirty); emotions (happy/sad) etc.

Activities to develop key word levels

 

To produce a range of play noises modelled by an adult. E.g. shhh; mmmm; ssss

• Join the child at his choice of play and model play sounds e.g. ‘brmm’ when playing with cars; ‘shhh’ when a toy is sleeping; ‘sss’ for a snake hissing/sausages frying; ‘ch ch’ when playing with trains. Begin to make the noise and then pause, waiting for the child to join in.

 

To produce a range of play words modelled by an adult. E.g. splash; bang; wheee; crash; pop; beep beep; animal noises; everyday noises (e.g. ring ring; knock knock)

• When playing with small world toys, demonstrate a doll going down the slide, saying ‘Whee’. Give the doll to the child to copy.
• When singing ‘Old MacDonald’, use toy animals to support the child’s comprehension. Sing the song slowly, pausing after you have made the animal noise.

 

To use a range of early words spontaneously. E.g. more; again; gone; bye bye; fall down, help.

• Encourage the child to wave and say ‘bye bye’ to familiar people at appropriate times.
• Join a child at their choice of activity. Imitate their actions with the toys e.g. running a toy car over their body; building a tower of bricks; building a sandcastle. After repeating this several times, pause, and wait for the child to indicate that they want it repeating. Model the use of ‘again’ before repeating the action.
• When playing in the sand pit, hide a favourite toy and say ‘gone’. Encourage the child to find it again.
• Provide small amounts of food and drink at snack time and wait for the child to ask for ‘more’. Prompt the child by modelling the word.
• Blow some bubbles and encourage the child to pop them. Ask ‘More?’ and blow again. Next time, wait until the child attempts to ask.
• Place a toy out of reach (but in sight) or do up the bubbles lid too tightly so that it gives the opportunity for communication. Model ‘help’ to encourage them to request.

 

To use an increasing number of single words (nouns and verbs). In developing the use of language, ensure that the child is familiar with the objects/pictures and is able to give them on request (demonstrating one word level understanding).

• Use a feely bag containing objects or pictures. Encourage the child to name each object as they remove it from the bag.
• Make a photograph book of the child’s family members, pets, favourite objects/toys. When looking at the book, encourage them to name them by saying e.g. ‘Who’s that? It’s…’
• Use lotto games/inset puzzles. The adult offers a piece to the child and says ‘It’s a ….’ Let the child replace the piece and encourage them to name it. Model the word if they make no attempt to say it.
• Place pictures/photographs face down on a table. The child selects a picture, and posts it into a post box when they have named it. This can also be used with verb (or ‘action) pictures, with the adult saying ‘Look, the boy is……..’
• Make a fishing game with pictures or photographs of objects or actions attached to the fish. As the child catches the fish, they name the object/action.

 

Introducing ‘action’ words or verbs is really important to help develop a child’s sentence structure. Other activities to help develop the use of verb words are:

• Using action songs e.g. ‘the wheels on the bus go round and round’, ‘this is the way we wash our hands’ etc.
• Using small world characters that your child enjoys to demonstrate different actions e.g. kicking, sitting and let the child have a turn at telling the character what to do giving them a chance to use their verb words.
• Throughout the day, talk about what you/others are doing e.g. ‘look that baby’s crying’ and encourage your child to do the same. Giving sentence prompts may help e.g. say to your child, ‘look that boy is…’ and wait for them to respond.
• Throughout play activities, ask children to run, jump, clap their hands. Let the child have a turn at asking the others to do an action.

 

To use short phrases containing two key words.

• Respond to a child’s single words by modelling back a two word phrase e.g. if the child says ‘car’, the adult responds ‘Yes, mummy’s car’ or ‘Yes, driving the car’.
• Use action pictures/photographs in the posting and fishing games. Encourage the child to describe the actions using two words e.g. ‘Mummy brushing’, ‘Mummy hair’ or ‘brushing hair’.
• During creative activities, encourage the child to describe objects using simple adjectives e.g. ‘red car’, ‘blue scissors’, ‘big brush’.
• Encourage the child to talk about what they are doing in the home corner. Model two word phrases initially e.g. ‘washing cup’, ‘feeding dolly’.
• Ask the child to be in charge and give instructions during a small group activity e.g. ‘touch nose’, ‘clap hands’ etc.

 

To use phrases containing at least three key words.

• Respond to a child’s two word phrase by modelling back a three word phrase e.g. if the child says ‘mummy hair’, the adult responds ‘Yes, mummy is brushing hair’.
• Model phrases about objects which interest the child during his choice of activity e.g. ‘train is going to the station’, ‘the tractor is pulling the trailer’.
• Use pictures to sequence familiar stories and encourage the child to talk about what is happening.
• Use a puppet or picture as a visual stimulus for the child to discuss e.g. introduce a puppet with a plaster on his knee. Encourage the child to talk about what they think has happened.
• Be silly! Ask the child what you have done wrong e.g. put a sock on your head.