There are certain child development milestones and language milestones expected of your child at certain ages. These milestones are marked by how a child speaks, plays, learns and acts in order to give us an idea of their stage of development. You can refer to the below as a rough guide to ensure that child development is on track for the 6 month mark.
Looking and Listening/Hearing and Understanding
- Eyes move towards sound
- Looks at things around him
- Can pay fleeting attention but any new event will distract
- Will respond to a different tone of voice will react to their own name
Talking/communication
- Babbles for attention
- Responds to sounds with other sounds
- Puts vowels together when babbling e.g. ah, oh, eh
- Some consonants starting to appear amongst the babbling e.g. m and b
- Expresses when happy or displeased through different sounds
- Laughs
Size of Vocab: 0
Social/Emotional/Play
- Inspects, hits and shakes objects
- Brings objects to mouth
- Likes looking at themselves in the mirror
- Recognizes the difference between familiar faces (parents, siblings) and strangers
- Likes to play with others (parents)
- Curious about toys that make sounds
As parents we want to do the best we can for our children. If a child receives correct support that they need, at the right time they can make significant gains. Early intervention is critically important for children with developmental difficulties (language, physical etc.) to develop the communication skills necessary for future success in their academic and personal lives.
