Learning & development

Learning & development

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version
In New Zealand, there are a variety of early childhood education (ECE) services. When choosing a service, think about what’s important for you and what will work best for you and your child.
As a parent / caregiver, you are your child’s first teacher and understand them better than anyone else. By talking and playing with them, introducing simple skills and encouraging activity and movement, you can help your child’s development during these important early years.
Becoming a parent is one of the most important and rewarding jobs we can have. However, there are also times when being a parent can be difficult and stressful. A range of resources aimed at supporting you in your parenting role.
Learning to talk involves the development and interaction of many different skills. Although all the elements of communication are linked, they fall into four broad areas: speech sounds, language, voice and fluency.
Right from birth, babies learn language and communication skills and are able to react to different sounds. They will develop skills to understand language long before they start speaking. Each baby will develop these skills at a different rate, although there is a general pattern of early language development.
There is a wide range of what is considered to be normal in a child's language development. No two children say or understand exactly the same things at the same ages. However, there is a series of language stages that most children pass through between the ages of four and five years.
There is a wide range of what is considered normal for when a child can use different speech sounds. Every child develops at a different rate.
There are a range of strategies and techniques which you can use to encourage your child's language development.
A child's ability to use language socially is an important skill which, just like other parts of language, develops gradually over time. Communication involves much more than words and there is a lot for a child to learn.
Volume (loudness), pitch (high or low) and quality (for example; huskiness) are all aspects of speaking related to the voice. Some possible problems and strategies are discussed.
Stuttering (stammering, dysfluency) is a disorder that affects speech fluency (the way words flow easily and naturally). People who stutter know what they want to say, but have trouble saying it because their speech flow is disrupted.