A child's early experience of language is considered fundamental to their later success. Science shows that children, even in the womb, can hear and respond to the language to which they are exposed.  For this reason, expectant mothers are encouraged to talk to the fetuses and prepare them for language development even before they are born.

Study shows that spoken language can have lasting effects on a child’s future educational achievements. Written language also offers a wider and more detailed vocabulary compared to spoken language. This can help children to build their vocabulary base and content knowledge.

During pre-school, children learn to read by learning the sounds letters make as well as how to form words with those letters. This is preliminary to improve the skills required to understand how language works.

When formal education starts, literacy becomes a major focus. During this stage, the goal is to ensure that children learn to read and write. Children are taught that speech has patterns and symbols have meaning. Successful language development, therefore, provides room for later achievement in reading.

Language development is very crucial as it set the basis for the reading and writing skills in children. With language, children can connect with teachers and peers, express their views, ask questions and make submissions in class.

More importantly, language development also supports a child’s thinking ability. Again, as social beings, children’s language skills are significant to enable them to create and maintain relationships.

Children are, therefore, encouraged to master language. This ranges from the sound structure of words to the grammatical structure of sentences. Improving upon language is expected to facilitate the art of reading. Reading, as a vital literacy skill, ultimately affects a child’s progress in life.

REFERENCES

Information from the BBC, www.child-encyclopedia.com, www.hope-amc.com was used in this story

Info from the BBC

Info from AMC.com

Info from childencyclopedia.com