Domain: NC Foundations for Early Learning: Language Development and Communication (LDC)

Subdomain: Learning to Communicate

Goal: Children understand communications from others.

Skill Progression: Understand communication from others

Age: 8-10 Months

Click here to go to all skills for ages 8-10 Months.

Observe the infant and adult in interaction in play or a daily routine.

If the adult does not spontaneously give a command with a gesture (e.g., “Give me….,” with outreached hand; “Get the…,” with a point) ask the adult to do so.

The child responds to familiar words by looking or reaching (“Do you want milk?”) looks at bottle or crawls to Mom.

Help early childhood educators and parents understand the importance of gestures to the child’s language comprehension. Holding up an object and pointing toward the subject of conversation helps the infant pair the word with the item or person being labeled. When the same item is identified numerous times, the child may no longer need the gesture to understand the topic of conversation.