Language Sensitivity for Ages 0–6

What exactly is the "critical period for language from ages 0 to 6" that most parenting journals and educators emphasize?

The sensitive period for language is the stage when children are most interested in language and have the strongest desire to learn.

Montessori pointed out that this concept means "children develop strong motivation and curiosity to learn specific behaviors and actions at different ages or stages. Sensitive periods are fleeting; once missed, they will not reappear."

Children in their sensitive period for language are full of curiosity about speech. If parents can provide "meaningful feedback" during this period, their children's logical thinking, cognitive skills, and communication abilities will be far superior.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, numerous linguists and educators offered recommendations on meaningful parent-child feedback. Studies conducted by professors such as Olson, Bates, and Bayles in 1984 and 1986 indicated that maternal responsiveness has a crucial impact on a child's vocabulary and language development.

Simply put, when children enter the stage of asking a hundred thousand questions: "Why does it light up?" "Why does water come out when I turn on the tap?" "Why are there earthquakes?" "Why? Why? Why?"

Most parents respond differently depending on work stress or their mood that day, and some parents give negative responses because they find it "annoying": "Ugh! So annoying, why are there so many questions?!"

In fact, as early as 1973, Professor Nelson shared insights on such responses, noting that if parents respond to children during their sensitive period for language with limited vocabulary, inappropriate words, or a negative attitude, it will adversely affect the child's language development.

Due to work, many parents also directly assume that nurturing a child's language skills (both native language and English) is the school teachers' responsibility. However, we all know that the true, optimal time for bonding and learning is during parent-child time spent together.

In 1989, professors such as Furstenberg, Brooks-Gunn, & Chase-Lansdale conducted research on "unwed teenage mothers and their children's language development." The results showed that as these children grew up, their expressive language skills and linguistic-logical frameworks were far behind those of their peers.

Parenting Tip

Fill your child's life with language!

Chatting with them, reading repeatedly, and reading picture books they are interested in out loud to them helps build their mental database. Never read with them through testing, moralistic preaching, or purpose-driven methods, as that will spoil their appetite for reading.

So, what should parenting look like after the age of 6?

In our next column, we will explore: How do teachers cultivate children's language sensitivity in the classroom? And why does "language sensitivity" remain important as they grow up?