Communication Skills & General Knowledge

• Coos responsively, makes gurgling sounds
• Follow movement with their eyes
• Have a variety of sounds

Activities For Your Baby:

• Speak to your baby frequently; call out their name to help them locate sounds
• Gently rub and massage your baby's arms, back, legs and tummy
• Place an interesting mobile above the crib

Red Flags:

• Show no reaction to sound
• Child arches their back frequently
• Body posture is floppy or limp
• Doesn’t watch things as they move
• Doesn’t bring hands to mouth

• Begins to babble
• Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain or being tired
• Babbles with expression and copies sounds they hear

Activities For Your Baby:

• Enjoy cuddle time with your baby
• Babies learn when you talk about things your baby sees, hears, and feels
• Encourage your baby to look at you or a toy and get him to follow its movement slowly

Red Flags:

• Hands are tightly fisted
• Child moves one arm towards a toy but the other arm remains still
• Legs are stiffly crossed
• Infant is not responding to friendly cuddles and care
• Doesn’t coo or make sounds

• Smile and babble when given adult attention
• Respond to own name
• Begins to say consonant sounds (jabbering with “m”, “b”)

Activities For Your Baby:

• Read picture books, talk about the pictures, tell stories
• Hold a rattle a short distance from bay’s hand and let her reach for it
• Show actions for “bye-bye” and “blow kisses”

Red Flags:

• Child squints or an eye is turning in or out
• Does not engage in babbling or vocal play
• Consistently has difficulty with soothing
• Child seems very stiff, with tight muscles or very floppy
• Has difficulty getting things to mouth

• Produce four or more different sounds
• Try to imitate sounds and gestures of others
• Uses fingers to point at things
   

Activities For Your Baby:

• Let him feed himself during family meals
• Provide a variety of safe toys to explore and play with
• Roll ball back and forth between you encourages turn taking
   

Red Flags:

• Stands on tiptoes rather than on flat feet.
• Has difficulty moving from a sitting position to hand and knees
• Child has difficulty crawling, for instance, using only one side of their body
• Doesn’t respond to own name
• Doesn’t look to where you point

• Begin to say two to three words
• Responds to simple spoken requests
• Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”
   

Activities For Your Baby:

• Read interactive story books where child can point, imitate and name animals or objects
• Encourage walking with ride-on toys
• Have child point to parts of her body when asked

Red Flags:

• Recurrent ear infections between 6 months and 1 year
• Child is not yet crawling or pulling to stand at furniture
• Doesn’t say single words like “mama” or “dada”
• Can’t stand when supported
• Has trouble grasping small toys with fingers

• Say words such as “more” or “up” to ask for something
• Now has a vocabulary of about 20-50 words
• Points to show someone what he wants

Activities For Your Baby:

• Begins to introduce items that encourage imaginative play such a brooms, telephones, pots and pans
• Do simple shape puzzles and read with your child
• Expand on what your child says. “car” – “yes, the car is going”

Red Flags:

• Arms held in a stiff bent position
• Does not respond to own name or recognize words for familiar objects
• Does not show interest in other children or relate to others
• Child is not yet standing or walking independently
• Is not yet talking or has lost previously acquired language skills

• Use many, even hundreds of words and gestures
• Ask many questions, “What’s this? Where’s my?” Ask for drinks and food
• Says sentences with 2 to 4 words

Activities For Your Baby:

• Teach your child sharing and turn taking within your relationship first
• Offer simple choices (Do you want milk or water?)
• Use songs to assist in transitions such a “clean up, clean up”
   

Red Flags:

• Up on toes when running,
• Poor balance or frequent tripping
• Does not use eye contact or gestures when communicating
• Unable to follow simple instructions
• Displays repetitive mannerisms (flapping hands)

• Children can follow simple directions, for example, “Put your shoes ‘under’ the table or ‘beside’ the door, or ‘on’ the mat
• Carries on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences
• Says first name, age, and sex
   

Activities For Your Baby:

• Take your child to a playgroup or preschool where he can learn to interact and play with children his own age
• Talk with your child about feelings and emotions - help him learn to identify and name them
• Provide simple puzzles and sorting games
   

Red Flags:

• It is difficult to get child’s attention
• Avoids contact with other children, plays alone
• Trip or fall often when walking or running
• Shows a lack of empathy when others are sad or hurt
• Drools or has very unclear speech

• Sing a song or says a poem from memory such as the “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
• Can say first and last name
• Tells stories

Activities For Your Baby:

• Encourage your child not to give up on tasks or games
• When outdoors, talk about things you see and do
• Teach your child her name, phone number and address
   

Red Flags:

• Child’s speech is difficult to understand.
• Stuttering
• Does not show any feeling when they hurt others
• Can’t jump in place
• Resists dressing, sleeping and using the toilet

• Children’s words are clearly understood
• Says name and address
• Tells a simple story using full sentences
   

Activities For Your Baby:

• Draw with your child and talk about her drawing, hang her art in a special place
• Make an ‘all about me’ book with your child (include things they like, friends, favorite food, games etc.)
• Tell a story of your child’s life from birth to present
   

Red Flags:

• Doesn’t show a wide range of emotions
• Doesn’t talk about daily activities or experiences
• Is easily distracted, has trouble focusing on one activity for more than 5 minutes
• Can’t give first or last name
• Hurts animals or others on purpose