How does a child learn to think, understand and communicate from birth to five years?
Intellectual development from birth to five years, the stages of communication and language development, how adults can support learning and language, and the factors that affect them.
A focused CCEA GCSE Child Development answer on intellectual development from birth to five years, the stages of communication and language, how adults support learning and talk, and the factors that affect them.
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What this dot point is asking
CCEA wants you to describe how a child's thinking (intellectual development) and communication and language develop from birth to five years, how adults can support both, and what factors affect them. These are two of the four areas of development (the I and part of the S in PIES, sometimes shown as intellectual and communication/language).
Intellectual development
Babies learn first through their senses (looking, listening, touching and mouthing objects) and through repeating actions. As they grow they learn cause and effect (banging a drum makes a noise), develop memory and concentration, and start to count, sort, match and imagine. By the pre-school years a child can do simple puzzles, recognise colours and shapes, count small numbers, and use pretend play to make sense of the world. Much intellectual development happens through play, which is why play and learning are closely linked.
Communication and language development
Communication is more than speech: it includes listening, understanding, facial expression and gesture (such as pointing) as well as talking. Children usually understand more than they can say. By five, most can hold a conversation, tell a simple story and follow instructions.
How adults support learning and language
Adults play a huge part. They support intellectual development by providing stimulating play, books, puzzles and new experiences, and by encouraging curiosity. They support language by talking to the child and naming things, reading books, singing songs and rhymes, listening and responding, repeating and extending what the child says, and giving the child time to reply. A language-rich, responsive environment makes a real difference.
Factors affecting intellectual and language development
These include the amount of talk and interaction a child receives, stimulation and play opportunities, books and new experiences, the child's health (including hearing, since hearing problems can delay language) and diet, and a secure, encouraging environment. A child who is talked to, read to and played with develops faster than one who is left without interaction.
Examples in context
- Example 1. Learning cause and effect
- A baby drops a toy from the highchair again and again and watches it fall, learning that its action causes something to happen. This everyday play is real intellectual development, the kind of example CCEA rewards.
- Example 2. Extending a child's words
- When a toddler points and says "car", the adult replies "yes, a red car going fast", adding vocabulary and modelling a sentence. This shows how responsive talk supports language development.
- Example 3. Hearing affecting language
- A child with repeated ear infections is slow to start talking; once the hearing problem is treated, language quickly improves. This illustrates how health, especially hearing, affects language development.
Try this
Q1. Put these language stages in order: first words, babbling, cooing, two-word phrases. [2 marks]
- Cue. Cooing, babbling, first words, two-word phrases.
Q2. Give two ways an adult can support a young child's intellectual development. [2 marks]
- Cue. Any two of: provide stimulating play/puzzles, read books, offer new experiences, encourage curiosity, talk about what they see.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA Unit 2 style6 marksDescribe how a child's language develops from birth to about three years.Show worked answer →
Up to six marks for the stages in a sensible order.
A newborn communicates by crying. By around three months a baby coos and gurgles, and smiles in response to a voice.
By around six to nine months it babbles, repeating sounds such as "ba-ba" and "da-da".
Around the first year it says its first proper words.
Between one and two years it builds a vocabulary of single words, then begins to join two words together ("more juice").
By around three it speaks in short sentences and can be understood by others, asking lots of questions.
Markers reward the correct order: crying, cooing, babbling, first words, two-word phrases, short sentences.
CCEA Unit 2 style4 marksSuggest two ways an adult can help a young child's language development.Show worked answer →
Two marks per way for a clear method with a reason, up to four marks.
Talk to the child often and name objects and actions, so the child hears and copies new words and learns what they mean.
Read books and sing songs and rhymes together, which introduce new words, sounds and patterns of language in an enjoyable way.
Other acceptable answers: listen and respond to the child, repeat and extend what they say, give them time to answer, and limit screen time in favour of conversation. Each must be explained.
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