Developmental Milestones and Changes

Overview

Public library early childhood services are designed for youth ages 0-5, and also address the early literacy development roles played by adult caregivers, including parents, guardians, grandparents, and early childhood educators.

The first few years of life are an important time for brain development in young children, and providing enriching, focused, and purposeful library programming that emphasizes early literacy skills can assist with this process. Not only does library programming provide fun opportunities for children to practice and strengthen their cognitive and developmental skills, it is also a wonderful way to connect with families and caregivers to model early literacy practices that they can use at home with their children.

Learning Begins at Birth

Dorothy Butler, in Babies Need Books (1988), reinforces the belief that learning begins at birth.  Books play an important role in development, as language stands head and shoulders over all other tools as an instrument of learning.  

She notes: “Scientists once told us that approximately one-half of a person’s ultimate intelligence is developed by the age of four.  Now they stress one cannot overestimate the vital nature of children’s experiences before they ever enter school.  What happens in this crucial learning period matters.” While children and adults can learn and have enriching experiences at any age, starting from birth can help children learn and practice the skills that will help them learn and grow in life.

While you do not have to be an expert on all of the milestones, having a general sense of growth and development during this time will help you better serve your children and their families.  

See the workbook for additional resources and more detailed information on developmental stages for young children.

Brain Development

Image: A series of MRI images shows a child’s brain development from birth (left) to 1 year old (center) and 2 years old (right). Credit: Journal of Neuroscience

Here are some facts about early childhood development that demonstrate how much growth and learning is happening during the ages 0 - 5:

• At birth a child has 100 billion neurons and 50 trillion connections called synapses. 
• Up to a quadrillion additional connections will be made after birth as a result of sensory experiences. 
• Sensory experiences such as the sound of a parent’s voice or a gentle touch actually create the complicated circuitry “wiring” the brain.
•  Every child exhibits a unique rate and pattern of educational progress during the early years.
•  The difference between the 6-year-old and 14-year-old brain scan image is the result of “pruning,” where the brain cleans out pathways and connections that are not used often. That is why the 14 year old brain scan is less dense. Creating more pathways and connections when children are young can help them retain that knowledge and information when they are older.

Researchers believe the more positive experiences a child has, the more synapses their brain has, and the greater chance the child has for successful lifelong learning experiences and emotional well-being.

Every Child Ready 2 Read: Early Literacy Framework

Parents are a child’s first teacher.  To support and encourage parents during these early years of their child’s life, particularly in the area of early literacy, Montana libraries are encouraged to use the Ready 2 Read framework.

Talk, Sing, Read, Write, Play

There are five key activities the Every Child Ready to Read program suggests can be done with children to encourage the development of early literacy skills, which are talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing. Librarians can model these practices in their programming to provide ideas and examples for families to practice with their children at home. While libraries are important in providing fun and engaging opportunities for learning, families and caregivers are truly their children’s first and most important teachers, and empowering them to practice these skills with their children can be impactful.

• TALKING introduces new words and helps children understand oral language.  Ask questions about the book as you read together.
• SINGING helps children break down words and to hear their smaller parts.  Sing songs and use rhymes with children.
• READING books aloud and pointing out text in the world around you introduces children to new words and lets them know that print is everywhere. They also learn how books work and about narrative structure.
• WRITING allows children to hone their fine motor skills and to build hand strength.  Before they are ready to write words they can scribble, draw, make crafts, hold items like scarves and shakers, and trace letters.
• PLAYING offers a host of benefits, including the opportunity to practice putting thoughts into words. Use puppets or objects to retell a story.

Please watch the following video (6:16) from the Gail Borden Public Library that explains their early literacy program, the skills that parents and families can help their children practice, and why this is important to young children.

   (~6:16)

We encourage you to seek out additional training on the early literacy practices found in Every Child Ready to Read, available either at the state level or nationally.

To learn more about Montana's early literacy resources, please contact the Lifelong Learning Librarian, Bobbi deMontigny. Please also see the workbook for more information on Every Child Ready to Read.