Gayle Peterson Gayle Peterson, MSSW, PhD is a family therapist specializing in prenatal and family development. Your daughter is making her own personal discovery about how the world works. Language development is essential to higher thinking. Taking the time to talk to your child pays off in the ability to develop higher reasoning skills. We use words to think.
Words are symbolic representations of ideas and concepts.
The more your child has practice linking explanations to events, or enjoys following the concepts presented in a story you read, the greater the opportunity your child has to develop a vocabulary which can be used for independent thinking and abstract reasoning. Words are tools for abstract thinking. Reading stories and telling stories about what the family's plans are for the next day, encourages your child to visualize the future. Let's take a brief look at some of the things that a child this age is likely to be capable of, and how these abilities interact in your child's development. You might notice that she can whisper, walk on tiptoes, use the toilet and feed herself.