Language and Literacy Development Stages for Children 0 to 2

Children may:

-          Cry to communicate their needs such as a diaper change, food, or sleep

-          Show an interest in listening to recognizable songs and rhymes

-          Play basic games including peekaboo or pattycake

-          Enjoy books that contain large pictures, bright colors, engaging photos, touch-and-feel, texture

-          Experiment and play with language by using sounds that imitate  adult tones and rhythm

-          Understand that speech is a form of human communication

-          Comprehend and perform simple instructions

-          Blend a consonant sound to a vowel sound, such as ma ma or da da

-          Orally name single objects

-          Use holophrases to communicate their needs, such as simply saying water to mean I am thirsty and would like a drink of water

Strategies for Parents to Help Kids Develop Their Literacy Abilities

-          Set a designated time out of your busy day to read aloud to your children, whether it is in the morning, before bedtime, or even during bath time. Infants and toddlers specifically enjoy poems, simple rhymes, and predictable texts that are fun for parents to read aloud while bonding with their children.

-          Focus on stories that contain simple sentences with pictures that illustrate the text.

-          Durable books are a great size for small children to handle. These books can come in cardboard or plastic, and can be washable.

-          Books that contain familiar objects or children doing recognizable things are great to read aloud. The toddlers can interact with the text, pointing to familiar objects and activities such as balls, sleeping, or playing. With animal books, the toddlers can imitate the various sounds that animals make while pointing to their picture.

High Quality Children's Books for Parents and Children to Read

Carle, E. (2000). Does a kangaroo have a mother, too?. New York: HarperCollins.




Eric Carle is a tremendous children’s author and illustrator. His picture book, Does A Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? contains a simple story line with plenty of repetition. The colorful illustrations in the text are engaging to toddlers, and they are able to recognize many familiar animals.

While reading aloud the text, you can ask your children to point to specific animals on the pages including the penguin, swan or fox. In addition as a follow-up activity, you can ask your children to imitate the sounds that particular animals make, including cows, cats or dogs. Seeing that the storyline of the text asks the same question: “Does a money/ dolphin/ lion have a mother, too?” and the response is always a big and bright “YES!,” a questions that you can ask your children is to predict what they think the answer will be towards the end of the story to the variations of the same question.

Brown, M. W. (2003). Big red barn a musical literacy kit.. Belleville, Ill.: Playful Harmonies.






Big Red Barn is a calming book that shares with the audience a day in the life at the barnyard. The text is simple, yet rhythmic, and contains vibrant illustrations. This particular version of the story contains a literacy kit, where the toddler can listen along. The big red barn is a place where the animals, including pigs, goats, horses, cows, and roosters play and sleep.

While reading this book aloud to your children, you can ask them to point to the various animals on the pages. In addition, you can ask them to what sounds these animals make. Along with focusing on the animals and their sounds, this book can be implemented to teach colors. During the read aloud, ask your child to point to the pink pig or red barn. An activity that can be completed after reading aloud this text includes having flashcards of familiar, yet various farm animals and asking your child to imitate the sounds that they make.

Martin, B., & Carle, E. (2007). Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?. New York: H. Holt.






Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a classic book that teaches colors and animal names. The text is formatted in a rhyming pattern and is predictable. This story is an amusing read along for toddlers and they enjoy guessing which animal will be coming next!

This text is a great read aloud to toddlers to help them identify images. Ask your children as you are reading aloud to them to point to the different objects in the story. As a parent, you can ask your child what color the horse is or the frog. For an activity, read the story aloud once. Since there is an evident pattern to identify the next rhyme, have the child chime in with you as you are reading the story a second time to guess which animal will come next.