ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Phonological development

Phonological development is a term that refers to how children learn to use and produce sounds in language. When we speak, we use different sounds to form words and phrases. Children start learning these sounds from a very young age, and they slowly improve their ability to use and understand them over time.

When children are born, they can produce only a few sounds, such as crying and cooing. As they grow and develop, they start to make more sounds, such as babbling and laughing. These are the first steps in phonological development.

As children continue to develop, they start to use single words and then short phrases. At this stage, they may sometimes mispronounce words or substitute one sound for another. For example, they may say “wabbit” instead of “rabbit”. This is because they are still learning how to produce and use the different sounds in language.

As children get older, their ability to use and understand sounds improves. They start to use more complex words and sentences, and their pronunciation becomes more accurate. This is because their brains are maturing and they are getting more practice using and listening to language.

Phonological development is an important part of language development. It lays the foundation for children to be able to communicate effectively with others. As children continue to improve their phonological skills, they become better at reading and writing, as well as speaking and listening.