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The first stages of language development begin at birth and continue throughout the early years of a child鈥檚 life. Although early childhood is a critical time for children to build communication skills, the idea that language development stops there is a misconception. In fact, while your child may have spoken their first words as a baby or toddler, this is just the beginning; it serves as a mere foundation for other skills, such as verbally expressing their needs and wants and learning to read and write later in life. In adolescence, these basic skills will flourish as words gain deeper meaning and kids explore more complex ways to use language at home, with peers, and in academic settings.

Language development in adolescents

Young children develop language skills in five main stages: pre-linguistic, babbling, first words, two words, and telegraphic. Throughout this journey, they progress from communicating through sounds and short phrases to simple sentences. Over time, they鈥檒l develop the ability to speak in more complex phrases and full sentences, usually by age 5.

But as language development continues through adolescence, your child鈥檚 linguistic abilities will expand far beyond the number of words they can use. They鈥檒l also gain a more mature understanding of language concepts, such as word connotations, figurative language, and shades of meaning. In other words, your tween or teen can understand non-literal phrases and exaggerated language (e.g. 鈥渋t鈥檚 raining cats and dogs鈥�) and explain what they mean. And they鈥檒l use a variety of words like glad, excited, and overjoyed, with an understanding of how each word expresses a different level of happiness.

Language is a significant communication tool when it comes to your adolescent鈥檚 social-emotional learning (SEL) and overall mental health. When children can express their thoughts and feelings about issues such as bullying, low self-esteem, and peer pressure, this can help them seek the support and guidance they need from trusted adults and peers. They鈥檒l need language and literacy skills to practice and reading books about SEL topics such as conflict resolution, kindness, and courage, too. For these reasons, it鈥檚 important to strengthen your child鈥檚 language development skills as they will work hand in hand with other essential areas of their development.

Academic and social language in adolescents

Children use language in many ways, both academically and socially. Adolescents tend to develop a general understanding of how they should use language in different settings based on norms, expectations, and culture. For instance, your tween or teen may easily switch from writing with perfect grammar at school to chatting through text abbreviations and slang with friends. For English language learners (ELLs), language expectations might differ at home and at school, but could also intertwine based on norms in each setting. This might look like speaking English during class discussions but talking to friends in 鈥淪panglish鈥� during lunchtime, for example. Code-switching, or shifting from one language or dialect to another based on social contexts and settings, may also be common among adolescents of color who use interchangeably with Standard English.

Although social language expectations can be loosely interpreted in various ways among adolescents, academic language is usually pretty cut and dry. In school settings, the focus is mainly set on learning new ways to express themselves through speaking and writing. This often includes skills such as:

• Giving oral presentations with or without digital tools.
• Engaging in thoughtful class discussions with both large and small groups.
• Understanding how and why people write for various reasons (analyzing text structures, identifying the author鈥檚 purpose, etc.).
• Using proper capitalization, punctuation, and grammar in writing assignments.
• Exploring word origins, roots, and meanings.
• Writing poetry and drama.

As your child gains an understanding of how expressive language (what they say) works in more complex ways, they鈥檒l also build receptive language (what they hear) skills through reading and listening. This includes reading comprehension and the ability to not only understand what they鈥檝e read, but also ask and answer questions about the text.

Strategies for fostering communication

You can help your child build important language development skills at home by fostering open communication, promoting literacy, and expanding their vocabulary.

Fun, simple strategies to help strengthen your adolescent鈥檚 linguistic abilities

• Play board games that involve skills, such as spelling and thinking critically about words like , , and . You can play Charades, I Spy, and other no-prep games to help your child dig deep into their mental word bank, too.
• Teach your child how to use resource materials, such as a dictionary or thesaurus, to explore words, their meanings, synonyms, antonyms, and other helpful information, such as how they are used and their connotations. This skill can help them build their vocabulary and further understand how to use written and spoken language in more flexible ways.
• Promote reading for fun at home as you discover your child鈥檚 literary interests. Help them explore various types of books and genres (e.g., science fiction, history, graphic novels, chapter books, book series, etc.) to find their favorites. Since , this can help break any negative stigmas they may have about reading. You can also try starting a book club with your child and fellow parents to create adult-child bonding moments through literacy.
• Actively engage in frequent conversations with your child to establish trust and open communication at home. Help your child feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, feelings, and life experiences as you listen and offer support as needed.
• Encourage your child to participate in hobbies and extracurricular activities that can help them build language skills. This could include activities such as playing crossword puzzles for fun or joining the school debate team to sharpen their public speaking skills.

Preparing your tween or teen for the future

Language development can be a big deal for adolescents, especially in later years as they prepare for real-world experiences in adulthood.You can help your child confidently utilize language and communication skills as career tools when you nurture these skills at home. Whether it鈥檚 participating in corporate meetings, delivering the perfect presentation, or providing excellent customer service, they鈥檒l often use speaking and listening skills to get the job done once they enter the workforce. Ask your child to think about how language development can help them prepare for their prospective career path. What type of communication skills will they need in or order to be successful in this field? How can they use what they know about language, vocabulary, and other learning areas (e.g., math, science, etc.) in their future careers?

Developing healthy communication skills throughout childhood can also be beneficial for adult relationships in the future. As your child learns how to verbally express their emotions, resolve conflicts by 鈥渢alking it out,鈥� respectfully disagreeing, and other valuable communication and social skills, they are developing life skills that will help them interact with colleagues, friends, and loved ones. shows a connection between strong communication skills and healthy interpersonal relationships. Adolescents who demonstrate self-efficacy and confidence tend to communicate better in social situations, according to these studies. As a parent, you can model these skills at home and offer support when your child struggles with effectively communicating their needs, wants, emotions, and opinions. This can help reduce negative behaviors such as angry outbursts in future relationships, both personal and professional.

Language development in adolescence evolves from earlier stages as tweens and teens build on previous knowledge to explore language in new ways. They鈥檒l develop more complex verbal communication, literacy, and social skills as they explore how people use language in various settings. This process will help them prepare for future endeavors such as college, careers, and romantic relationships. They鈥檒l also discover how being a great communicator can be a valuable life skill and a possible predictor of success. Parents can support their adolescent鈥檚 language development through home activities, effective communication, and continued guidance as they transition from middle school and high school to real-world environments.