4 Listen and complete the blanks in the text.
Infant or 1. __________________ is the term used to refer to young children from birth up to the age of about 2. __________________ years old. A crying baby may be trying to express a variety of feelings including hunger, discomfort, 3. __________________, boredom or some other need.
- __________________ is the term for a young child who is learning to 5. __________________. Toddling is the stage of development between infancy and childhood, and usually begins between the ages of 6. __________________ and 7. __________________ months. During this stage, the child learns a lot about social roles and develops 8. __________________ skills. A 9. __________________ is a human being between the stages of birth and 10. __________________. Biologically, a child is anyone in the developmental stage of childhood, between infancy and adulthood, although the age range for a child is considered to be between 11. __________________ and 12. __________________ years old.
5 Complete each space with the most suitable word, choosing from the ones below.
adolescence • baby • child • puberty • teenagers • toddler
- They have got two children: Rosie, a pretty ten-year-old girl, and Jason, a __________________ who’s only 18 months old.
- She was holding the __________________ in her arms trying to get it to sleep.
- After __________________, her body changed and she soon turned into the beautiful young woman she is today.
- The family is the __________________’s first learning environment.
- __________________ may be a very difficult time for parents, who have to struggle with their child’s desire to be autonomous.
- __________________ sometimes worry about their body image, and think they are too tall, short, thin or fat.
6 Describe the picture above.
THE TERRIBLE TWOS
Both parents and paediatricians often speak of the “terrible twos”. It’s a normal developmental phase experienced by young children. During this stage, children want to explore their environment and do what they want on their own terms. It is normal and expected behaviour. However, because their verbal, physical and emotional skills are not completely developed, they can easily become frustrated when they fail to adequately communicate or perform a task.
The following are examples of situations that may cause frustration for a 2-year-old:
- Children do not have the language skills to clearly indicate what they want,
- They may not have the patience to wait their turn,
- They may overestimate their hand-eye coordination and not be able to do what they desperately want to.
GLOSSARY
attention span: capacità di concentrazione
aware: consapevole
behaviour: comportamento
boisterous: allegro e chiassoso
gain: acquisire
grown-up: da grandi
play make-believe: giocare a fare finta di...
to pretend: simulare
to share: condividere
to take turns: fare a turno
toddler: bimbo/a ai primi passi