From five to twelve years old

From 5 years old, the child continues to learn and hone their verbal language skills. As they experience new situations, new words and sentences are tried. In doing this, the child is learning to extend their vocabulary, try out grammar and understand syntax, the way in which words can be combined to make phrases and sentences which make sense. Vocabulary expands to around 10,000 known words as the child starts school.

Learning language is undertaken alongside the development of the child's intellectual ability. Only by starting to understand what is said and then what to say, can the child develop language skills. A child appears to learn more quickly what to say and how to express themselves, through language, if encouraged to have conversations with others at home, at school and playing with friends. One theorist, Vygotsky states that language develops ideally through social interactions. He described 3 forms of language. Social speech, talking with others, private speech, talking to oneself and regulating what is said and inner speech. This equates more to the thought processes that occur.

Language of all types, not only verbal, is essential to developing communication skills.