A baby becomes independent - toddler development
The years following the first birthday until the start of school are also full of small "wonders". These will be presented in this article.
13th month of life:
Fine motor skills and hand dexterity: grabs two blocks with one hand / bangs two objects together / holds a pencil with both hands and scribbles
15th month of life:
Gross/fine motor skills: can sit down and stand up by itself / can kneel / can walk a few steps alone / steps are still unsteady / their length and direction are uneven / starts walking and falls over by collapsing / can crawl or walk up stairs
Fine motor skills and hand dexterity: puts things in and out / points with the index finger / unwraps packages / closes round containers / builds a tower with 2-3 blocks / has the ability to touch each fingertip with the thumb
Cognitive development: knows parts of its body / imitates animal sounds / recognizes simple illustrations from its daily life in picture books / fetches and brings things when prompted / can match identical items
Independence: the child can lift, hold, and drink from cups without spilling much / eats on its own with a spoon / attempts to undress itself (shoes, socks)
15th - 18th month of life:
Language: starts combining its own unintelligible sounds with rhythmic emphasis and changes in tone, accompanied by gestures / repeats short sentences (in inappropriate contexts) / speaks about 10 meaningful words / points to things in the environment or in books
Social behavior: becomes more helpful with household chores / shows affection towards family members and friends / enjoys playing - but not yet with other children
18th month of life:
Gross/fine motor skills: walks alone and rarely falls / runs quickly but unsteadily / walks stiffly without much knee movement / climbs stairs when guided by one hand / walks backwards
Fine motor skills and hand dexterity: only when the child can stand and walk alone can the hands be used independently / turns pages in a book, usually 2-3 at a time / builds a tower with 3-4 blocks / carries a doll or stuffed animal / holds the pencil in a fist / draws clear vertical lines, everything else without a specific direction / threads large beads
Cognitive development: recognizes images in the book when named / tries to help with household chores / fulfills requests that require thinking and remembering / sorts 2 sizes, colors, and shapes / distinguishes between square and round
Independence: eats independently, but not without making a mess
18th - 24th month of life:
Language: vocabulary of about 30 words / asks simple questions like "Where to?" / gives simple answers like "bath" / uses possessive words like "my" / uses language to get something, tell something, or make contact
Social behavior: seeks attention (grabs someone by the arm; does what they shouldn't and avoids what they should) / argues less with other children, as it wants playmates
21st month of life:
Gross/fine motor skills: walks / squats while playing / descends stairs when touched by one hand / can play soccer with a large ball / can bend around a corner / can stop quickly while walking
Fine motor skills and hand dexterity: builds towers with 5-6 blocks / enjoys painting with fingers
Cognitive development: can ask for something, e.g., a drink, teddy, etc. / makes progress in recognizing colors and shapes
Independence: can handle a cup well
24th month of life:
Gross/fine motor skills: can alternate between walking and running / foot and knee joints are more flexible / climbs stairs up and down alone, placing both legs on one step / often squats while playing without falling / develops a sense of rhythm and enjoys dance movements
Fine motor skills and hand dexterity: can operate mechanical toys / can turn individual pages of a book / unscrews lids from cans / draws horizontal lines / shapes dough into a sausage / cuts briefly with scissors, holding them with both hands / begins to use the wrist for certain movements
Cognitive development: recognizes features of familiar objects and can describe them / can follow complex instructions / can match colors and images / has a concept of quantities like one and many / spatial orientation is pronounced, it knows its surroundings
Independence: starts to turn the spoon in the mouth / puts on socks / pulls up pants / opens the door with the knob / zips and unzips zippers / starts to notice when it needs to go to the bathroom
24th - 30th month of life:
Social behavior: finds it difficult to give something to others / shows competitive behavior and tries to impose its own will on others / the beginning of defiance / beginning of simple role-playing (whether with people, dolls, or Lego blocks)
24th - 36th month of life:
Language: knows 200 - 300 words / starts to listen when spoken to and becomes increasingly interested in things / language becomes more fluid (with minor "speech errors") / develops language rituals (wants to hear the same story over and over) / begins to use words like "I", "you", and "me" / uses time words like "today" or "tomorrow" but without correct assignment
30th month of life:
Gross/fine motor skills: tries to walk on tiptoes / jumps with both feet at the same time / tries to stand on one leg
Fine motor skills and hand dexterity: builds towers with 8 blocks / holds the pencil more with the fingers than with the fist / imitates folding paper
Cognitive development: can name its own name / counts to three / notices details like a cow's udder / knows basic colors red, yellow, blue / begins to distinguish the front and back of things / begins to match shapes
Independence: can thread a large button through a buttonhole / can take off jacket and pants alone
30th - 36th month of life:
Social behavior: is more independent / approaches other children and makes friends / shows compassion when someone is suffering
36th month of life:
Gross/fine motor skills: walks well / swings arms while walking like an adult / climbs stairs alternating feet / descends stairs with both feet on one step / can jump down from the last step / walks on tiptoes / skillfully "kicks" a ball but can only stand on one leg briefly
Fine motor skills and hand dexterity: builds towers with 9-10 blocks / draws vertical and horizontal lines and a circle / holds scissors in its hand
Cognitive development: can ask questions using question words (what, who, why, ...) / can count to ten / knows its gender / has memory and refers to past experiences / can assemble puzzles of 2-4 pieces / sorts categories like car, animal, etc.
Independence: puts on shoes alone, but not always on the right foot / most children are now (at least during the day) dry
3 - 6 years
Fine motor skills and hand dexterity: by about age 4, a child can cut something fairly accurately
How do I design the children's room - from 0 to 18 years?
First of all: Children bring life and use the whole apartment, not just their room – therefore, a family-friendly apartment is characterized by spaces that are suitable for children (size, furnishings). However, children need space in the apartment for a piece of independence and self-determination: the children's room. This should be adaptable, meaning it can be adjusted according to the child's development. If there are two children, each should have their own area – whether it’s a room or a ‘corner’ in the common area.
Playtime and play area
Children can play different games simultaneously; therefore, do not always insist on immediate cleanup, as the child is likely to return to the first game. SMALL children need A LOT of space to play, and older children would also suffice with a small but private realm. As you can see: each phase of child development presents different demands on the children's room:
up to 2 years: As the child develops emotional attachments to caregivers, acquires basic trust, and develops motor coordination, proximity to caregivers is very important. The child needs a quiet space as well as things to grasp and room to crawl.
from 2 to 6 years: At this age, the feeling of autonomy and initiative grows. The child adapts to the environment through play and, therefore, needs space for undisturbed play, meaning a large play area and materials to play with.
from 6 to 12 years: Now, interaction with peers is in the foreground, along with academic performance and motivation for achievement. For this reason, even larger play areas for joint play, space for school friends, and room for homework are needed.
from 12 to 18 years: The development of one's own lifestyle, identity formation, autonomy (from parents), and the search for a life partner characterize this last phase of childhood. Teenagers therefore need their own space, maximally distant from parental living areas, that can be designed according to their own ideas.
Siblings
If a children's room is used by two children, it can (later) be divided with a room divider/lightweight wall. Apartments with two children's rooms can be used (as long as the children are small) as a shared play and activity room and a somewhat secluded rest and children's bedroom. However, no later than when one child starts school, the children should have separate rooms.
Flooring
Durable, easy to clean, warm, low-emission, and comfortable are the trends in children's rooms. Therefore, wood or parquet floors (very loud!), linoleum/cork, or coconut fibers are particularly suitable in these spaces.
Walls and color design
Soft colors create a calm atmosphere and allow room for personal ideas. Moreover, the room appears larger, especially when not all walls are the same. A wide variety of colors and patterns can, however, make a room quickly look small and overloaded. Bright blue, green, orange, or yellow tones are stimulating for children. When it comes to colors and paints, it's essential to consider their health compatibility. Our tip: read relevant test reports (e.g., Test, ÖKO-TEST) and always use solvent-free paints and colors.
Lighting
Ideally, large windows let in plenty of daylight into the children's room. In dim light, large ceiling lights provide uniform lighting of the room. Spots and floodlights can often create eerie shadows for children and/or dazzle them while playing. It’s better to have focused reading lights at the bed and/or desk: the working light should come from the left for right-handed people and from the right for left-handed people.
Soundproofing
... is achieved through furniture, soft floor coverings, and thick curtains – if necessary, additional wall coverings (hardware store) can be installed on the wall.
Furniture
Better avoid children's furniture that wobbles and squeaks even with gentle shaking in the store. Instead of various inexpensive furniture pieces, it’s better to buy a few durable furniture items. Convertible furniture is particularly useful, e.g., cribs. And here are some things to consider when buying children's furniture (up to 6 years):
Are the edges of the furniture rounded?
Are the doors easy and wide to open and can they be closed without slamming?
Are the drawers easy to open and close, and are they secured against falling out?
Are the surfaces easy to clean?
Is the program expandable (i.e., can additional parts be purchased later)?
Beds
The most important thing about the bed is the mattress: it should definitely be new if it's older and/or has been used a lot. The small body should be able to lie evenly and not form hollows (if it does, the mattress is too soft). If, for example, the core is firm, the surface can be somewhat softer. Beds serve children not only as a sleeping place: they are tumbled, jumped on, and climbed – therefore, a good, stable slatted frame is appropriate. Loft beds (for children from 6 years) allow for double space usage: underneath the bed is room for a second bed, a shop, a play cave, or simply for playing and tumbling. The height should be chosen so that the children have enough space to get into their bed without having to crawl in.
Happy Childhood - Safe Childhood
The (crawling) safe home
You are 1.55m tall when you are small. Your child is less than one meter tall. You have everything in sight, but your child does not. To make your home crawl-safe, try to experience your home from your child's perspective by crawling or scooting around the space. You will be amazed at the wonderful things to discover - not just for your child! And not everything is safe for your little one. Whether it's Mom's decorative marbles or Dad's stereo cables, we have compiled some tips for accident prevention to make your home, your house, and your environment safer for children.
Accident Prevention
Be as cautious as possible.
Never leave your small child alone, not even to quickly open the door.
Never leave your toddler unattended on the changing table; if necessary, place them on the floor if the phone rings so they can't fall down.
At the playground, you must always keep an eye on your toddler, as dangers lurk everywhere for a small child.
Children must always be supervised around fire sources: stove, grill, fireplace.
Create as safe an environment as possible.
Stairs
Equip stairs with anti-slip strips.
Stair/gate safety gates: prevent your baby from crawling quickly down the stairs when you momentarily look away.
Beds
Do not use a pillow in the first few weeks and months, as small babies do not yet have the reflex to turn away if they can’t breathe. There is an increased risk of suffocation.
Furniture or furnishings should not be near a bunk bed.
Securely attach sufficient high guardrails on all four sides of the bed.
A thick, anti-slip rug cushions falls if the little ones misstep.
The height of the top bunk should not exceed 160 cm.
Children should only use the upper bed from the age of six.
There should be at least 16 cm of height from the top of the mattress to the top rail. Keep this in mind when purchasing a mattress.
Anchor your bunk bed with steel brackets to the wall.
Secure the ladder firmly to the bed, as portable climbing aids can easily slip away.
Electronics
Regularly check all electrical cables for damage.
Childproof socket covers.
Secure the stove with safety gates; place pots and pans on the back burners with handles turned back.
Furnishings
Corner protectors on sharp edges and corners.
Windows with childproof, lockable handles, possibly fitted with grilles.
Choose grilles and railings on balconies and stairs with a distance between the bars no more than 10 cm.
Secure shelves and cabinets to prevent tipping over.
Other "Small Items" in the Home
Keep small items that could be swallowed by infants and toddlers (e.g., nuts, beads, button batteries) out of reach.
Remove tripping hazards like cables, slipping rugs, etc.
Store medications, household cleaners, pesticides, and fertilizers securely out of children's reach.
Keep alcohol, tobacco products, matches, and lighters out of children's reach.
Plastic bags and packaging should not be accessible to children.
Put sharp objects (knives, gardening tools, tools, etc.) away after use and always keep them out of children's reach.
Non-slip mats are recommended in the bathtub and shower.
Do not use lamp oils.
Avoid tablecloths.
Always empty your ashtrays.
In the Garden
Secure standing or flowing bodies of water (pool, pond, stream, rain barrel, etc.) with covers or safety rails.
Avoid toxic plants and shrubs.
Children's Clothing
Do not hang a pacifier cord around your child's neck or any necklaces.
When buying children's clothing, ensure there are no cords near the neck, as children can repeatedly strangle themselves by getting stuck on clothing.
Especially in the colder and darker seasons, buy jackets with reflective strips.
Leisure and on the Road
Wear protective gear while participating in sports: for example, when inline skating: helmet, knee, elbow, and wrist guards; when swimming/boating: life jacket.
Wear well-reflecting clothing in the dark.
Regularly check the operational safety of your bicycle.
Always wear a bicycle helmet when cycling.
Equip your bicycle with a child seat and a wheel spoke cover.
In the Car
Use TÜV-approved child seats and infant carriers in the car, securing them with a seatbelt and/or Isofix.
Playpen
Put your baby in the playpen when you leave the room. The playpen serves to protect them when no one can watch and is also a defined play area for the baby, where the baby is in control of its toys.
High Chair
Here, your child not only visually becomes a member of the dining table, being the same height as other family members, but they also sit more safely than on an adult chair raised with cushions. However, you should never leave your child unattended here either, as they could slip through the safety bar, get stuck, and suffocate, or climb out – regardless of how big, small, thick, or thin they are.
Animals
If you had pets before the birth of your child, certain behavior is necessary. Dogs may react jealously to the arrival of your baby and may need several months to accept the child. Therefore, do not exclude your pet from the family by keeping it away from the child or ignoring it. On the contrary: also give your dog a few extra pets and let them participate in family life. Still, never leave your child unattended with the dog.
With a cat, you need to ensure that it doesn’t jump into the crib during an unattended moment and lay on the sleeping child: choking risk!
Regularly deworm your dog and cat and avoid pest infestations with special care products – in consultation with your veterinarian.
Is your child at the crawling age? Then don't leave food bowls on the floor – because what is good for your pet could seriously harm your child.
Practice accident-preventive behaviors with your child, as security comes from practice
Practice with your child how to handle dangerous objects like scissors or knives.
If your child learns to swim early, they can be safer from drowning.
Practice proper behavior in traffic - the child as a pedestrian and the child as a cyclist - from an early age. Very young children (from about 18 months) should learn to stop and look for cars before crossing the street – so these processes become internalized. It is also important that the child knows the traffic situation in front of their own home, as most accidents involving children occur close to their parents' residence.
Teach children to interact correctly with animals, as animals (thankfully) do not tolerate everything, and an animal's reaction is unpredictable – even if the child means well, the animal could react aggressively.
First Aid
Keep emergency numbers next to your phone. This way, you can quickly dial without much thought. Because even such a small number (for Germany) like 112 (fire department) or 110 (police) or 19222 (ambulance) can quickly be forgotten in an emergency. You can get the poison emergency number from your pediatrician, at the pharmacy, or online.
A small note:
We can certainly provide you with some useful tips here online on what you should consider when designing your home to ensure it is child-safe. However, this does not imply that nothing will ever happen to your child. And in case of emergencies, it is advisable to have a first-aid book at home or to download some measures from the internet, for instance, here or at the addresses listed below, as you will not have the time or inclination after an accident to turn on the computer, go online, and search for first-aid measures.
A first-aid course specifically for children offered by various welfare services, such as the Johanniter or Malteser, is also extremely helpful.
How to make your home internet-safe for children
Your child is growing, and so does their interest in electronic media. Naturally, besides television, the internet is a particularly difficult playground, as sex and violence are promoted here like nowhere else. And you know how quickly one can end up on an adult site without intending to!?! Therefore, it is necessary for parents to protect their children from these sites. In the individual internet browsers, you have the option to block content through the respective settings menus. You can read how this works in detail on the help pages of your internet browser or by searching online.
External Childcare
Most women want or need to continue working while raising a child. This is not always easy, especially when there are no grandparents or other relatives available to care for the child. Childcare often becomes a significant issue, as there are still too few external childcare options for children under 3 years old and for school-aged children.
Below, we present various ways for you to arrange external childcare for your child. Finally, you will find testimonials regarding specific solutions.
Childminders
… take care of children from 0 months onwards and are best found through the youth welfare office of the respective city/community or district, ensuring that these are qualified childminders. Childminders are usually parents themselves and care for the children in their homes. The costs for full-time care range from about €300 - 600, and for part-time care, around €200 - 400 per month.
Au Pairs
… are young people aged 18 to 27 from abroad who care for your child(ren) for 6 to 12 months. A prerequisite is that the host family has a free guest room. An au pair commits to taking care of your child(ren) for 30 hours per week, staying home on two evenings to babysit, and participating in light household chores. In return, they receive free room and board, a monthly pass for public transport, a language course, coverage for statutory accident and health insurance, and a monthly allowance of approximately €200. Consequently, parents incur average costs of €500 - 600 per month for childcare.
Childcare for 0-3-Year-Olds
Crèche: Crèches accept children starting from about three months old. The children are cared for in groups of 10 to 12 children by at least two caregivers, either full-time or part-time. Developmentally appropriate activities are offered, such as painting with finger paints or singing toddler-friendly, catchy songs. However, the main focus is on play: the children have ample opportunity for free play and usually also for movement games, ideally taking place outdoors daily.
In full-time care, children receive breakfast, a warm lunch—prepared in the facility's kitchen if it is large or sourced from a central kitchen if smaller—and an afternoon snack. Naptime varies from crèche to crèche: in some facilities, there are set nap times, while others allow children to sleep when they wish.
Opening times vary greatly depending on location and provider. If a child is ill, a parent must stay at home or another form of care (e.g., a childminder) must be used. Monthly fees also vary significantly between locations and can amount to several hundred euros.
Childcare for 3-6-Year-Olds
Kindergarten: Who doesn't know the good old kindergarten? Children from 3 years up to school age can attend. Here, children are supported more than in crèches—in all areas of development. Whether it's joint physical activities or targeted language promotion in small groups: kindergarten is not just for play. A Swiss study showed that children who attend kindergarten transition into school more easily, often perform better academically, and are more socially integrated. Research from the USA even indicated that kindergarten children later exhibit fewer criminal behaviors than others. When the quality of care is right, children benefit from their new experiences in the group: they become more independent, socially competent, and receive stimuli that often aren’t available at home, such as exposure to a first foreign language.
The same rules apply for meals, opening hours, and fees as in crèches.
Childcare for School-Aged Children
After-School Care – the destination for school children in the afternoon. Primarily, elementary school children receive afternoon care here after having lunch in groups of 20 - 25 children supervised by a social educator, a caregiver, and a part-time staff member. The children have the opportunity to relax and engage in physical activities (guided programs, e.g., musical-pantomime-dance presentations). However, the focus of after-school care is on homework support: children can complete their homework at a quiet workspace, and if they have questions, a caregiver is always available to assist them.
Cooperative Facilities: Here, children are cared for in mixed-age groups from crèche age up to school age or just two age groups, i.e. crèche and kindergarten or kindergarten and after-school care. The declining birth rate and the resulting open spots in kindergartens are leading to increasingly more kindergartens opening to other age groups. Therefore, this type of care is likely to continue to increase.
The mentioned institutional care options refer to public facilities but are also offered with special educational concepts, such as Montessori or Waldorf kindergartens.
In the area of childcare, it is advisable to personally inquire at your local youth welfare office about the childcare options available to you, as you will receive the most reliable regional information there.
Links:
www.stmas.bayern.de/kinderbetreuung
Here you will find general information about childcare options in Bavaria.
A site for anyone interested in the theory and practice related to working in kindergartens.
The site of the International Association of Waldorf Kindergartens e.V. provides information about Waldorf education in general and recent news.
A homepage for anyone interested in reform pedagogy approaches in kindergartens and schools or simply curious.
Foreign languages for toddlers
Nowadays, children are growing up in a culturally diverse world. Cultural diversity is experienced in many different ways. It is beneficial when cultural diversity is positively utilized and becomes the foundation for intercultural learning, as cultural openness and cultural self-awareness are increasingly important in the course of globalization. Therefore, children need an environment where they can confidently and naturally engage with other languages and cultures – and this is something that kindergartens should be able to offer today.
Language and language skills have traditionally held less importance in German kindergartens – in contrast to other European countries and the USA – than, for example, social skills. However, there are some kindergartens that offer early foreign language acquisition in various ways, as early foreign language acquisition in kindergarten has many positive aspects.
From a biological perspective, early foreign language acquisition makes sense, as the brain forms more neural connections. The experiences that small children have with languages that are very different from German (such as French, as opposed to English) lead to advantageous brain structures that facilitate the learning of additional foreign languages. The later a second language is learned, the more the learner relies on already-existing neural connections. Therefore, if a greater neural networking occurs earlier, the brain is more flexible in its "path selection," and more paths can be utilized in any potential acquisition of a third or fourth language.
Smaller children love to imitate and do so holistically; that is, in addition to pronunciation, they also imitate body movements, intonations, accents, and so on. This proves particularly beneficial in foreign language acquisition because a precise understanding of ways of life, culture-specific forms of interaction, and meanings is necessary to achieve a high language level—for example, in Greece, nodding the head means "no." This can only be learned in authentic situations: the learner needs a lot of time for language contact and usage.
If foreign languages are learned earlier, there will be more time in school for other subjects, as the tedious and time-consuming introduction to the first foreign language is eliminated, which in turn aligns with the general economic trends in timetable design.
Globalization with its multicultural societies demands intercultural understanding from everyone. Therefore, it is only possible, if at all, in kindergarten to engage lower social classes in issues of cultural coexistence, as at this stage, all social classes can be reached very early. Therefore, a foreign language education embedded in another culture can certainly provide a good foundation here, not only to prevent prejudices and hostilities towards foreigners.
From the existing concepts of some kindergartens or foreign language programs, some aspects are summarized here. They provide parents with a guide to assess whether a foreign language offering is of high quality and/or how the kindergarten could potentially improve it or how it could look. Based on the language development and foreign language acquisition of children, the following criteria for early "foreign language instruction" can be derived: Foreign language acquisition should occur in a language bath, naturalness should prevail in the language acquisition process, the principle of "one person – one language" should apply (this role could also be taken on by a French-speaking "puppet," for example), and exchange and partnership with institutions from the neighboring country should take place where possible.
In any case, the geographical location of a kindergarten should be taken into account. If the kindergarten is near the border, the neighboring language should definitely be offered, simply because here an exchange and personal contact with native speakers is possible for children and educators. If the kindergarten is "in the middle of the country," cooperation with other kindergartens in the area is possible. This provides an opportunity for exchange among educators in case of problems, and it may be easier to recruit a native speaker for foreign language acquisition in this way. It would be sensible to design one day of the week in the foreign language, which rotates, so that all everyday situations could be experienced in the foreign language due to the different daily routines (= naturalness), and the "language bath" is relatively long. This is certainly a significant organizational time commitment, but it would be worthwhile and could also be implemented with cooperating kindergartens. However, even one morning per week with a group of children, where children and educators/"puppet" only communicate in the foreign language, is valuable.
Thus, foreign language acquisition in kindergarten is certainly sensible, and parents should take the opportunity to let their child learn a different language as early as possible – provided it is a high-quality offering.
Information about kindergartens and their foreign language offerings or about private foreign language programs can be obtained from your municipality, community, or district office at the child and youth welfare office.
Detailed information on second language acquisition in early childhood
In contrast to adults and older children, children up to about the age of 8 to 10 learn languages intuitively and through imitation. This learning method typically remains unconscious for the learner and largely follows the principles of first language acquisition.
Initially, language comprehension is significantly greater than language production. A situation is, for example, captured non-verbally, and unknown sound chains are categorized and increasingly filled with meaning based on that. The subsequent language production is a process of creative imitation based on developed insights that continuously approach the structures of the target language. This necessitates a true "language bath," meaning sufficient informational material to be able to build language proficiency. Because only through verbal as well as non-verbal actions and through visualization can language be increasingly accessed. This unconscious process strongly depends on the child's openness to other languages. Since the child already has knowledge in the first language, it is not necessarily dependent on the second language, and therefore the acquisition can be refused in case of rejection. Furthermore, the authenticity of language use plays a significant role. For children in (early) kindergarten, this primarily means associating languages with individuals, i.e., the principle "one person – one language" applies here. The differentiation between a person and a language is not mastered until about the start of school.
In early foreign language acquisition, grammar rules cannot be memorized and applied. Rather, the linguistic structure (= grammar) is inferred from what is heard; thus, a lot of linguistic input is also necessary, because the longer/more often different language situations are provided, the broader the opportunities for intuitive-imitative language acquisition become.
According to the linguistic and intellectual abilities of humans, one should allow naturalness in the language acquisition process. Natural language acquisition involves learning the language through everyday communication, e.g., in the family or the playgroup. This type of language acquisition also occurs in kindergarten – at least for the first language. Language development, and this also applies to the second language, is related to other developmental processes as well. Certain developmental prerequisites must be met, such as in hearing and seeing, in fine motor skills (including tongue and mouth muscles), as well as in the intellectual and emotional-social domains.
In the process of second language acquisition, language mixing and code-switching occur, which exhibit various forms. A language mix is something normal in the context of a society of multilingual friends/adults. Language mixing and code-switching are part of the daily practice of multilingual children’s groups. A distinction is made between interference and language mixing/code-switching. In the case of interference, structural features are transferred from one language to another, leading to errors in the sentence structure of the foreign language. Language mixing occurs when different languages are used in an utterance. There are various reasons for switching to another language, for example, a word is not currently available in the second language. Language mixes happen subconsciously and represent a normal intermediate stage in second language acquisition. So-called errors facilitate children’s entry into a second language and are usually gradually reduced.
In contrast to first language acquisition, preschool children intuitively use their prior knowledge and experiences to orient themselves and communicate in the second language. This knowledge includes, for example, that language is organized in sentences. Initially, many children use a simple sentence structure that they apply whenever possible, e.g., fixed phrases like "Sit down please!" Children develop strategies that provide them orientation and ease the entry into the new language world. Here, they often rely on the principle of simplification and omission.
Most children are aware that they are navigating in different language systems that they can distinguish, at least to some extent, intuitively. This becomes visible through their ability to adjust their language choice based on their interlocutor. However, the ability to separate, that is, the capability to distinguish between the two languages, should be practiced regularly during specific occasions, such as circle time, where only one language is spoken for a limited period.
