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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Developmental Stages and Milestones

Critical period

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

nounCommon term

In child development & early education, critical period means: A window of time in development when a particular skill or ability develops most easily, and after which it may be much harder to develop.

In Turkish: kritik dönem, hassas dönem

How it is used

Used in textbooks about vision, hearing and language. Many researchers prefer sensitive period, which suggests a time of greater ease rather than a strict deadline. Maria Montessori also used 'sensitive periods' in her own way.

Example sentences

  1. Some researchers argue there is a critical period for learning the sounds of a language.

  2. The idea of a critical period first came from studies of imprinting in animals.

Common collocations

  • critical period for language
  • sensitive period
  • window of opportunity
  • early brain development
  • nature and nurtureThe two main influences on development: nature means what we inherit through our genes, and nurture means experience, care and the environment.
  • language developmentThe process by which children learn to understand and use language, from crying and babbling to words, sentences and conversation.
  • child developmentThe physical, mental, language, social and emotional changes that happen as a child grows from birth to adolescence, and the subject that studies these changes.
  • milestoneA skill that most children learn within a typical age range, such as smiling, sitting without support, walking or saying first words, used to follow a child's progress.

More terms: Developmental Stages and Milestones

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