Oklahoma State Assessment Test (OSAT) Early Childhood Education Practice Test

What age range begins to speak clearly and use emotion words?

1. Birth to 8 months

2. 8 to 18 months

3. 18 to 36 months

4. 36 to 48 months

The correct answer is: 36 to 48 months

The correct age range for beginning to speak clearly and use emotion words is from 36 to 48 months. During this developmental stage, children typically experience significant advancements in their language skills. By this age, they can form more complex sentences, articulate their thoughts more clearly, and express a broader range of emotions through words. This period aligns with important milestones in cognitive and social-emotional development, where children start to not only communicate their needs but also share feelings such as happiness, sadness, and frustration. This ability to express emotions verbally enhances their engagement with peers and adults, promoting more meaningful interactions. In contrast, the earlier age ranges mainly involve the foundational stages of language development. Birth to 8 months focuses on cooing and babbling, while 8 to 18 months marks the onset of single-word utterances and the beginnings of vocabulary acquisition. Ages 18 to 36 months do show the initiation of more basic sentences; however, full clarity and the ability to consistently use emotion words develop further along, solidifying the 36 to 48 months range as the period where these skills are more fully realized.