2 To 6 Years Old Child Development Study Metaphor Comprehension

The Metaphor research showing the multi-levels postures have made the scope of the study extended from adults to children, but the research conclusion on children’s metaphor comprehension is variant both here and abroad; internal empirical research on that is far from sufficient either. The author hopes that through the research of metaphor comprehension on children aged2to6, the domestic research could be enriched, and in additional, the author expects to provide theoretical supports and guidance to nursery education and teaching activities.By the way of the testing, this study analyzed the development and characteristics of metaphor comprehension, age differences, gender differences and etc; it explored the level of metaphor comprehension of children in this age group, the age differences and reasons as well. According to the proportion of different types of explaining, the characteristics and its influencing factors of metaphor comprehension of children aged2-6is concluded.The results show that between the ages2to6, children’s ability of metaphor comprehension is growing gradually. Specifically, it rarely appears when they are aged2and3, but when they are4years old, it changes significantly. Children’s understanding of the physical similarity metaphor is better than that of the psychological similarity metaphor, besides, they show a better ability to the physical similarity metaphors based on colors and shapes. There are no differences or there aren’t obvious differences between boys and girls. The children show a series of characteristics in the process of understanding as follows:they may be easily influenced by their existing experiences of learning and life; due to the restrictions on their level of intellectual development, children mainly take the superficiality and physical property of metaphor into consideration which leads a literal interpretation; usually, children are apt to give an explanation to metaphor based on divergent thinking of both tenor and vehicle. Their strong sense of self-centered leads to poor understandings of things from the internal relations; they regard subject feelings as realities, which lead to an understanding with a certain degree of subjective awareness.According to the reality of development and characteristics of metaphor comprehension, age differences and gender differences of children aged2to6; the researcher proposes some suggestions for nursery education and teaching activities, especially for language teaching activities, as follows:Educators should set reasonable goals which suit the children’s comprehension level; Educators should provide a variety of channels to stimulate and guide the children to experience the inner meanings of languages; Educators should promote the integrated development of pre-school children as well as rhetorical ability.