Speech and Language Milestones
- Names several colors
- Understands “yesterday,” “summer”, “lunchtime”, “tonight”, “little-big”
- Follows requests like “put the block under the chair”
- Enjoys books, simple songs, nursery rhymes, silly words, and stories
- Most of what they say can be understood
- Puts words together to form 3-5-word sentences
- Asks and answers “who”, “what”, and “where” questions
- Asks LOTS of questions
- Likes to talk and have conversations with people
- Uses pronouns “I”, “you” and “me”
- Knows their name, gender, and a number of nursery rhymes
- Knows some prepositions (position words) such as in, on, and under
- Often makes mistakes with negatives and use “double negatives” ie: “I don’t not want to go”
- Begins to recognize some letters and words (e.g. recognizes “stop” sign, the “M” for McDonalds, etc.)
- Sorts (match) objects by: function (find something you play with, wear, etc); size (big, little); familiar colors
- Is developing number concepts – can give you 1, more, or all of something
- Counts objects, even if they don’t have all the numbers correct
- May repeat sounds, words, or phrases (may sound like stuttering)
- Stays with one activity for 8-10 minutes
Activities to encourage child speech and language development
- Repeat and expand phrases (i.e. “want more milk” becomes “Can I have more milk”)
- Model correct sound productions
- Model correct question forms, pronoun use and verb tenses
- Talk about how objects are the same or different
- Encourage telling stories using books and pictures
- Encourage play with other children
- Reinforce turn taking in play and in speech
- Read longer stories, have them tell the story back to you
- Pay attention / make eye contact while talking and listening
- Talk about places you’ve been or will be going (daily schedule or routine)
Speech Development Warning Signs:
Contact Speech Matters, LLC if your child demonstrates difficulty with:
- Interest in talking to adults or children
- Language not growing in length or complexity
- Poor sorting or matching skills
- Difficulty answering questions: what, what-doing, where
- Difficulty following commands
- Not asking who, what, or where questions
- Poor speech production: not easily understood by family members or familiar people in their life
- Limited self-vocalization during pretend play activities