Speech & Language Developmental Milestones
From 2 to 3 Years Old
Expressive Language Skills
has a word for most things
puts two, three and four words together
uses simple sentences much like telegraphic speech: Mommy go car. Doggie eat cookie.
talks about things, asks for things, asks questions
verbs emerge, begins to use ~ing
uses quantity concepts - two, three, many, some
uses location concepts - in, on, under
uses simple plurals
has about 1000 words in his repertoire
you'll understand about three-fourths of what he says
Receptive Language Skills
expands receptive language
listens to and remembers simple stories
identifies actions in pictures
follows two requests: Get the ball and give it to the dog.
begins to match color
understands opposites go-stop, big-little, up-down
understands in-on-under
understands one-all
understands words quickly
Conversations with your toddler are becoming easier to understand
Your child is developing more speech sounds. The difficult sounds will be substituted by easier to pronounce sounds, and consonant blends will be simplified: she'll say teefor tree, buefor blue, cash for crash.You'll be able to understand about 75% of what she says.
She'll talk about things that happened in the past and things that will happen in the future. The use of verbs will increase as does the complexity of her grammar.
She'll ask questions. When she doesn't understand she'll ask you with a what? or grimace to clarify what you've said to her.
You'll also observe your toddler's ability to talk to babies in a different style, and by three she may even use another style when talking with adults.
If you’re concerned that your child is a little behind and just can’t seem to catch up to where he should be, talk with your pediatrician.
Remember not to wait too long if you’re concerned; the “gap” may get larger as your child gets older.