Begins to Use Combinations of Words in Meaningful Ways (20-26 Months)
Before they reach 20 months of age, many children begin to add single words together when they speak. These early word combinations, however, usually don’t follow the rules of a sentence. For example, a child might add words together one at a time, like “man,” “roof,” and “bang” to describe a repairman on the roof. […]
A Rapid Increase in Vocabulary Begins Now: Infants Add 10-20 Words per Day during This Period (18-24 Months)
Sometime around 18 months, most children experience a “word spurt” (or “naming explosion”) that leads to large increases in their spoken vocabulary. Although 18 months is a common age for this increase, it can occur in children between 15 and 24 months. Some children never seem to “spurt” at all, but they still show normal […]
Typically Has a Vocabulary of 200 Words (16-24 Months)
Research has shown that children at 2 years can have a vocabulary of around 200 words, although some normal children will speak more words and others will speak fewer. Children at this age also understand more words than they use when speaking. References: Nelson, K. (1973). Structure and strategy in learning to talk. Monographs of […]
Commonly Uses Two to Four-Word Sentences (15-25 Months)
At the end of their second year, toddlers begin communicating in two- to four-word sentences. This process begins when children combine single words with a gesture or grunt or shape a question by raising their arms, saying, “Up?” and raising their voices. Next, children combine verbs or prepositions with nouns to make statements. Although the process […]
Can Correctly Identify a Picture with its Spoken Name (14-25 Months)
Toddlers make visible progress in their comprehension skills early in their second year, demonstrating their growing understanding of language with rapid responses to directions and questions. At this age, they are capable of pointing to an object or picture when its name is spoken. References: Shelov, S. P. (Editor-in-Chief). (2004). Caring for Your Baby and […]
Identifies Names of Familiar People, Objects, and Body Parts (14-24 Months)
Although there is a tremendous variation in the age that toddlers begin speaking recognizable words, their first few words generally include the names of familiar people, favorite possessions, and body parts. They can now match familiar names with their corresponding images. References: Shelov, S. P. (Editor-in-Chief). (2004). Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth […]
Recognition of Sounds of Own Language Complete; May Have Difficulty Discriminating Certain Sounds of Foreign Languages Later (13-22)
Between 6 and 12 months, babies can literally “hear” the specific sounds of all languages spoken. When compared to adults, babies are better at hearing the differences between the sounds of non-native languages. But by 12 months, babies lose the ability to hear these differences. At the same time, babies improve at distinguishing between the […]
Keep Talking: The Importance of Conversation (12-60 Months)
Talking with an 18-month-old is hard for those who don’t speak toddler language! Some words toddlers say sound just right. Others don’t seem very close to real words. Children learn the sounds of their language over several years, and some sounds seem harder to learn than others. References: Hoff, E. (2001). Language development (2nd ed.). […]
What a Chatterbox
Naming objects is the First step If you’ve spent much time around young children, you’ve probably had conversations like this: “Look, Briana: A balloon! A big red balloonfloating in the air. Can you say balloon?” “Baallooo!” “Yes, Balloon! Isn’t it a pretty balloon? Do you like the balloon?” “Baallooo . . . Baallooo. . .” […]
First Words Are Often Spoken at This Time (12-19 Months)
The remarkable achievement of using words to represent things usually begins around 12 months, but babies can vary by several months and still be in the normal range. These first words do not necessarily refer to things the child wants because most babies have learned other strategies for getting people to do things for them. […]
