Vocabulary Consists Of 1,000 Words (32-39 Months)
Around age 3, most children have a vocabulary of around 1,000 words. However, this may vary by a large amount, even among typical language learners. References: Smith, P. K., Cowie, H., & Blades, M. (1998). Understanding children’s development (3rd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers.
Understands Most Of What Adults Say (30-36 Months)
By age 3, children can generally understand most sentences and most of what adults say. References: Shelov, S. P. (Editor-in-Chief). (2004). Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. The American Association of Pediatrics. Revised edition. New York: Bantam Books.
Can Say Name, Age, And Gender (29-38 Months)
Most children delight in knowing and proclaiming their name and age. References: Shelov, S. P. (Editor-in-Chief). (2004). Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. The American Association of Pediatrics. Revised edition. New York: Bantam Books.
Understands Physical Relationships such as Under, Over, and In (28-37 Months)
It takes some time before young children can grasp the meanings of words that describe physical relationships. But during the third year, words such as “under,” “over,” and “in” will begin to make more sense. References: Shelov, S. P. (Editor-in-Chief). (2004). Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. The American Association […]
Two Languages Spoken Here
Learning two languages“Daddy? Can I have some cookies?” Maria asks.“I don’t know Sweetheart. Go ask your mom.”Maria catches her mom clearing the last of the dinner plates.“Mami… papi dice que puedo comer una galleta porque me acabé toda la cena,” she sputters.“Mija, pero compré fresas para el postre. Mañana puedes comer una galleta.”“Pero mami no […]
Look Who’s Talking
Is that babbling and cooing designed to make us melt? The house is quiet. The baby has gone down for her nap. Finally, you’ve got a chance to catch up on the chores. But what’s that you hear over the baby monitor? Is that your little girl talking? She’s only eight months old! You always […]
Uses Pronouns (I, You, Me, We, They) and Some Plurals (26-36 Months)
During their third year, children begin using pronouns and plurals in their speech and understand the concept of “mine.” They also begin using language to describe ideas and information and to express physical or emotional needs and desires. References: Shelov, S. P. (Editor-in-Chief). (2004). Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. […]
Strangers Can Understand Most of the Words Spoken by the Toddler (26-36 Months)
By age 3, most children speak clearly enough that strangers can understand most of what they say. Despite this, children may continue to mispronounce many of the speech sounds they use. They may transpose w and r or replace d with th. The sounds made by the letters b, p, m, w, and h usually surface midway through […]
Keep Talking
Building language every day. Learning to talk is harder than it seems. If your child makes mistakes, don’t worry, he has a lot to learn. If you want to help your children learn words, remember this simple rule: the more you talk, the more they learn. Babies and young children learn to speak by listening […]
Can Utter a Grammatically Correct Declarative Sentence (24-31 Months)
As children learn to speak in sentences, they also begin to use basic forms of correct grammar. Although children may not get every part of a sentence correct, they usually follow grammatical rules. This includes learning to change a simple statement (“mommy shoe”) into a negative statement (“not mommy shoe”). Between 2 and 2½ years, […]