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Toddler 1 - 3 years
Understanding
- Initially, your child will have a better understanding of what is being said to them compared to what they can actually say.
- Commonly, they will respond to their own name and understand 'no' from 12 months of age
- They will start to understand some commonly used single words and short phrases by this age. For example, 'Bye-Bye', 'Night, night', 'bath time', and 'Oops-a-Daisy'.
Spoken Language Development
- Gradually, their babbling or jargon will start to include real words. At 15 months old, they might be able to say a few words
- From 18 months onwards, your child's ability to learn new words explodes to include familiar objects and people, body parts and animal noises. You might have difficulty understanding them initially, especially when they mix babbling with real words
- By 2 years of age, your toddler might be able to say 'I', 'you' and 'me' and use sentences with 2-3 words e.g. 'Mummy drink'
- At 3 years, your child will be able to use sentences of 3-5 words and start asking 'why' to pretty much everything. They will know their name, age and a few colours
How else are they communicating?
- As their language is just developing, they might use a variety of gestures and noises to help their communication, such as:
- To ask for something (ey contact pointing)
- To let you know what they think (shake head and push spoon away when they have had enough food)
- To demonstrate understanding (nod, eye contact etc.)
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As your child learns to talk, they will start copying how adults talk in conversation. So their voice may go up at the end of a question, or they might start frowning and wagging a finger if they are telling you off
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At 3 years old, they will start learning how to take turns when speaking and you might be able to have a chat with them
How can I help?
Talk with your child, naming and talking about everything and anything. From counting out loud, the steps as you walk down the stairs, to telling them what piece of clothing you are folding when you are doing the laundry. Even if you think your child doesn't understand, talking about what is happening in your daily lives will increase the number of words your child hears. Repetition does help.
Remember to keep your words and sentences short and simple. Try not to bombard them. Take turns to talk. Make sure that you leave some 'gaps' in your talking so that your child has a chance to answer you.
Build your child's communication skills by:
- Noting and commenting on their interest e.g. 'Look a dog. Dog is running. Dog is happy. Bye bye, Dog.'
- Giving them time to respond back to you e.g. pause whilst looking them in the eye
- Avoid asking them questions. Instead, you say that words that they might say. For example, 'oh, you're hungry. You want some food. You want a cracker'.
Actively listening to what they have to say
- Model the correct answer whilst ignoring what was wrong e.g. if they say whilst looking at a lorry 'look, bus', you would respond "yes it is a lorry"
- Build on what they have said e.g. "Look it's a red bus. I see a red coat. I see a red post box. What can you see.
What else can I do?
- Sing to them. Children love the predictability of simple, repetitive songs especially those with actions.
- Start reading to them at an early age. Link the words to the pictures in the book and also in your own lives. As they get older, pointing to the words as you say them helps them understand the link between written and spoken words to develop their skills in literacy
When should I be concerned?
All children are different when it comes to developing language skills. If you feel there is a difference between your child and other children of a similar age, be reassured that most will catch up. However, it is best to seek professional advice if you see any of the following signs:
By 3 years old, if your toddler:
- can't understand simple instructions/questions e.g. where's daddy?
- isn't saying about 50 words
- if more than half of their words are unclear
- doesn't use their words and gestures to try and interact with you e.g. to tell you what they want or need, waving to indicated that they are saying goodbye.
- uses words that are unusual and may be out of context e.g. not be able to link what they are saying with what is actually happening at the time and is copying words/phrases and saying them repeatedly
- isn't combining two or more words together e.g. more drink
- isn't pointing to objects to share their interest with others by 2 years of age
You should be concerned at any age if your child stops doing what they were previously able to do so.
Where can you get help?
If you think your child is having trouble with communicating and talking to you, discuss your concerns with a professional such as a health visitor, GP, nursery/school teacher who can provide advice and consider whether they may require a referral to a speech and language therapist or GP.
