CARE
Posted March 28, 2016
The first three years of a child’s life are crucial to language development. Before your child begins to talk, they absorb language around them and pick up the meaning of words and phrases. Research has shown that babies begin to recognize their mother’s voice even before they are born.
By the time your child is six months old, they should begin to babble and play with sounds. By the time they are a year old they usually can say a few words. Between ages one and two, children go through a "language burst" where they begin rapidly acquiring and using more words on a weekly, or even daily basis. They also might begin combining words into short phrases. For example, "where daddy," "hi mama," "my ball." That burst should be followed by them having little conversations or sharing their very strong three-year-old opinions!
However, for a lot of children language doesn’t come so easily.
It's important to remember that every child develops differently and can reach language milestones at different ages.
Seek the advice of your doctor if your child struggles with these speech and language skills at these age milestones:
18 months old
Two years old
Three years old:
Try to provide a language-rich environment at home. Ways to do this include talking about what you are doing, reading books, singing songs and talking while you play with your child.
However, if your child has any of the above warning signs, contact your doctor and ask them to make a referral for a speech therapy evaluation. Speech language pathologists will determine if your child’s speech development is typical, teach ways to modify speech production (stuttering) and if he or she would benefit from speech therapy. If your child does require therapy, your therapist will provide ideas and suggestions for you to do with your child at home to boost their speech skills.
Find a speech pathologist
Learn moreGet fun, inspiring, provider-reviewed articles sent to your inbox.
Sign up for our email newsletter