Is Early Childhood Education for you?
Are you concerned about your child's early learning development? Tracking your child's language milestones is a great way to determine if they may need assessment and get the extra head start before Kindergarten!
What to expect?
By 2 years your child should…
• Use 2 words together like More juice or Mommy eat.
• Say at least 50 words.
• Start using simple word endings like "ing" (eating), plurals (boats), and possessives
(baby’s bottle).
• Understand 2-part sentences like "Go get your coat and bring it to me".
By 2½ years your child should…
• Use words that name objects (ball, shoe), describe (big, hot), and talk about actions (kick, eat).
• Point to many body parts and clothes and point to pictures in a book.
By 3 years your child should…
• Use at least 3 to 4 words together in sentences or questions.
• Use more of the little words, like is, a, or the.
• Follow 3-part directions, like Go get your coat, bring it to me and wait by the door.
By 4 years your child should…
• Use sentences that are longer and more complete, like I want to go out and play on the swing.
• Use more grammar, like plurals (boats), possessives (daddy’s hat), pronouns (I,
you, me, she, he, we), past tense (walked), and some question words (what, who, where, why). There are still some errors.
• Understand most concept words (colour, shapes, locations, texture, time).
• Speak clearly. Parents and others understand your child all of the time.
When to get help? You should be concerned if your child…
Age 2-3
• Does not use 2 words together or does not do all of the other things listed at
her age.
• Is not saying many different sounds.
• Avoids eye contact and appears to ignore others.
• Had some words but has “forgotten” them.
Age 3-4
• Is not saying or understanding what is expected for his age.
• Is not using many different words or sentences.
• Is not interacting with you or other children.
• Is not easily understood when talking or gets frustrated.
Resources collected by Talk box : a parent's guide to creating language rich environments. Learn More Today!