One of the best things about being a parent is when you hear your toddler say a new word. It sounds like a little song just for you. But what does one do if those words aren't popping out? And if you're feeling a little concerned about your toddler’s language development, you're not the only one. Speech delay in toddlers is far more common than one might think, and the good news is that there are plenty of playful and easy ways to help young children find their voice.
Every child's journey in language acquisition is unique, and sometimes a little direction is all they really need for their speech and language development. This is where you come in! Orchestrate countless fun and interactive ways to turn regular life moments into building blocks toward a world rich in words, sentences, and those never-ending questions and stories you have been waiting to hear. You and your toddler can make this a fun journey of exploration, one word at a time.
How do speech and language develop?
The initial three years of life constitute the most intense period in the acquisition of speech and language. It is during this time that the brain is actually developing and maturing. These skills flourish in a world filled with sounds, sights, and other stimulating engagements that offer plentiful opportunities for hearing others speak and use language.
What are the milestones for speech and language development?
There are critical periods or milestones for speech and language development in young babies and toddlers when the child's brain is best prepared to absorb language. These milestones will help health professionals evaluate whether or not there is an appropriate development in a child or whether he or she requires additional help. Furthermore, toddler speech delay can sometimes be the result of either a hearing loss or a speech or language disorder.
Age-Appropriate Speech and Language Milestones
Below is a checklist of speech and language developmental milestones for children aged 0 to 5 years.
Birth to 3 months
- They react to loud sounds by startling.
- They respond to loud voices and sounds.
- They make sounds for pleasure or displeasure in different ways
- They make noise and smile when spoken to.
- They respond to the sound of the rattle.
4 to 6 months
- Turns toward and/or looks at a new sound
- Responds to the word "no" and changes in pitch of voice
- Enjoys using rattles and other sound-making toys
- Makes sound when talked to
- Begins to imitate sounds (for example: "ooh," "aah," "ba-ba")
7 to 11 months
- Responds to one's name, ringing phone, or a voice upon hearing it even not loud
- Knows names of everyday objects or actions such as "cup", "shoe", or "bye-bye"
- Gurgles or babbles such words as "ba-ba-ba", "ma-ma" or "da-da"
- Looks at objects or pictures when someone directly talks about them
- Enjoys playing games such as peek-a-boo
12 to 17 months
- Enjoys reading time
- Follows one-step instructions, given with gesture cues
- Answers simple questions with the use of their head-a simple shake or by bringing an object upon a request.
- Utters with two to three words to name a person or an object (may not be pronounced clearly).
- Very rich vocabulary of four to six words.
18 to 23 months
- Points to certain body parts upon request
- Understands simple yes-no questions and gives short answers such as "Are you hungry?"
- Has a vocabulary of fifty words, which is sometimes hard to make clear
- Requests common foods by name
- Makes animal sounds, like moo
2 to 3 years
- Uses three and four word sentences
- By 2 years of age, has a vocabulary of at least 100 different words
- Uses intonation to ask the question about wanting something (e.g., "My ball?")
- Begins to use plurals (i.e., "shoes," "socks") and regular past tense verbs (i.e., "jumped")
- Speech sounds are becoming clearer, although it's not unusual for consonants to be omitted at the end of words, making it difficult for some strangers to understand.
3 to 4 years
- Answers simple questions (e.g., "What do you do when you are hungry?")
- Groups objects into categories (e.g., food or clothes)
- Uses between 300 and 500 words by 3 years of age.
- Enjoys language, especially rhymes
- Majority of speech can be understood by adults.
4 to 5 years
- Replies to "why" questions
- Identifies items corresponding to a single category (for instance: animals or vehicles)
- Grasps the words for positions (for instance: "behind something" or "next to something else")
- Describes how to do something (for instance: painting something)
- Speech is understood, but long, difficult, or complex words can be a problem (for instance: "hippopotamus")
5 years
- Carries out three-step commands
- Can carry on a conversation
- Produces sentences with eight or more words
- Provides descriptions of objects
- Uses the imagination to tell stories
7 Fun Ways to Help Boost Your Toddler's Language Development
Learning how to talk is one of the most exciting development milestones that toddlers attain. At first, speech will begin with gentle coos and babbles, eventually growing into full conversations. Parents can give their children an array of experiences that will help enhance speech and language development.
Here are the seven most enjoyable and easy activities and effective parenting tips to foster your toddler’s language development.
1. Lots of reading!
Reading to build vocabulary is among the best ways for language development in 1-2 year olds. Picture books are a good starting point! Try and read these aloud to a toddler by giving each line a different voice for engaging your toddler in productive and fun ways. You should keep conversing with your young one by asking questions or encouraging comments about the story and the characters.
2. Talk about what you're doing on a day-to-day basis
Spending quality time with your toddler will offer great opportunities for communication. For example, if your child plays with some fruit, for example oranges, you can ask them “Oh! You like oranges?” You can then encourage them to name the fruit they are holding.
3. Teach your toddler new words
Teach your child how to ask for some things they need or want using different words. Like, if you are playing in the garden, you can say, "What colour is grass? Green?" This encourages learning new words in toddlers. Moreover with practice, toddlers will begin to speak clearly.
4. Sing songs
Singing is a great way to cultivate language and improve toddler’s speech clarity! Singing with rhythm can help toddlers to recognize patterns in language and connect sound at different points throughout a song. Try using songs toddlers already know, or create your own songs about your child’s favorite activities!
5. Encourage language development through play
Playing with your child offers many opportunities for spontaneous conversation, which may help in fixing speech delays in toddlers. So make some time to turn off the screens and do some playing on the floor. Let kids be the leaders, and don't be afraid to be silly!
6. Include a fun family tradition
Start a new tradition or teach your little one things you used to do as a child! Some of the family-friendly traditions include playing together in the evening, singing songs, and storytelling around the dinner table, as a fun way to engage in language while having a good time!
7. Tell your child about your day
Tell what you did during your day, and ask the children about their day too. Don't forget to be very descriptive while you bring out the details of your day. Also, encourage children to be exact in their retelling of what happened on their day.
Encouraging toddler language development does not have to be tough! There are lots of fun activities and opportunities that can help build language acquisition in children. At Mom & I, by the House of Mother’s Pride, one of the best preschools of India, we encourage toddlers to communicate verbally. Your little one will interact and socialize during playtime and structured group activities with their peers.
Summing Up
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Frequently Asked Questions
For proper speech development, children should be able to hear the sounds clearly. If babies or toddlers suffer from hearing loss, they may suffer from a speech delay. You must take your child to see an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist if they are frequently experiencing middle ear infections or 'glue ear'.
Discuss any concerns you have with your child's doctor. Your doctor may send you to a speech-language pathologist, which is a healthcare professional who evaluates and treats individuals with speech or language disorders.
See your doctor if by 12 months, your child is not trying to communicate with you, especially when they desire something or need assistance, in terms of sounds, gestures and/or words. And likewise, if by the age of 2 years, your child does not use about 50 words or doesn't start to combine two words into a short sentence.
Talk to your baby from birth, play interactive games, explore pictures in books, use simple sentences just a bit longer than the words and phrases your baby uses, let them lead the conversation, and give them time to respond.
Children whose usage of television was at 3 to 4 hours per day had an increased risk of language delays. A higher screen time was correlated with developmental delays especially regarding language and communication.