Typical Stages of Language Development
Below is a short summary of the stages of typical language development in children aged up to 5 years:
By the age of one year, a child is likely to be able to:
-
respond to familiar sounds, such as the telephone ringing
-
respond to simple commands, such as "no"
-
recognise his or her own name
-
respond to the names of familiar objects or people
-
say a few words such as "dada" or "mama"
-
enjoy sounds, music and books
-
try to make familiar sounds such as car and animal noises
By the age of two years, a child is likely to be able to:
-
say the names of simple body parts
-
listen to stories and name objects in pictures
-
understand simple statements, requests or questions such as "where's your shoe?"
-
use more than fifty words
-
talk to him or herself or toys during play
-
sing simple songs such as 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'
-
use some pronouns (such as 'he' or 'it') instead of names
-
try simple sentences, such as "milk all gone"
By the age of three years, a child is likely to be able to:
-
understand how objects are used - for example that a crayon is something to draw with
-
recognise his or her own needs, such as hunger
-
follow directions
-
use 3 or 4 word sentences
-
begin to use basic grammar
-
enjoy telling stories and asking questions
-
have favourite books and television programs
-
be understood by familiar adults
By the age of four years, a child is likely to be able to:
-
say the names of shapes and colours
-
understand some words relating to time, such as lunch time, today, winter
-
ask questions about 'who?', 'what?' and 'why?'
-
use around 900 words, usually in 4 - 5 word sentences
-
use mostly correct grammar with occasional mistakes (such as "I falled down")
-
become familiar with books and letters, even though they can't read yet
-
speak clearly enough to be understood by most people
By the age of five years, a child is likely to be able to:
-
know opposites, such as high and low, wet and dry, big and little
-
use sentences of about six words with correct grammar
-
talk about events that are happening, have happened or might happen
-
explain why something happens, such as "mum's car stopped because it ran out of petrol"
-
explain a series of instructions - for example, "stand up, get your shoes on and wait by the door"
-
say how he or she feels and share ideas
-
become interested in writing, numbers, counting and reading
-
speak clearly enough to be understood by anyone