Ages & Stages


	First Words Preschool Speech and Language Program of Ottawa Premiers mots - Programme de services de rééducation de la parole et du langage pour les enfants d’âge préscolaire d’Ottawa Ottawa Public Health Information/Info-santé publique d'Ottawa: (613) 580-6744	English \| Français

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This section tells you about how most children talk and act at different ages. If you think that your child is not learning to talk well, call us or go to our screening clinic calendar to find out when a speech and language screening clinic will be in your area.

Babies
Toddlers
Children

How Babies Learn to Talk
A baby learns to talk by listening to voices and sounds. Soon your baby will begin to make sounds to tell you how she feels or what he wants. Babies develop at their own rate. Some babies will do things at a very young age, while others will take a little longer. Here are some things that most babies do.

Very young babies (up to 3 months old):

make noises (e.g. coos, gurgles)
turn towards a new sound
jump at a loud noise
are calmed when you speak in a gentle voice
smile at you.

By 6 months, your baby:

turns to source of sounds
startles in response to sudden, loud noises
makes different cries for different needs - I'm hungry, I'm tired
watches your face as you talk
smiles and laughs in response to your smiles and laughs
imitates coughs or other sounds - ah, eh, buh

What you can do to help a young baby learn

Talk to your baby a lot when you are washing, dressing or feeding him.
Sing songs or nursery rhymes.
Play simple games like "peek-a-boo".
Show your child picture books and talk about what you see.

By 9 months, your baby

responds to his name
responds to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door
understands being told "no"
gets what she wants through gestures, e.g. reaching to be picked up
plays social games with you, e.g. peek-a-boo

By 12 months, your baby

follows simple one-step directions - "sit down"
looks across the room to something you point to
consistently uses three to five words
uses gestures to communicate - waves "bye bye", shakes head "no"
gets your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes
brings you toys to show you
"performs" for attention and praise
combines lots of sounds as though talking - abada baduh abee
shows interest in simple picture books

Babies like it when you:

Get down to their level so they can see your face. This tells them that you're interested in what they're doing and saying. It makes it easier to interact with them.
Repeat the sounds they make. Babies enjoy making noises and they like it when you imitate them over and over.
Sing and laugh, especially when you are feeding, bathing and changing them. Remember to talk to your baby throughout the day about things you do and see:
Mommy's putting on her coat.
That's a big truck.
Tell them the names of the objects they are looking at and playing with. Babies are interested in exploring and learning about new things, and like to hear what things are called.

By 18 months, your toddler

understands the concepts of "in and out", "off and on"
points to several body parts when asked
uses at least 20 words consistently
responds with words or gestures to simple questions -
Where's teddy?
What's that?
Demonstrates some pretend play with toys -
- gives teddy a drink
- pretends a bowl is a hat
- makes at least four different consonant sounds - p, b, m, n, d, g, w h
- enjoys being read to and looking at simple books with you
- points to pictures using one finger

By 24 months, your toddler

follows two-step directions -
- Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.

Uses 100 to 150 words uses at least two pronouns - "you", "me", "mine"
consistently combines two to four words in short phrases - "daddy hat", "truck go down"
enjoys being with other children
begins to offer toys to peers and imitates other children's actions and words
people can understand your child's words 50 to 60 per cent of the time
forms words and sounds easily and effortlessly
holds books the right way up and turns pages
"reads" to stuffed animals or toys
scribbles with crayons

How you can you help your child learn at this age

Talk to your child simply, clearly and slowly.
Look at your child when he or she talks to you. Praise your child's efforts to talk.
Play children's music and share stories with your child.
Talk about new places and experiences, before you go, while you are there, and when you get home.
Expand what the child says. If the child says, "dog", you say, "big dog".
Use actions when doing nursery rhymes.

By 30 months, your toddler

understands the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little, a lot, more)
uses some adult grammar - "two cookies", "bird flying", "I jumped"
uses more than 350 words
uses action words - run, spill, fall
begins taking short turns with other children, using both toys and words
shows concern when another child is hurt or sad
combines several actions in play - feeds doll then puts her to sleep; puts blocks in train then drives train and drops blocks off
puts sounds at the start of most words
produces words with two or more syllables or beats - "ba-na-na", "com-pu-ter", "a-pple"
recognizes familiar logos and signs - McDonalds golden arches, stop sign
remembers and understands familiar stories

Toddlers like it when you:

Let them touch and hold books while you point to and name the pictures.
Use real words instead of baby talk - "give me" instead of ta ta or "bottle" instead of baba.
Take the time to listen to them - they want you to hear all of their new sounds, words and ideas.
Give them simple directions to follow -
Go find your red boots.
Use lots of different words when you talk to them - opposite words like up/down, in/out; actions words like "running", "splashing", and descriptive words like "happy", "big", "little", "clean", "dirty
Encourage them to play with other children - at the library, playgroups, park.

How a Child's Speech and Language Develops
Between the ages of 2 and 5 years, most children learn a great deal. The number of words they can say increases quickly. They talk more and they ask lots of questions. They enjoy listening to stories and music. Often they will ask you to read the same story over and over again. Sometimes they will remember the words so well it will seem like they can almost read. By the time your child is ready to go to school, he or she should be able to speak and listen well. Learning about sounds is preparing your child for reading and writing later on.

By age 3, your child

understands "who", "what", "where" and "why" questions
creates long sentences, using 5 to 8 words
talks about past events - trip to grandparents' house, day at childcare
tells simple stories
shows affection for favourite playmates
engages in multi-step pretend play - cooking a meal, repairing a car
is understood by most people outside of the family, most of the time
is aware of the function of print - in menus, lists, signs
has a beginning interest in, and awareness of, rhyming

3-year-olds like it when you

Give them different materials to encourage drawing and scribbling, including chalk, pencils, crayons, markers, finger paints.
Use descriptive words such as colours and opposites (hot/cold, big/little, fast/slow) as well as action words (flying, splashing, running) when you are talking with them.
Give them extra time to share their ideas.
Give them choices - about what foods to eat, toys to play with, clothes to wear.
Model correct sounds and grammar for them - child says "he wunned" and you say "yes, he ran".
Read books that are predictable and repetitive - pause to give the child a chance to fill in the words and phrases.
Play and pretend with them! They may like acting out scenes from their favourite videos, pretending to eat in a restaurant or to be a teacher or firefighter.

By age 4, your child

follows some directions involving 3 or more steps -
- First get some paper, then draw a picture, last give it to mom.
uses adult-type grammar
tells stories with a clear beginning, middle and end
talks to try to solve problems with adults and other children
demonstrates increasingly complex imaginative play
is understood by strangers almost all of the time
is able to generate simple rhymes - "cat-bat"
matches some letters with their sounds - "letter T says tuh"

4-year-olds like it when you:

Give them lots of opportunities to play with other children - at the library, the park, the Early Years Centre. Sometimes they like having just one or two friends over to your home to play.
Point out words in books and run your finger under words while you read to them.
Talk about the order of events -
- First we wash our hands, then we have a snack and last we put our dishes in the sink.
Encourage them to tell their own stories - by asking them to tell you about their day, to describe a movie they watched, to tell you about their favourite book.
Read books rhyming words - "mouse/house", and point out sounds at the start of words -
- Mommy starts with the 'mmm' sound - that's the letter M.

By age 5, your child

follows group directions -
- All the boys get a toy.
understands directions involving "if . then" -
- If you're wearing runners, then line up for gym.
describes past, present and future events in detail
seeks to please his/her friends
shows increasing independence in friendships -
- may visit your neighbour on his own
uses almost all of the sounds of their language with few to no errors
knows all the letters of the alphabet
identifies the sounds at the beginning of some words - Pop starts with the 'puh' sound

5-year-olds like it when you:

Use new and more complex words - "before/after", "rough/smooth", "easy/difficult", "between/bedside", "same/different".
Talk about numbers and the quantity of objects - "a lot/a little", "more/less", "one/many".
Ask them to predict what will happen next - What do you think will happen when Sam opens his birthday present? - and explain the reasons behind choices - Why do we need to wear our coats today?
Take turns telling each other stories using the pictures in books - children like to hear you talk and then want a turn to create their own version of the story.
Let them help plan events. Talk about what you need to do before a birthday party, or how to get ready to go to the zoo. Ask your child "why" and "how" questions as you talk.
Ask them to help. Your child will enjoy helping you bake cookies, set the table, sort laundry, etc. Give them instructions and see if they can tell you the steps.