Speech Bubbles, PLLC

www.speech-bubbles.com

Speech and Language Milestones: Birth to 5-years-old

Each child develops uniquely and may meet certain milestones earlier or later than others. If your child does not meet many of the milestones within their age range, talk to your child’s pediatrician or a speech-language pathologist about a consultation or evaluation.

What should my child be able to do?

Birth to 3 Months

• Responds to Sound: Turns or looks toward voices, quiets or smiles when spoken to.
• Engages with You: Makes sounds back and forth with you, and coos with sounds like “ooo,” “aahh,” or “mmm.”
• Shows Feelings: Makes different sounds depending on whether they are happy or upset.
• Recognition: Recognizes loved ones and familiar objects.

4 to 6 Months

• Laughter: Giggles and laughs in response to playful interaction.
• Facial and Object Engagement: Responds to facial expressions and watches objects, following them with their eyes.
• Sound Awareness: Reacts to toys that make sounds like bells or music.
• Vocalizing: Makes different sounds, including vowel sounds and sometimes combinations like “da” or “agoo.” May blow “raspberries.”

7 to 9 Months

• Responds to Name: Looks at you when their name is called and may stop briefly when told "no."
• Babbles: Makes long strings of babbling sounds like “mamamama” or “babababa.”
• Seeking Comfort: Looks for loved ones when upset and raises arms to be picked up.
• Recognition: Recognizes the names of some people and objects.
• Pushes Away: Pushes away objects they don’t want.

10 to 12 Months

• Reaching and Pointing: Reaches for objects and begins pointing or waving. May imitate gestures like blowing kisses or playing peek-a-boo.
• Tries to Copy Sounds: Attempts to mimic sounds they hear.
• Simple Phrases and Words: Responds to simple words like “Go bye-bye” or “Look at Mommy,” and may say one or two words like “mama” or “dada.”
• Enjoys Music: May show interest in dancing to music.

What Can I Do to Help?

• Monitor Hearing: Notice if your child turns to noises or looks at you when you talk. Look out for signs of ear issues, like pulling on their ears.
• Engage with Your Child: Respond to their sounds, look at them when they make noises, and mimic their sounds to encourage communication.
• Make it Fun: Play games like peek-a-boo or wave bye-bye. This helps them learn to take turns and use gestures.
• Narrate Your Day: Talk about your daily activities, such as “Mommy is washing your hair” or “We are eating peas.”
• Introduce New Experiences: Talk about where you are going and what you see there. For example, “We’re going to Grandma’s house. Grandma has a dog.”
• Teach Sounds and Words: Teach animal sounds, like “A cow says ‘moo,’” and describe what’s happening around them.
• Read and Sing: Share stories, songs, or books with your child every day.
• Use Your Own Language: Speak to your child in the language you’re most comfortable with—early exposure helps them learn best.

What should my child be able to do?

12-18 Months:

• Looks around when asked “where” questions—like “Where’s your blanket?”
• Follows directions—like “Give me the ball,” “Hug the teddy bear,” or “Show me your nose.”
• First words emerging between 12-15 months.
• Points to make requests, comment, or get information.
• Shakes head for “no” and nods for “yes.”
• Understands and uses words for common objects, some actions, and people in their lives.
• Identifies one or more body parts.
• Uses gestures when excited (e.g., clapping or giving a high-five) or when being silly (e.g., sticking out their tongue).
• Uses a combination of long strings of sounds, syllables, and real words with speech-like inflection.

What can I do to help?

• Talk about household sounds like the clock ticking or car noises.
• Play sound games during bath time (e.g., making “b-b-b-b” for bubbles or “p-p-p-p” for popping bubbles).
• Narrate your daily activities, describing what you see (e.g., “I see a dog. The dog says ‘woof.’”).
• Give simple two-step directions.
• Use simple, short sentences that your child can imitate and expand on.
• Read to your child daily, focusing on books with large pictures and few words.
• Encourage your child to point to pictures or objects and name them.
• Speak to your child in your most comfortable language(s). If your family is multilingual, offer frequent opportunities for your child to hear and practice your languages.

What should my child be able to do?

19-24 Months:

• Uses and understands at least 50 words, such as those for food, toys, animals, and body parts.
• Puts two or more words together (e.g., “more water” or “go outside”).
• Follows two-step directions (e.g., “Get the spoon and put it on the table.”).
• Uses words like “me,” “mine,” and “you.”
• Asks for help with words.
• Uses possessives (e.g., “Daddy’s sock”).

What can I do to help?

• Continue to talk about sounds in your environment.
• Give your child simple two-step directions, adding complexity gradually.
• Expand on your child’s words with longer sentences (e.g., “That’s a red car!”).
• Read daily and talk about the stories, pointing out objects and encouraging your child to name them.
• Use everyday activities to build vocabulary by describing what you’re doing, using color, shape, and size words.
• Talk in multiple languages if applicable, offering your child rich exposure to both.

What should my child be able to do?

2-3 Years:

• Frequently uses word combinations but may repeat phrases (e.g., “I want – I want juice”).
• Tries to get your attention by saying “Look at me!”
• Says their name when asked.
• Uses plurals (e.g., “birds” or “toys”).
• Uses –ing verbs (e.g., “running”) and past tense –ed (e.g., “looked”).
• Gives reasons for events (e.g., “I need a coat because it’s cold.”).
• Asks “why” and “how” questions.
• Answers questions like “What do you do when you’re sleepy?”
• Produces p, b, m, h, w, d, and n sounds correctly and most vowels.

What can I do to help?

• Use simple words and clear sentences.
• Expand on what your child says and respond positively.
• Teach new vocabulary by describing objects and actions during daily routines.
• Practice counting, colors, and shapes, and group objects into categories (e.g., food, animals).
• Play language games like matching pictures to words or acting out stories with props.
• Talk about family photos and encourage storytelling about the people or events shown.

What should my child be able to do?

3-4 Years:

• Compares objects using words like “bigger” or “shorter.”
• Tells stories from books or videos.
• Uses more location words like “inside” or “under.”
• Uses articles like “a” or “the.”
• Pretends to read and write, recognizing some letters and sounds.
• Correctly produces sounds like t, k, g, f, and –ing.
• Speech is generally smooth and clear, though some errors in consonant clusters or later-developing sounds like l, r, and th may occur.

What can I do to help?

• Engage in creative play, like making silly pictures from magazine cutouts.
• Sort pictures into categories and discuss why certain items don’t belong.
• Encourage your child to retell simple stories, using props or dress-up for added fun.
• Provide opportunities for pretend play, like role-playing daily activities or using dress-up clothes.
• Continue to read and sing regularly, incorporating new words and rhymes.

What should my child be able to do?

4-5 Years:

• Uses longer, grammatically correct sentences and tells stories with main characters and settings.
• Uses irregular plurals (e.g., “feet” or “men”) and words for time (e.g., “yesterday” or “tomorrow”).
• Understands and uses location words like “behind” or “beside.”
• Knows and can name more than 10 letters and write their own name.
• Speech is clear, with correct production of most consonants.

What can I do to help?

• Talk about location and opposites (e.g., “first and last” or “up and down”).
• Continue to teach new words, using description, comparison, and categories.
• Use family photos for storytelling practice.
• Play language games involving rhyming, blending word parts, and identifying sounds in words.
• Ask your child to make choices rather than giving yes/no questions.

Information from American Speech-Language-Hearing Association