Birth to One Year
[en Español]
How Does Your Child Hear and Talk? |
One to Two Years |
Two to Three Years |
Three to Four Years |
Four to Five Years |
Learning Two Languages |
What should I do if I think my child has a problem?
Children develop at their own rate. Your child might not have all skills until the end of the age range.
What should my child be able to do?
| Hearing and Understanding |
Talking |
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Birth–3 Months
- Startles at loud sounds.
- Quiets or smiles when you talk.
- Seems to recognize your voice. Quiets if crying.
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Birth–3 Months
- Makes cooing sounds.
- Cries change for different needs.
- Smiles at people.
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4–6 Months
- Moves her eyes in the direction of sounds.
- Responds to changes in your tone of voice.
- Notices toys that make sounds.
- Pays attention to music.
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4–6 Months
- Coos and babbles when playing alone or with you.
- Makes speech-like babbling sounds, like pa, ba, and mi.
- Giggles and laughs.
- Makes sounds when happy or upset.
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7 Months–1 Year
- Turns and looks in the direction of sounds.
- Looks when you point.
- Turns when you call her name.
- Understands words for common items and people—words like cup, truck, juice, and daddy.
- Starts to respond to simple words and phrases, like “No,” “Come here,” and “Want more?”
- Plays games with you, like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake.
- Listens to songs and stories for a short time.
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7 Months–1 Year
- Babbles long strings of sounds, like mimi upup babababa.
- Uses sounds and gestures to get and keep attention.
- Points to objects and shows them to others.
- Uses gestures like waving bye, reaching for “up,” and shaking his head no.
- Imitates different speech sounds.
- Says 1 or 2 words, like hi, dog, dada, mama, or uh-oh. This will happen around his first birthday, but sounds may not be clear.
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What can I do to help?
- Check if your child can hear. See if she turns to noises or looks at you when you talk. Pay attention to
ear problems and infections, and see your doctor.
- Respond to your child. Look at him when he makes noises. Talk to him. Imitate the sounds he makes.
- Laugh when she does. Imitate the faces she makes.
- Teach your baby to imitate actions, like peek-a-boo, clapping, blowing kisses, and waving bye-bye. This teaches him how to take turns. We take turns when we talk.
- Talk about what you do during the day. Say things like “Mommy is washing your hair”; “You are eating peas”; and “Oh, these peas are good!”
- Talk about where you go, what you do there, and who and what you see. Say things like, “We are going to Grandma’s house. Grandma has a dog. You can pet the dog.”
- Teach animal sounds, like “A cow says ‘moo.’”
- Read to your child every day.
- Talk to your child in the language you are most comfortable using.