One to Two Years
[en Español]
How Does Your Child Hear and Talk? |
Birth to One Year |
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 |
- Points to a few body parts when you ask.
- Follows 1-part directions, like "Roll the ball" or "Kiss the baby."
- Responds to simple questions, like “Who’s that?” or “Where’s your shoe?”
- Listens to simple stories, songs, and rhymes.
- Points to pictures in a book when you name them.
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- Uses a lot of new words.
- Uses p, b, m, h, and w in words.
- Starts to name pictures in books.
- Asks questions, like “What's that?”, “Who’s that?”, and “Where’s kitty?”
- Puts 2 words together, like "more apple," "no bed," and "mommy book."
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What can I do to help?
- Talk to your child as you do things and go places. For example, when taking a walk, point to and name what you see. Say things like, “I see a dog. The dog says ‘woof.’ This is a big dog. This dog is brown.”
- Use short words and sentences that your child can imitate. Use correct grammar.
- Talk about sounds around your house. Listen to the clock tick, and say “t-t-t.” Make car or plane sounds, like “v-v-v-v.”
- Play with sounds at bath time. You are eye-level with your child. Blow bubbles, and make the sound “b-b-b-b.” Pop bubbles, and make a “p-p-p-p” sound. Engines on toys can make the “rrr-rrr-rrr” sound.
- Add to words your child says. For example, if she says “car,” you can say, “You're right! That is a big red car.”
- Read to your child every day. Try to find books with large pictures and a few words on each page. Talk about the pictures on each page.
- Have your child point to pictures that you name.
- Ask your child to name pictures. He may not answer at first. Just name the pictures for him. One day, he will surprise you by telling you the name.
- Talk to your child in the language you are most comfortable using.