As a Speech and Language Pathologist, I am writing this series in hopes to address concerns when it comes to your child’s speech and what to expect if you feel like your child might not be reaching their milestones. If you are just joining us, be sure to start with Part 1 right here.
In the previous post, I covered the fast-moving ages of 12-24 months. Your little baby is a toddler now and is learning a TON from the world around them. This week, we are heading in to the next year: ages 24-36 months. This is the age where your child goes from incessantly labeling everything in your house to describing actions and making mini sentences. You see their personalities emerge in their language, not just their behavior. Here is what to expect over the next year and activities to help your child achieve those goals.
First off, here are the milestones for ages 24-36 months (2-3 year olds.) If you recall, these skills are divided into receptive and expressive language skills.
What you can do to enhance your baby’s development at this age:
- Only put batteries in the toys that need to MOVE. Let you child make the sounds while they play.
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Use a variety of adjectives and verbs when talking about the day’s happenings
- Teach your child to add words to phrases they use often. Child: “more juice” Parent: “Mommy, more juice please.”
- Ask your child questions. Parent: “Where is puppy?” Child: “there” Parent: “Oh, puppy is in his bed”
- Interact with toys and even (gasp) the TV. Play with puzzle pieces. Dance with Mickey. Pause TV and ask your child “Where’s Minnie?”
Remember, my biggest advice is to look at your child as an individual and as a whole. Try not to compare to siblings, classmates and other relatives. But, if you do have concerns at this age, then talking to your pediatrician is the first step to determine if there is a developmental delay.
What have you found really encourages your two-year-old to use their language skills?
Stay tuned for 36-48 month milestones and developmental tools next week!
Love this series!