21/11/2025
What’s typical around 18 months?
By around 18 months, many children are starting to show big leaps in their understanding and use of language.
💛 Understanding:
Most children can:
👂 Understand up to 50 words and some short phrases
🪀 Follow simple instructions (e.g., “throw the ball”)
📚 Point to familiar objects when named
🐻 Recognise pictures in well-loved books
🗣️ Using words:
Many children are beginning to:
💬 Say 6 to 20 single words - some clearer than others, but becoming more consistent
🎵 Copy words and sounds they hear around them
👃 Name a few body parts
📞 Use pretend play, like holding a toy phone and saying “hello?”
Every child develops at their own pace, but these are exciting signs that your little one is learning to understand and express themselves.
Learn more from Speech Pathology Australia’s 18-month milestones. (https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Public/Comm-swallow/Speech-development/At-18-months.aspx)
