14/07/2025
Every child grows at their own pace, but here’s a helpful guide to what you can generally expect with speech and language skills during the toddler and preschool years. Contact us today if you have any concerns.
🧸 Age 2: Early Talker Stage
What you might notice:
Combining words: “More juice,” “Go car,” “Bye Daddy.”
Growing vocabulary: Around 50+ words, picking up more every week!
Understanding simple instructions: Like “Come here” or “Where’s your nose?”
Copying words and sounds: Mimicking adults, songs, or sounds from books.
Speech Sounds Emerging:
By 2 years, most children begin using the following early-developing sounds:
✅ P, B, M, D, N, H, W
These are made with the lips or front of the mouth, and are often easier for little ones to say first. Some words may still be unclear, but that's okay — it's all part of learning!
🎨 Age 3: The Little Conversationalist
What you might notice:
Speaking in 3–4 word sentences: “I want more blocks,” or “That my car.”
Improved speech clarity: About 75% of what they say is understood by unfamiliar adults.
Understanding more complex ideas: Like “on top,” “under,” or “big and little.”
Asking lots of questions: Why? Where? Who? It’s their way of learning!
Speech Sounds Developing:
By 3 years, children often add:
✅ T, K, G, F, NG (as in “sing”)
✅ Continued use of: P, B, M, D, N, H, W
They may still substitute harder sounds (like saying “tat” for “cat”), but they're learning quickly. Clusters (like “sp” or “tr”) and later sounds are still developing.
🐸 Age 4: Imaginative and Expressive
What you might notice:
Telling stories and sharing ideas: “Yesterday we went to the zoo and saw lions!”
Using full sentences with proper grammar (e.g., “She is running fast”).
Clearer speech: Most people outside the family can understand them.
Describing feelings and experiences: “I feel sad,” or “That was fun!”
Speech Sounds Developing:
By 4 years, children often use:
✅ Y, L, S, CH, SH, V, Z
✅ Continued use of all earlier sounds
Some trickier sounds like R, TH, and blends (e.g., “sp,” “bl,” “tr”) may still be developing. That's completely normal at this stage.
💡 Tips to Support Your Child’s Speech & Language
Talk through daily routines: “We’re washing your hands. Rub, rub!”
Read every day: Choose interactive books with fun sounds and rhymes.
Give choices: “Do you want the red cup or the blue one?”
Model and repeat: If your child says “tat,” you can say, “Yes! That’s a cat.”
And remember — celebrating every attempt is just as important as the words themselves!
📚 References:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): Developmental norms for speech sound acquisition
[www.asha.org](https://www.asha.org)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Developmental Milestones
[www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones](https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones)
Bowen, C. (1998): Developmental phonology – Speech sound norms
[www.speech-language-therapy.com](https://www.speech-language-therapy.com)
