Birth – 3 Months
- Makes pleasure sounds (cooing, gooing)
- Cries differently for different needs
- Smiles when sees you
4 – 6 Months
- Moves eyes in direction of sounds
- Responds to changes in tone of a voice
- Notices toys that make sounds
- Pays attention to music
- Babbling sounds more speech-like with many different sounds, including p, b and m
- Chuckles and laughs
- Vocalizes excitement and displeasure
- Makes gurgling sounds when left alone and when playing with you
7 Months – 1 Year
- Enjoys games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
- Turns and looks in direction of sounds
- Listens when spoken to
- Recognizes words for common items like “cup”, “shoe”, “book” or “juice”
- Begins to respond to requests (e.g. “Come here” or “Want more?”)
- Babbling has both long and short groups of sounds such as “tata upup bibibibi”
- Uses speech or non-crying sounds to get and keep attention
- Uses gestures to communicate (waving, holding arms to be picked up)
- Imitates different speech sounds
- Has one or two words (hi, dog, dada, mama) around first birthday, although sounds may not be clear
1 – 2 Years
- Points to a few body parts when asked
- Follows simple commands and understands simple questions (“Roll the ball,” “Kiss the baby,” “Where’s a shoe?”)
- Listens to simple stories, songs and rhymes
- Points to pictures in a book when named
- Says more words every month
- Uses some one- or two- word questions (“Where kitty?” “Go bye-bye?” “What’s that?”)
- Puts two words together (“more cookie,” “no juice,” “mommy book”)
- Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words
- Understands differences in meaning (“go-stop,” “in-on,” “big-little,” “up-down”)
- Follows two requests (“Get the book and put it on the table”)
- Listens to and enjoys hearing stories for longer periods of time
- Has a word for almost everything
- Uses two or three words to talk about and ask for things
- Uses k, g, f, t, d and n sounds
- Speech is understood by familiar listeners most of the time
- Often asks for or directs attention to objects by naming them
3 – 4 Years
- Hears you when you call from another room
- Hears television or radio at the same loudness level as other family members
- Answers simple “who?”, “what?”, “where?” and “why?” questions
- Talks about activities at school or at friends’ homes
- People outside of the family usually understand child’s speech
- Uses a lot of sentences that have 4 or more words
- Usually talks easily without repeating syllables or words
4 – 5 Years
- Pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about them
- Hears and understands most of what is said at home and in school
- Uses sentences that give lots of details (“The biggest peach is mine”)
- Tells stories that stick to topic
- Communicates easily with other children and adults
- Says most sounds correctly except a few like l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, th
- Says rhyming words
- Names some letters and numbers
- Uses the same grammar as the rest of the family