Below is a brief summary of language development. Children can vary in their language development especially in the early years, so this is a guide only.
| 6 months | Baby makes a range of sounds (babbling). Turns to name. Responds to human voices by turning. Responds to different tones in voice (happy/angry) |
|---|---|
| 12 months | Child starts to use “words” with meaning – this may be part of a word. Understands simple instructions especially with visual clues. Begins to be aware of social side to communication |
| 18 months | Vocabulary continues to develop to approximately 5-20 words. Mainly nouns. Will imitate words. Lots of sounds with intonation. Can follow simple instructions |
| 24 months | Starting to name familiar objects. Vocab between 150-300 words. Beginning to combine words into phrases. May use “in” and “on” and “I” and “me”. Responds to commands such as “Clap your hands” |
| 36 months | Vocabulary increases to 900-1000 words. Greater use of verbs. Sentences are longer. Grammatical structure developing indicating tense, plurals. Understanding questions and asking “Why?” |
| 48 months | Connecting sentences together. Understands more complex instructions. Language has strong social use and is more imaginative. Knows most colours and numbers. |
| 60 months | Grammatical structure almost fully developed. Wide vocabulary knowledge. Beginning to understand time concepts. Starting to demonstrate early literacy awareness |