-
2 months
Infants coo,making pleasant vowel sounds. -
4 months on
Infants observe with interest as the caregiver plays turn-taking games,such as pat-a-cake and peekaboo -
6 months on
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 -
8-12 months
Recognizes name
Says 2-3 words besides "mama" and "dada"
Imitates familiar words
Understands simple instructions
Recognizes words as symbols for objects: Car - points to garage, cat - meows -
Between one and two
Understands "no"
Uses 10 to 20 words, including names
Combines two words such as "daddy bye-bye"
Waves good-bye and plays pat-a-cake
Makes the "sounds" of familiar animals
Gives a toy when asked
Uses words such as "more" to make wants known
Points to his or her toes, eyes, and nose
Brings object from another room when asked -
Between two and three
Identifies body parts
Carries on 'conversation' with self and dolls
Asks "what's that?" And "where's my?"
Uses 2-word negative phrases such as "no want".
Forms some plurals by adding "s"; book, books
Has a 450 word vocabulary
Gives first name, holds up fingers to tell age
Combines nouns and verbs "mommy go"
Understands simple time concepts: "last night", "tomorrow"
Refers to self as "me" rather than by name
Tries to get adult attention: "watch me" -
Between three and four
Can tell a story
Has a sentence length of 4-5 words
Has a vocabulary of nearly 1000 words
Names at least one color
Understands "yesterday," "summer", "lunchtime", "tonight", "little-big"
Begins to obey requests like "put the block under the chair"
Knows his or her last name, name of street on which he/she lives and several nursery rhymes -
Between five and six
Has a sentence length of 5-6 words
Has a vocabulary of around 2000 words
Defines objects by their use (you eat with a fork) and can tell what objects are made of
Knows spatial relations like "on top", "behind", "far" and "near"
Knows her address
Identifies a penny, nickel and dime
Knows common opposites like "big/little"
Understands "same" and "different" -
6-12 years old
Use language to predict and draw conclusions.
Use long and complex sentences.
Understand other points of view and show that they agree or disagree.
Understand comparative words e.g. ‘it was earlier than yesterday’.
Keep a conversation going by giving reasons and explaining choices.
Start conversations with adults and children they don’t know.
Understand and use passive sentences e.g. “the thief is chased by the policeman”.