Language Milestones for Children aged 1 to 5 Years

What is Language?

Language is a system or code that allows us to communicate with each other. Language can take many forms – talking, reading and writing, pictures and symbols, and

the use of signs or gestures. Language has two main components:

1. Receptive Language – The ability to understand what is said, written, depicted or signed.

2. Expressive Language – The ability to communicate our needs and wants and share our thoughts and ideas.

Learning Language

Language is learnt in a gradual process that occurs over many years. As adults, we continue to learn language, adding new vocabulary, or maybe even learning a second language. Children develop much of their language competency in the first five years of life, a time known as the Critical Period for speech and language development. Babies are born pre-programmed to learn language, and in their first five years, they learn language at a faster rate than at any other time in their lives.

Language Milestones

The rate of language acquisition is variable and depends on many factors. Some children are fast language learners and some may be ‘late bloomers’. However, researchers have identified typical stages of language acquisition, or language milestones, that provide an approximate guide about when to expect certain skills (see the table below). Language milestones help identify when a child has language difficulties or a language disorder.

What if My Child isn’t Achieving the Language Milestones?

It is important not to view milestones as rigid landmarks on the road to language acquisition. However, if your child is not demonstrating the skills expected for their age, and you have concerns, contact us at Play My Way for advice and recommendations about the possible need for speech pathology intervention.

Age	Understanding	Talking
12 months	Understands about 10 words Responds to their name Recognises greetings like ‘hi’ or ‘bye’ Makes eye contact Recognises the names for familiar people and objects	Start using sounds and gestures Use some babble (e.g. dadada) Start to say a few real words Copy different sounds and noises (e.g. blow raspberries)
18 months	Understand about 50 words Points to familiar objects when named Point to some pictures in familiar books (e.g. Where’s the dog?) Can follow simple instructions (e.g. “Give it to Mummy”)	Says about 15 meaningful words Can name a few body parts Talks rather than using gestures Asks ‘What’s that?” Asks for ‘more’ Imitates words overheard in conversation
2 years	Responds to simple questions Identifies 4 body parts Chooses 1 object from a group of 5 when requested Can follow a 2-step instruction	Says more than 50 words Uses 2-word phrases frequently Uses 3-word phrases occasionally Uses new words regularly Starts to say ‘my’ and ‘mine’
3 years	Follows more complex instructions with 2 or 3 parts (e.g. “Give me the bat and throw the ball.”) Can sort items into groups (e.g. foods, animals) Knows some colours Understand ‘same’ and ‘different’	Uses 4-5 word sentences Asks questions with ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘who’ Can talk about something in the past but may overuse ‘-ed’. (e.g. “I goed there”) Can have a conversation but may not stay on topic or take turns
4 years	Can answer most questions about daily tasks Understand most wh-questions including those about stories they have heard Understand some numbers Show an awareness that some words start or finish with the same sounds.	Asks lots of questions Describe recent events Uses personal pronouns (he/she/they) Can count to 5 Name a few colours Use words such as ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘because’ to make longer sentences
5+ years	Follow 3-part instructions (e.g. “Put your shoes on, get your bag and line up outside.”) Understand time related words (e.g. before, after, now, later) Understand instructions without stopping to listen Begin to recognize some letters and numbers	Use well formed sentences that are understood by most people Take turns in increasingly longer sentences Tell simple, short stories with beginning, middle and end Use past and future verbs