Language Development

By 9 months, most children:

• Turn toward familiar voices or sounds
• Recognize more than one tone of voice in adults and respond with body movement and sounds
• Demonstrate a recognition of names of familiar people and favorite objects
• Respond to voices and sounds in the environment
• Can be quieted by a calm, familiar voice
• Become excited upon hearing familiar words, such as “nursing” or “bottle”
• Startle or cry when there is a loud sound

By 18 months, most children:

• Look at what an adult is pointing to and share attention
• Identify familiar people or objects when prompted
• Understand more words than they can say
• Respond appropriately to familiar words, signs, and songs
• Follow simple, one-step directions, especially if accompanied by adult gestures (e.g., “stop” or “come here”)

By 24 months, most children:

• Understand approximately 200 words (receptive language)
• Follow one-step directions with few adult gestures (e.g., responding to an adult saying, “Please lift your arms.”)

By 36 months, most children:

• Demonstrate an understanding of descriptive words
• Respond appropriately to others’ comments, questions, or stories
• Follow two-step directions that involve familiar experiences and objects (e.g., “Find your shoes and bring them to me.”)

By 48 months, most children:

• Demonstrate an understanding of stories, songs, and poems by retelling or relating them to prior knowledge
• Demonstrate an understanding of conversations by responding to questions and prompts
• Demonstrate an understanding of several hundred words in their home language, including those relating to objects, actions, and attributes encountered in both real and symbolic contexts (conversations and texts)
• Distinguish between real and made-up words
• Understand increasingly longer and complex sentences, including sentences with two or more phrases or ideas
• Follow directions that involve multiple steps (e.g., “Please, would you get the sponge, dampen it with water, and clean your table top?”)

By 60 months, most children:

• Demonstrate an understanding of complex statements, questions, and stories containing multiple phrases and ideas
• Respond appropriately to a specific and varied vocabulary
• Follow detailed, multi-step directions (e.g., “Put away your toys, wash your hands, and come to the table.”)