As a parent, it’s natural to wonder if your child is developing speech and language skills on track. Knowing what to expect can help you celebrate progress and identify when to seek extra support.
Understanding speech milestones by age is a great way to track your child’s communication growth, from babbling babies to chatting toddlers and beyond.
Why Are Speech Milestones Important?
Speech and language milestones mark the typical skills children develop at certain ages. These include sounds they make, words they use, and how they put sentences together. Every child is unique, but milestones give a helpful guideline to monitor development.
Early identification of delays can lead to earlier support, which often improves outcomes and reduces frustration for both kids and parents.
Typical Speech Milestones by Age
Here’s an overview of common speech and language milestones from birth to 5 years:
Birth to 12 Months
- Responds to sounds and voices
- Babbles consonant sounds like “ba,” “da”
- Uses gestures like waving or pointing
- Responds to their name
- Understands simple words like “no” or “bye-bye”
2 to 3 Years
- Uses 3-4 word sentences
- Vocabulary grows to 200+ words
- Speech is about 50-75% understandable to strangers
- Follows two-step instructions
- Asks simple questions like “what’s that?”
12 to 24 Months
- Says first words like “mama,” “ball”
- Uses 50+ words by 24 months
- Begins combining two words (e.g., “more juice”)
- Understands simple commands (“come here”)
- Points to objects or pictures when named
3 to 4 Years
- Uses sentences with 4+ words
- Speech is 75-90% understandable
- Uses pronouns like “I,” “you,” and “me” correctly
- Understands concepts like “big,” “small,” “in,” “on”
- Tells simple stories or talks about activities
4 to 5 Years
- Speaks clearly and fluently
- Uses detailed sentences and grammar correctly
- Understands and uses more complex language
- Follows multi-step directions
- Engages in conversations with others
What’s Not Typical? When to Seek Help
Not hitting milestones doesn’t always mean a problem—but it can be a sign your child needs extra support. Consider speaking to a speech therapist if your child:
- Isn’t babbling or making sounds by 12 months
- Has fewer than 10 words by 18 months
- Isn’t combining words by age 2
- Has speech that’s difficult for family members to understand by age 3
- Shows little interest in communicating or interacting
- Experiences sudden loss of speech or language skills