24-30 Months: Toddler Talk - Milestones

1. Understands questions, simple directions, beginning concepts, and the ideas and sequence of stories.

Toddlers show they understand more and more words by the way they respond to what adults say to them. They're able to answer questions with meaning and accuracy. They can follow simple suggestions, unless they are engaged in showing their individuality by choosing to ignore the instruction. They love being read to and participate in the reading by pointing to pictures or making relevant sounds such as mooing like a cow. They begin to relate to some basic concepts such as position words as they demonstrate under and up, and show beginning understanding of the descriptive words of time such as soon, after, and right now. For example:

Developing as expected, they might:

• point to associated pictures as the caregiver reads to them
• answer questions such as, "What's this?" when looking at a picture book
• pass the salt shaker when someone asks for it
• put the covers back on the markers after being reminded to do so
• demonstrate understanding of a few position words, such as, "Put your shoes under the bed" or "Please put your chair beside mine"
• turn the pages of the book at the right time in the story without being prompted
• follow simple directions, such as, "Go to the art area and get the markers so you can make a picture"
• understand complex statements, such as, "When we get home from our walk, we'll have a snack" or "After cleanup we can read that book"
• understand the reason they've been given about why they need to wear mittens on this cold winter day

Needing development, they might:

• not seem to pay attention to requests or suggestions such as picking up the crayons or putting the book back on the shelf
• not point to relevant pictures on the page when asked about them
• forget why they went to the other room when asked to get the purse off the table and bring it to you
• not be interested in listening to a story about the pictures in the book

2. Uses words and some conventions of speech to express thoughts and ideas.

Two-year-olds show their fascination with the power of language in their excitement and ability to use words for many purposes. They use speech to express needs, indicate possession, make demands, or tell about something that happened a short time ago. Toddlers move at their own pace in learning to speak. Language for typical two-year-olds occurs across a wide range of skills. During these months, some toddlers use language minimally to label and say single words, while others say four- and five-word sentences. For example:

Developing as expected, they might:

• sing simple songs
• include a few social conventions in their speech, such as please and thank you
• use language with increasing clarity to ask for what they want
• ask questions related to a story or an activity
• use words to describe the purpose or function of an object, such as a comb ("Mommy's hair?") or a phone ("talk to Grandpa"), rather than simply demonstrate its use
• use action words to describe activities in pictures, such as running, hiding, or playing
• use pronouns such as you, he, I, and she in their speech
• begin to incorporate more unusual plurals, such as teeth instead of "tooths"
• use sentences that are three or four words long
• describe actions in pictures as easily as they name objects

Needing development, they might:

• repeat words they hear, rather than create new thoughts and ideas
• play quietly without using many words or paying attention to the language of those around them
• avoid using words to express what they want
• mumble and run their sounds together, making it difficult to understand their thoughts

3. Participates in conversations.

Toddlers want to participate in family gatherings, such as at mealtime or in conversations while riding in the car. They hear and understand what is being said and want to express their own thoughts, even if their thoughts are sometimes unrelated to the current topic. Adults may be tempted to talk about toddlers as though they were not there. However, including toddlers in conversations encourages their language development and also helps to build their sense of self. For example:

Developing as expected, they might:

• add their own comments to the talk about the trip to the children's museum
• repeat the story just told by another person, showing their desire to be a part of the conversation
• ask questions about the pictures in the book being read
• show their caregiver a picture or a toy and try to engage him or her in a conversation about it
• ask frequent and meaningful questions
• talk about something that happened and then wait for a response to their report
• make up stories as they try to enter into a conversation

Needing development, they might:

• seem uninterested in the talk at the table
• make noise when other people are talking, so that they're asked to be quiet
• ignore questions people ask them
• not respond to the group discussion of a story just read aloud