What Skills Should My Child Have at Their Age?
Every child develops at their own rate. However, there are some developmental milestones you should check for. Developmental milestones are things most children (75% or more) can do by a certain age. Per the American Speech- Language Hearing Association...
By 6 months, your child should
-
Giggle and laugh.
-
Respond to facial expressions.
-
Look at objects of interest and follow objects with their eyes.
-
Vocalize during play or with objects in mouth.
-
Vocalizes different vowel sounds, sometimes combined with a consonant.
By 1 year, your
child should
-
Point, wave, and show or give objects.
-
Imitate and initiate gestures for engaging with social interactions.
-
Try to copy sounds you make.
-
Respond to simple words and phrases like "go bye bye" and "look at mommy".
Between 13 and 18 months, your child should
-
Follow directions like “give me the ball” and “come here”.
-
Point to make requests, comment, or get information
-
Understand and use words for common objects, people, and some actions
-
Use a combination of long strings of sounds
Between ages 2 and 3, your child should
-
Say their name
-
Use some plural words
-
Use -ing verbs
-
Give reasons for things & events like saying they need a coat if it’s cold
-
Ask why and how
-
Answer questions like “What do you do when you’re sleepy?”
-
Use word combinations like “I want juice”
Between ages 3 and 4, your child should
-
Tell you a story from a book or video
-
Compare things with words like “bigger”
-
Use location words like “inside”, “on”, & “under”
-
Say all syllables in a word
-
Pretend to read alone or with others
-
Talk smoothly with few sound or word repetitions
Between ages 4 and 5, your child should
-
Produce grammatically correct sentences that are longer and complex
-
Use more words for time like “yesterday” and “tomorrow” correctly
-
Use location words like “behind” & “between”
-
Be totally understood by others when they talk
-
Follow simple directions & rules to play a game
