Speech & Language Development: What to Expect, 2-3 Years Old
During this time, children are learning new words constantly and learning to put words together! They are also developing the ability to follow more complex directions. Below are details on what 2-3 year old children should be able to understand, say, and what might be difficult for them.
What should a 2-3 year old child be able to understand?
-Opposites, like on/off, up/down, in/out
-How to follow 2-step directions, like “Get your toy and put it in the box”
-Understand new words
-Understand size concepts, like big/little
What should a 2-3 year old child be able to say?
-A word for almost everything. During this time, vocabulary grows to about 900-1,000 words!
-Talk about things they cannot see/not in the room
-Use positional words like, in, on, and under
-Use 2-3 words together
-Ask WHY questions
-Use sounds k, g, f, t, d, and n.
-Start using irregular past tense verbs, like ate, ran
-Start using possessive –s, like Mike’s shoe
What might be difficult for a 2-3 year old child?
-May be difficult to say y, v, l, j, sh, ch, s, r, and th sounds.
-May repeat words or sounds while talking
-May have difficulty using negatives, like nobody, no one OR may use double negatives.
Written by: Stephanie Pecht, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
AAC Specialist, Tri-County Therapy
