| By 2 years | By 3 years | 3-4 years | 4-5 years |
| Speech | “bider” for ‘spider’
Most developmental errors still expected | “pider” for ‘spider’
Errors should be decreasing, 2 consonant clusters are still difficult. | “spider” for ‘spider’
An unfamiliar person should be able to understood 80% of what the child says. | “spiderman wocks” for ‘spider rocks’
Most sounds are mastered except ‘th, r, l’. Three letter consonant clusters still difficult ‘stipe’ for “stripe” |
| Comprehension | Understands categories, e.g. food
Points to 4 body parts
Understands some action words; sleeping, running etc | Begins to understands colour, shape, size, location
Follows 2 step instructions
Asks and understands simple wh questions ‘who, what, where etc’ | Asks and understands more complex wh questions ‘why, how, when etc’
Can group objects by category or function (e.g. food, things we wear) | Understand 10,000+ words including time, quantity and spatial concepts: before, after, less, least, all behind, under, in front, next to.
Understands more expanded sentences |
| Expression | 200-300 words
2 word sentences - noun & verb (e.g. teddy sleep) | 800-900 words
3-4 word sentences with grammatical words and endings (teddy is sleeping)
Maintains conversation over several turns | 4-5 word sentences with plurals, possessives, adjectives (apples, daddy’s, blue)
Longer conversations or stories about topics that are present or imaginary | 5-8 word sentences with few grammatical errors (except irregular e.g. ‘childs’ for children)
Better at answering ‘why’ questions
Longer conversations or stories about topics that are in the recent or remote past |
| Pre-Literacy | Books are no longer just for chewing
Focuses for a short time on pictures
Books with flaps and textures to touch | Books are no longer just Frisbees
Books with bright pictures with little or no text
Child can point to familiar objects on the page | Parents to point to and name less familiar pictures
Books have 1-2 sentences per page
Books with fun rhymes | Child begins to learn letter names, identify rhyme, identify first sound same/different
Books have simple story structure - character, problem, solution
Child joins in telling the story |
