Talking is one of the most important life skills your child will learn. Everyone’s journey is different but if you’re a parent in Oldham, there’s plenty of support and information available to help you and your child on their way to great communication.
What should my toddler be able to do?
At 12 – 18 months:
- Your child will copy gestures and words from those around them and their vocabulary will be growing as they use single words e.g. “mine”, “no”, “juice” and babble to communicate and as they play.
- Your child will be able to follow simple instructions such as “give to Daddy”, “shoes on” and can recognise and point to pictures or objects in books or in their surroundings.
- Your child may still find sharing tricky and prefer to do things of their choice on their own however they will often like to be near you or familiar adults and may be interested and watch what you do.
- Your child enjoys cause and effect style play e.g. twisting/turning toys to make noise, dumping/pouring/filling. They will play with toys functionally but they may also start to show some basic pretend play.
At 18 months – 2 Years:
- Your child’s vocabulary will be growing continuously with approximately 50 single words and beginning to put words together e.g. “my car”, “doggy walking”. They may also be asking the for the names of people/things around them.
- Your child’s understanding of vocabulary will be growing (anything between 200-500 single words!) and they will have an increasing understanding of simple instructions e.g. “get your bricks”.
- Your child will follow your body language and gestures e.g. pointing and can engage in an activity of their own choice. They may still find it a little tricky to follow something an adult chooses.
- Their play skills will be developing further with pretend play and whilst they may still enjoy playing by themselves they may also enjoy copying and joining other children.
At 2 – 3 Years:
- Your child’s vocabulary is continuously growing, they can use naming words (e.g. names of items) and using some action words (e.g. doing words running, sleeping, hopping).
- Their sentences and phrases will be growing and by 3 they will be able to say simple 3-word phrases e.g. “big doggy walking”. They may have simple conversations with you although they may still jump from topic to topic.
- Your child will be using lots of speech sounds to use their words, some of these will be clearer than others. It is normal for children to simplify more complex sounds into easier ones whilst they are learning
- Your child may be following simple “who” “what “where” questions when talking about things they can see in the ‘here and now’ e.g. “what is Daddy doing?” “who’s playing in the water?”.
- Your child will be able to follow simple instructions e.g. “put teddy in the box”, “get your coat, bag and shoes” and they will be developing an understanding of early concepts e.g. big/little, in/on/under.
- They will be interested in joining in and playing with others and their sharing skills may be developing. Their pretend play skills may include entire sequences e.g. feeding dolly, putting dolly’s pyjamas on and putting dolly to bed and they may use objects to represent something else in play e.g. a box for a car.
- Your child may be able to focus on an activity they like and that they have chosen for some time and may be able to follow something you want to do but this could still be tricky.
How can I help develop my child’s communication?
Your child is taking in and learning so much and developing new skills all the time. They are interested in watching you and seeing things you do and starting to make sense of the world around them.
Key messages:
- Talk with them about your day, what you are doing, what you can see, what you feel. You can do this with household jobs or whilst you’re walking to the park! They need lots of opportunities to hear the words they are learning in lots of different ways!
- Join in with your child’s play, whatever they choose, follow their lead by copying what they do and showing them what else you can do! You can show them different ways of playing with toys to expand their interests.
- As they are learning words and sounds the words they use might not always be clear, listen carefully and repeat back what they have said but correctly. They don’t need to copy you they just need to hear it a few more times!
- As they are using their new vocabulary and words, show them more! Repeat back what they have said and add a word in!
- BBC’s Tiny Happy People – have an abundance of videos, resources and ideas around supporting your child’s early development:
- 10 Tips for Talking – GMCA website
- Parent Portal | Home – this website is run by Speech Link there are videos and activities for parents, as well as information on what skills to expect for different ages.
- Check out the timetables in the Activities and Events section. There are lots of activities for parents and young children which will support you in your child’s development but also lots of opportunities for fun! Have a look for your local stay and play.
When should I seek further help and how?
Remember no two children are alike and will develop at slightly different rates.
Some key things to look out for:
By 2 years:
- No clear words or attempts at words
- Little/no response to speech or sounds from others
- Not able to understand simple requests e.g. “Where’s teddy”
- Lack of interest in others
By 3 years:
- Little interaction – not requesting things they need (e.g. not pointing, gesturing, using vocabulary), little initiating communication or responding to things you say/do/show them.
- Language skills such as vocabulary appears to have regressed and they are no longer using what they have used before
- Using single words only and not putting words together
- Not able to follow simple things you ask them to do
- You cannot understand anything that they say.
If you are concerned with any of the above:
- Contact the Health Visiting Team
- If your child is in nursery or has a childminder, speak to them about your concerns and observations. If they are not attending a childminder or nursery you can get advice from the 0-19’s Team at your local family hub.
