Important speech and language milestones

Ages 7 Months to One Year








Ages 1 - 2









Ages 3 - 4







Ages 4 - 5

• Turns toward sounds.

• Responds to simple requests.
• Understands words for common objects.
• Makes eye contact.
• Performs simple greetings.
• First words emerge close to age one.

• Listens to simple stories.

• Follows simple instructions.
• Points to body parts and pictures in books.
• Puts two words together.
• Uses a variety of sounds in words.
• Words may not sound clear but will mean something specific.

• Sentences have four or more words.
• People outside family understand child.
• Talks about events that have happened.
• Answers short who, what, where, & why questions.
• Responds to nursery rhymes by completing the rhyme.

• Pronounces most sounds correctly.
• Uses longer sentences with details.
• Communicates easily with children and adults.
• Listens to a story and answers questions about it.
• Can make up rhymes for short words.
• Claps out compound words (backpack).
• Can determine if a word is long or short.
• Can say the alphabet.