Little Talkers: How Speech & Language Grows Between 2 and 3 Years

Between the ages of 2 and 3, your toddler’s speech and language skills grow rapidly! While every child develops at their own pace, most children reach these important milestones during this stage.

Below, you’ll find key speech and language skills your child may be developing, along with simple ways to support their growth.

Speech & Language Milestones (Ages 2-3)

1. Uses Short Phrases & Word Combinations

Your child is starting to put words together but may occasionally repeat words or phrases. For example, they might say, “I like-I like ball” or “Mommy – mommy – mommy play ball.”

How to Support:

• Expand on what they say: Child: “Want cookie.” You: “You want a big cookie!”

• Encourage back-and-forth conversations by responding with excitement and interest and get on their level.

2. Tries to Get Your Attention with Words

You might hear your toddler say, “Look at me!” when they want to show you something exciting.

How to Support:

• Respond enthusiastically when they call for your attention.

• Model new phrases like “I see you!” or “Wow, you’re jumping so high!”

3. Says Their Name When Asked

If you ask, “What’s your name?” your child may proudly respond with their own name.

How to Support:

• Ask fun questions: “What’s your name? How old are you? Where are your toes?”

• Play name games with family members or stuffed animals: “This is Teddy! What’s your name?”

• Look at family photos and name people in the photos

4. Begins Using Plurals

Your child is starting to add -s to words, saying things like “birds,” “toys,” or “cars.”

How to Support:

• Emphasize plurals in daily conversations: “I see two dogs! Two dogs!”

• Read books that use plurals and point them out:  “Look at those kitties!  I see 4 kitties!”.

5. Uses –ing Verbs & Past Tense (-ed) Correctly

Your child may say things like “I am eating” or “We played outside.”

How to Support:

• Model verb endings naturally: “Oh, you are jumping! 

• Narrate daily activities: “You are running so fast!”

• After they hop into the room:  “You hopped like a bunny!”

6. Gives Reasons for Things

Your child is beginning to explain the “why” behind their actions, like saying, “I need my coat because it’s cold.”

How to Support:

• Ask open-ended questions: “Why do we wear shoes outside?”

• Acknowledge their explanations: “That’s right! We wear coats when it’s cold!”

• Continue to provide explanations for why you want them to do things:  “Put your jammies on so you can go night-night” or “Put your socks on so your feet stay warm”.  

7. Asks “Why” and “How” Questions

At this stage, you’ll likely hear a lot of “Why?” and “How?” throughout the day!

How to Support:

• Answer their questions with simple explanations.

8. Answers Simple Questions

Your child can respond to questions like “What do you do when you’re sleepy?” or “Which one can you wear?”

How to Support:

• While reading stories, stop and ask a question periodically like “What did the caterpillar eat today?” or “Where did the horse live?”

• Use everyday routines to ask and answer questions: “Where did we go today?” or “What did we buy at the store?”

9. Produces Certain Speech Sounds Correctly

By this age, your child is likely pronouncing p, b, m, h, w, d, and n clearly in words. Most vowels should also be correct.

How to Support:

• Sing songs and use rhymes to highlight sounds.

• Draw attention to your face by placing toys and objects near your face during interactions so that they are able to see how you are making sounds.

10. Speech is Becoming Clearer

Your child is easier to understand, but unfamiliar listeners may still have trouble understanding them sometimes.

How to Support:

• Encourage talking without correcting too much. Instead of saying, “No, say it this way,” or asking them to repeat themselves several times, repeat their sentence correctly and with accurate speech sound productions: “Oh! You want that big truck!”

• Be patient and celebrate progress!

Overall, just keep doing what you are likely already doing!  Speak in short sentences, expand on their sentences by adding more details, speak clearly with correct speech sounds.  Sing, read, sing, play!

Need More Information?

Every child develops at their own pace, but if you have concerns about your child’s speech and language, a pediatric speech therapist can help! Contact us for a free phone consult. Visit us at www.northernstartherapy.com and contact us there!

For more speech and language milestones, visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) website: www.asha.org.