One of the first tasks of parenting is to stay ahead of your little one’s speech and language development. Learning how babies commonly communicate helps you provide the right kind of support at each stage.
How do you know if your child’s speech and language skills are developing on schedule? There are many speech development milestones to watch out for that help gauge the health of your child’s speech skills.
Speech Development Milestones
From birth to 12 months, babies develop their ability to make sounds. They’re learning how to communicate with their parents and others around them through the sounds they make. Babies’ first word typically occurs around 12 months, though most babies don’t start talking until they’re closer to 18 months or 2 years old.
Between 18 months and 3 years old, toddlers begin using sentences that consist of two words at a time. At this stage, toddlers can also understand simple phrases such as “I want” and “no.”
By 4 years old, children can form full sentences with nouns, verbs and adjectives. They can also use pronouns like “me” and “you.” At this stage in their speech development process, kids can communicate simple ideas like asking for something they want or telling someone where they want to go play outside.
What Are Some Milestones in Language Development
There are many milestones in language development, but some of the most important ones are:
- Understanding the meaning of words and phrases
- Understanding sentences and how they relate to each other
- Being able to use language for communication
- Using grammatical structures correctly
Stages of Baby Speech Development
Birth
Babies are aware of sounds in their environment. They cry if it’s very noisy as they are still unfamiliar with most of the sounds they hear. To express their feelings, they make sounds. It is the infant’s way of communicating.
0 to 3 Months
Babies start to respond to familiar voices and will listen closely to anything that they are not familiar with. To express delight at seeing their parents or anyone familiar, they usually smile or make a ‘goo-goo’ sound. It is possible to differentiate their cries at this age.
4 to 6 Months
They start to respond to the word “no” and seem to be fascinated at other sounds such as music, the ‘whirr’ of electrical appliances and animal sounds. At this point, a baby should be able to open their throat and make gurgling sounds. They are most likely able to sound out consonants such as m, b and p.
7 to 12 Months
At this age, babies are already familiar with their names and will look at anyone who calls them. They will start responding to questions and requests. They will also be familiar with the names of common household objects and can point at them when asked. This is when babies are most likely to say their first word as they can now combine vowel and consonant sounds.
Every child is unique and develops at his own pace. Try not to compare your child with other children as this can only cause you undue stress and unnecessary pressure on your child.
Some of you may already be panicking after reading about the various stages of language development. However, bear in mind that the milestones enumerated above are general ideas and should not be interpreted too rigidly. Remember some children can stay in one stage longer than others while some may go through each stage very quickly.
When Do Babies Start Making Sounds
Babies start making sounds when they’re just a few months old. They may make a cooing noise or a gurgling sound, and they’ll be able to recognise their own names. By the time they turn one year old, most babies are saying entire words and phrases.
If you’re curious about when your baby started making noises, it’s easy to remember what his or her first sounds were like. If you have a video camera or an audio recorder, you can listen back later and see if any clues point towards the source of those first noises!
When Do Babies Start Babbling
Babies start babbling at about six months, but the way they do it is different from how adults do.
Babies’ babbling sounds more like repetitive vowel sounds. They’ll say “ahh” over and over again, or “eee,” or “ooh.” They’ll also add some consonants in there to make what they’re saying even more evident.
You can help your baby start talking by making sure you talk to them all the time. And when they start producing these vowel sounds and consonants, try to repeat them back to them—that’s how they learn new words!
When Do Babies Start Talking
Babies start talking when they are about 6 months old, but some may start earlier. At this age, babies can understand simple words and can repeat them back to you. They also begin to imitate sounds and facial expressions.
At around 8 months, your baby will start using more words in everyday conversation with you. At this point, they’ll probably have around 10 words in their vocabulary, though some will have more. Your child may also use gestures like pointing or waving to communicate with you. They may also be able to say “mama” or “dada” at this stage.
By 12 months old, your baby will be able to say several words clearly and consistently. They may also understand many words that you say and make requests for things they want by pointing or gesturing toward the object of their desire (for example, pointing at a cookie).
When Do Babies Start Talking Clearly
It depends on the baby. Some are chatty from day one, while others don’t start speaking until they’re a little older. The average age of first words is 12 months (1), but the range is wide. Some kids can speak in full sentences by 18 months, while others don’t utter their first word until age 2 or 3 (2).
Remember that there’s no such thing as “late talking,” even if it seems like your child is taking forever to start talking. It’s just part of development, and it happens when it happens. Give them time, and watch for signs that they’re getting ready to talk.
When Do Babies Say Mama and Mean It
Babies start to say “mama” before they have any concept of what the word means. However, when your baby does learn that mama means you (or another person), it’s important to teach them that mama is a word for people in general, not just for you.
You might notice your baby saying mama when she sees someone on TV or in a picture book. This is because her brain connects the sound with something she sees, so she can’t yet understand that mama isn’t just for you.
It’s important to tell her that mama is also used when talking about other people besides herself—and that if she wants someone else to come to see her or do something with her, then she should use the word “mama” when she wants them to come over!
At What Age Is Speech Fully Developed
Speech is a complicated phenomenon, and it develops in stages. When does speech fully develop?
The first stage of speech development is pre-speech, which lasts from birth until about 2 years old. During this stage, children learn how to communicate using gestures and sounds that represent their needs or wants.
For example, they may point to something they want or make a noise when they are hungry.
The next stage is called holophrastic speech. This begins at around 2 years old and continues through 4 years old or so. During this time, children understand that words can be combined together into sentences and can use two-word phrases (holophrastic) to express their needs or wants.
In other words, they can say things like “want milk” instead of just pointing at something or making a noise like “milk!”
The final stage of speech development is called telegraphic speech. This occurs from about 4 years old through 8 years old or so when children start stringing more than two words together into sentences but still don’t understand the grammar rules for forming sentences in English (or any other language).
In the telegraphic speech, children might say something like “I want milk please” instead of just saying “milk please.”
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Bilingualism and the Brain: How Learning a New Language Affects Your Child
Your Baby’s Brain Is ‘Born-Ready’ To Learn A New Language, Says New Study
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How to Encourage Speech Development
1. Integrate language learning in your baby’s daily activities
2. Interact with your child as often as possible
3. Talk to your baby the way he wants you to
4. Help your baby learn the names of things
5. Allow your baby to interact with other people
Image Source: iStock
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