Child development milestones and language milestones have been outlined so that you know what to expect of your child at certain ages. These child development milestones are marked by how a child speaks, plays, learns and acts in order to give us an idea of their stage of development. This way you can keep an eye on their development to make sure they are on track.
Child Development Milestones for 3 years:
Looking and Listening/Hearing and Understanding
Child can concentrate by looking or listening
Can attend to adults choice of activity for a short time (with less prompts)
Likes listening to stories for longer
Understands instructions with 3 key words e.g. give the apple and teddy to mummy
Understands key describing words e.g. big, cold, small, hot, under, in, beside
Understands time concepts e.g. tomorrow, this morning
Starting to understand negatives and plurals e.g. don’t and dogs
Talking/communication
Can say name age and gender
Names most familiar objects
Fully understood by familiar listeners
Can talk to strangers and will be mostly understood
Differentiates between ‘I’, ‘we’, ‘me’ etc.
All vowels pronounced
Consonants s, f, sh, z, v, ch are used in simple contexts
Size of Vocab: 500 – 1000
Social/Emotional/Play
Copies adults and other children
Will take turns in a game
Less dependent on parents
Affectionate to friends and upset by friends crying
Remember that if a child receives the guidance and support that they need at the right time they can make significant gains. Early intervention is critically important for children with developmental difficulties (language, physical etc.) to develop the communication skills necessary for future success in their academic and personal lives.
If you are concerned about your child’s development take action now and book them in for an assessment with one of our Speech and Language Therapists.