What to expect
Your toddler will soon be starting to put two words together to make short sentences like “more milk” or “daddy bye-bye.” These short sentences help them to describe what they are wanting or thinking.
New words increase
The number of new words your toddler knows is starting to increase at this age.
They are starting to use and soak up new words like a sponge. By the time your toddler turns two-years-old, they will be able to say about 50 new words.
Many of the word’s children learn first are things they can handle, like shoes and balls, or things that move on their own and make sounds, like different animals.
Remember to keep describing to your toddler what is happening to them. When they say something, repeat it back to them and expand on it to encourage language.
Parenting tips
Talk and listen to your toddler whenever possible. They will love when you listen to them and repeat it back to them. This will help them learn language more quickly. For example, if your child says “milk.” Say, “You would like some milk; here you go.”
As much as possible include your toddler in different activities that you are doing. For example, take your toddler with you to the farm and let them see, hear and touch the animals. If they point to a kitty say, “That is a kitty! She says meow.”
Did you know…
📙 Your toddler will try to simplify words by leaving out sounds that are difficult for them to say or by filling them in with easier sounds.
📙 For example, your toddler may say “tick” for stick or “pwane” for plane since the s and l sounds are hard to make.
What can you do?
Don’t correct their simple speech
Say words correctly to your toddler, but don’t correct their simple speech. This may discourage them from talking. Their mistakes will go away on their own as they grow and listen to you talk.
For example, if your toddler says, “Gama bye-bye” you might say, “Yes, Grandma is going back to her house now. Wave bye-bye to Grandma.”
Create learning activities
Provide activities at home
Give your toddler a plastic tub with sand and plastic cups for scooping and pouring.
Let your child help with simple chores like dusting or tearing up lettuce for a salad.
Play games with your child.
Go on outings
Collect objects from nature like fall leaves or pinecones.
Visit a park, zoo, museum, farm, pet store, etc.
Read a variety of books
Read their favorite books, but also introduce stories about the new things that are happening to them.
Talk about feelings
Talk to your toddler about whatever they see, hear, touch, smell and taste.
Describe what your toddler is doing and their feelings.
For example, when they are having fun playing with play dough say, “It looks like you are really happy right now.”
When your child is crying because they fell and hurt their knee say, “I can see you are feeling really sad.”
If your child is angry say, “You look really upset, but it is still not okay to hit the dog.”
When your child is afraid of the thunder say, “You look really scared. Do you want me to hold you?”
Talk with your toddler about how characters in books or on television shows are feeling.
Updated by Nancy Schultz and Robert Nix, PhD., UW-Madison/Extension based on material written by Carol Ostergren, PhD and Dave Riley, PhD.
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