Speech and Language of the 2 1/2 Year Old

At age 2 1/2 your child…

• has a 250 word vocabulary
• gives first name
• uses past tense and plurals and combines nouns and verbs
• understands simple time concepts: “last night,” “tomorrow”
• refers to self as “me” rather than by name
• tries to get adult attention: “watch me”
• likes to hear same story repeated
• uses “no” or “not” in speech and may say “no” when means “yes”
• builds tower of 8 blocks
• talks to other children as well as adults
• begins to control behavior verbally rather than just physically
• answers “where” questions
• can name common pictures and things he or she comes in contact with regularly
• uses short sentences to announce what he or she has done or will do like, “Me do it,” or “Me want to jump”
• matches 3-4 colors
• knows big and little
• holds up fingers to tell age.

You can stimulate your 2 1/2 year old child’s speech and language by…

• letting your child tell you answers to simple questions
• reading books everyday, perhaps as part of the bedtime ritual
• listening attentively as your child talks to you
• talking to the child a little beyond his or her level of understanding
• describing what you are doing, planning, thinking
• exposing the child to many new experiences and talking about them before, during, and after the event
• having the child deliver a simple message for you (“Mommy needs you, Daddy”)
• carrying on conversations with the child, preferably when the two of you have some quiet time together
• asking questions to stimulate additional thought and language
• showing the child you understand what he or she says by answering, smiling, and nodding your head.
• prolonging some sounds in words the child may find difficult to say, such as “Put on your sssssock(sock).” Have the child watch your face as you say the sound correctly.
• expanding what the child says. If he or she says “More juice,” you say, “Adam wants more juice.”
• playing and singing songs and records
• introducing new concepts and vocabulary to your child
• encouraging your child to talk.