Vocabulary and language development in toddlers at 2-3 years

At this age, your toddler’s vocabulary expands quickly – they might even learn new words each day. In general, your toddler understands more words than they can use.

Your toddler will use a lot of nouns – for example, ‘baby’, ‘friend’ or ‘car’. You’ll hear other word types too, including:

• verbs – for example, ‘play’, ‘go’, ‘give’
• adjectives – for example, ‘wet’, ‘sore’, ‘cold’
• pronouns – for example, ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘me’
• location words – for example, ‘in’, ‘on’, ‘under’.

Your toddler will start using words like ‘more’ and ‘most’, as well as words that make questions, like ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘where’.

By 3 years, you toddler will understand the difference between ‘mine’ and ‘yours’.

Sentences and grammar in language development

At around 2 years, your toddler will start to put 2-3 words together – for example, ‘red apple’ or ‘I go up’. By 3 years, they’ll be able to use sentences with 3 or more words – for example, ‘Mummy get in car’ or ‘Me go too’.

You’ll start to hear grammar and more structured sentences. For example, instead of ‘I go’, your toddler might say ‘I’m going’. You’ll also hear your toddler use the past tense – for example, ‘walked’ or ‘jumped’. And they’ll start using plurals like ‘cats’ or ‘horses’.

Your toddler might not always get it right when they use plurals and past tense. For example, your toddler might say ‘foots’ for ‘feet’ or ‘goed’ instead of ‘went’.

Understanding and language development

Language development includes your toddler understanding more of what’s said to them and how it’s said. Your toddler will understand a lot more than they can say.

Your toddler will understand instructions with 1-2 steps, as long as they’re about things they already know – for example, ‘Pick up your toys and put them in the box’. They might still find it hard to follow instructions about unfamiliar objects or tasks.

Your toddler will begin to answer questions from adults about ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘where’, but they might not yet understand how to answer ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions.

Your toddler can tell from the tone of your voice if you’re happy, affectionate or angry.

Pronunciation in language development

By 3, your toddler will use most of the speech sounds in their words, but they might still pronounce words differently from adults.

For example, even though your toddler can say the sounds ‘b’ and ‘l’, they might have trouble combining them together in ‘blue’. Some difficult sounds might still be hard for your toddler to say. This includes sounds like ‘z’, ‘sh’, ‘f’, ‘v’, ‘r’, ‘ch’ and ‘th’. Your toddler might swap difficult sounds with easier ones. For example, they might say ‘teef’ instead of ‘teeth’.

When your toddler is 2 years old, unfamiliar people can usually understand about half of what your child says. By the time your toddler is 3 years old, unfamiliar people can usually understand at least three-quarters of what they’re saying.

Conversation skills and language development

Your toddler will start to get the hang of speaking in turn and might be able to have a short conversation with you.

Your toddler will talk about things that have happened during the day. With your help, they might be able to put together a simple story. For example, your toddler might say ‘I go shop’. You might respond, ‘And what did you do at the shop?’ They’ll reply, ‘Buy bread’. By age 3, they might be able to tell a simple, made-up story based on experiences they’ve had, but they’ll probably leave out a lot of detail.

Your toddler will talk about people and objects not present – for example, ‘Grandma at the shops’ or ‘My ball in tree’.

And your toddler will probably start talking the same way or saying the same things as you or other close adults.

At this age, your toddler might cry less than they used to when they can’t do something or feel frustrated. That’s because your toddler can use their words to explain the problem and ask for help.

Play and language development

Your toddler will be able to play and talk by 3 years. For example, they might give voices to the toys they’re playing with. They’ll also begin to play in groups with other children, sharing toys and taking turns.

You might hear your toddler playing with language through rhyming, singing and listening to stories. They’ll also talk to themselves and might use a very loud or soft voice when speaking.

Growing up in a bilingual or multilingual family can be good for children’s learning. Sometimes multilingual or bilingual children mix their languages for a while, but this stops once they understand that they’re using more than one language.

When to get help for language development

If you notice any of the following signs in your toddler or you’re worried about your toddler’s language development, or if your toddler has stopped using a language skill they once had, it’s a very good idea to see your child and family health nurse, GP or paediatrician. They might refer you to a speech pathologist.

By 2 years, your toddler:

• isn’t putting 2 or more words together – for example, ‘yellow house’ or ‘Me do it’
• can’t follow simple instructions – for example, ‘Pick up your hat’
• doesn’t copy your words.

By 3 years, your toddler:

• isn’t using 3-word sentences
• doesn’t understand 2-part instructions – for example, ‘Get your shoes, and put them in the box’
• is often hard to understand when they’re talking to you, family or friends.

Children learn new skills over time and at different ages. Most children develop skills in the same order, and each new skill they learn builds on the last. Small differences in when children develop skills are usually nothing to worry about. But if you’re wondering whether your child’s development is on track or you feel that something isn’t quite right, it’s good to get help early.