Vocabulary and language development in toddlers at 1-2 years

At 1-2 years, your toddler will learn to use and understand more words and more types of words.

At first, they’ll understand and say mostly nouns – for example, ‘dog’ and ‘bus’. Eventually they’ll understand and say a few verbs – for example, ‘eat’ and ‘run’. Adjectives come next – for example, ‘big’ and ‘blue’.

At this age, your toddler will use various ways to communicate. For example, they might use meaningful words, made-up words, sounds and gestures.

Understanding and language development in toddlers 1-2 years

At around 12 months, your toddler will understand the names of things they see or use often. For example, they’ll understand the words for:

• common objects like ‘cup’ or ‘ball’
• body parts like ‘tummy’ or ‘toe’
• clothes like ‘sock’ or ‘hat’.

But your toddler might use the same word to refer to different things. For example, they might call all animals ‘doggie’.

At around 15 months, your toddler will point to things and ask you to name them.

At around 18 months, your toddler will refer to themselves by name. A few months later, they’ll begin to understand and use ‘I’ to refer to themselves. This is when they start to realise they’re a separate person with their own ideas.

During this year, your toddler will understand:

• familiar phrases like ‘It’s time to eat’
• simple instructions like ‘Stop that’
• very simple explanations like ‘The sun is out, so we need our hats’.

Words and sentences in language development

Language development includes learning to use words and sentences.

At around 12 months, your toddler will start using words to talk to you. Your toddler might also enjoy saying the same word over and over. They’ll probably use a lot of made-up words too.

By 18 months, your toddler might know and use 20-100 meaningful words. You’ll notice your toddler using new words nearly every day.

At around 2 years, your toddler will start putting 2-3 words together – for example, ‘Mummy car’ or ‘Me do it’. They’ll use only a few descriptive words at this age – for example, ‘big’ or ‘red’. Their word combinations will consist mainly of nouns and some verbs (‘dog eat’, ‘car go’).

Pronunciation and language development

Your toddler will use a range of speech sounds. It’s common for toddlers to pronounce words differently from the way adults say them. For example, your toddler might say ‘tar’ instead of ‘car’, or they might leave off the ends of words altogether, like ‘ca’ instead of ‘cat’.

Your toddler’s pronunciation will often be hard to understand. But by the time they’re 2 years old, someone who doesn’t know them well should be able to understand about half of what they say.

Conversation and communication in language development

Learning to have a conversation is part of language development.

Your toddler might start early conversations by drawing attention to something. For example, they might say ‘wassat’ (‘What’s that?’), use a made-up word, and/or point.

Your toddler will answer simple questions and also understand the difference in your tone when you ask a question or make a statement. And your toddler knows that if you point to something and say ‘Look’, you’re showing them something.

In general, your toddler understands more than they can say. Your toddler will try to make it easier for you to understand them by combining words, gestures and sounds and by changing the rhythm and tone of their voice.

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 12 months, your toddler:

• isn’t interested in sounds
• doesn’t respond to their name or noises
• isn’t trying to communicate with babbling, words or gestures.

By 18 months, your toddler:

• doesn’t say any single words
• can’t put 2 words together – for example, ‘Me apple’
• doesn’t point, wave or use other gestures
• doesn’t follow simple instructions – for example, ‘Give me the ball’.

By 2 years, your toddler:

• isn’t putting 2 or more words together – for example, ‘Car go’ or ‘Me go too’
• can’t follow simple instructions – for example, ‘Get your jacket’
• doesn’t copy actions or words – for example, when singing ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’.

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.