The journey of language development in toddlers is both fascinating and crucial for their overall development. As parents and caregivers, understanding the typical milestones and knowing how to support this development can make a significant difference in your child’s communication skills. This blog post explores the key language milestones from 12 to 36 months and provides evidence-based strategies to enhance your toddler’s talking abilities.
Understanding Language Development Milestones
12-18 Months: The Foundation Phase
During this critical period, your child begins to establish the foundations of language. Typically, toddlers at this stage:
- Understand up to ten familiar words by 12 months
- Follow simple instructions like “give to daddy” or “come here”
- Use a few recognisable words correctly, often starting with names of familiar people or objects
- Communicate primarily through pointing, vocalising and gesturing
- Produce strings of sounds that may sound like conversational babble
- Begin to respond to their name and simple directions
By 18 months, most children understand around 50 words and may use up to 20 words themselves. They also begin to point to body parts when instructed and use a mixture of recognisable words and babble with conversational intonation patterns.
18-24 Months: The Vocabulary Expansion
The second year brings significant developments in your toddler’s language abilities:
- Understanding grows considerably more than speaking ability, with children understanding approximately five times more words than they can say
- Vocabulary expands to around 50 words by 24 months
- Begin to combine words into simple phrases like “all gone” or “Daddy’s car”
- Follow more complex instructions like “get teddy” or “throw ball”
- Speech becomes clearer to familiar people over time
- Increasingly use language to communicate wants and needs
24-36 Months: The Language Burst
Between the ages of two and three, many parents and caregivers notice what experts call a “language burst”:
- Vocabulary expands dramatically, growing from about 50 words to potentially 200-300 words
- Two-word phrases evolve into proper sentences
- Children begin to understand concepts like “on” and “in”
- They can tell simple stories and ask numerous questions, with “why” becoming a favourite word
- Speech becomes more intelligible to people outside the family
- Children may know the names of four or more body parts
Evidence-Based Strategies to Support Language Development
Responsive Parenting
Research consistently demonstrates that sensitive, responsive parenting has a significant positive impact on children’s language development. A meta-analysis of 37 studies found a robust correlation (r = 0.27) between sensitive-responsive parenting and child language outcomes.
How to practice responsive parenting:
- Respond promptly to your child’s attempts to communicate
- Follow your child’s lead in conversations and play
- Expand on your child’s utterances by adding words or details
- Use a warm, encouraging tone when interacting with your child
Interestingly, the meta-analysis revealed that the relationship between responsive parenting and language development was even stronger in families from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, suggesting this approach may be particularly beneficial for children at risk of language delays.
Shared Book Reading
Regular reading with your child is one of the most effective ways to boost language development. Studies show that children who read regularly with an adult in the preschool years learn language faster, enter school with a larger vocabulary, and become more successful readers.
Effective shared reading practices:
- Start reading with your child as early as possible
- Read often and make it an enjoyable routine
- Choose books with engaging pictures and simple text
- Point to pictures and ask questions while reading
- Allow your child to choose books that interest them
Dialogic Reading
Dialogic reading-a specific approach to shared book reading-has been scientifically validated as an effective intervention for boosting children’s language skills. This approach transforms reading from a passive experience where the adult reads and the child listens, to an active dialogue.
How to practice dialogic reading:
- Ask open-ended questions about the story
- Follow answers with additional questions
- Repeat and expand what your child says
- Help your child as needed
- Praise and encourage your child’s participation
- Follow your child’s interests when selecting stories
A systematic review of 46 studies found that dialogic reading can positively impact a wide range of language and literacy skills for children under 5 years, with additional benefits for reading motivation, parent-child attachment, and parental confidence.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCI)
PCI coaches parents to be their child’s primary communication teacher. A speech therapist teaches parents specific skills and strategies to optimise everyday interactions and improve communication.
Key principles of PCI:
- Parents are recognised as the best teachers for their children
- Therapy focuses on coaching parents rather than direct work with the child
- Strategies can be incorporated into everyday life
- Structured feedback helps parents progress in their skills
Research supports the effectiveness of this approach-a study by Hart and Risley found that 86-98% of the words in children’s vocabulary were also recorded in their parents’ vocabularies, highlighting the critical role parents play in language development.
When to Seek Professional Advice
While children develop at different rates, certain signs may indicate a need for professional assessment:
- Your child points or shows what they want rather than saying it after 24 months
- Your child only uses single words instead of joining words together into short sentences by 2.5 years
- Family members cannot understand what your child is trying to say by 36 months
- Your child does not respond to their name or follow simple instructions by 18 months
If you have concerns about your child’s language development, consider consulting with a speech and language therapist who can provide tailored guidance and support.
Conclusion
The toddler years represent a remarkable period of language acquisition, with children rapidly developing from single-word utterances to complex sentences. By understanding the typical milestones and implementing evidence-based strategies like responsive parenting, shared reading, dialogic reading, and parent-child interaction techniques, you can create an enriched language environment that supports your child’s communication journey.
Remember that each child develops at their own pace, but the quality of language interactions matters tremendously. As the research consistently shows, the time you invest in communicating with your toddler-whether through books, conversation, or play-yields significant benefits for their language development and future academic success.
References
- Great Ormond Street Hospital. (2016). Speech and language development (from 12 to 24 months).
- Just One Norfolk. (2016). Communication Milestones.
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- Rowland et al. Evidence Briefing – How does shared book reading help boost child language development?
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- Madigan, S. et al. (2019). Parenting Behavior and Child Language: A Meta-analysis.
- Mable Therapy. (2016). Parent Child Interaction: The tools to support your child’s speech and language.
- Speech and Language UK. (2025). Ages and stages.
- Speech and Language UK. (n.d.). 2-3 years.
- SLT for Kids. (n.d.). Early infancy and toddler 12 months 3 years.
- SLT for Kids. (n.d.). Infancy 3-5 years.
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