Most children will:
- Understand the concepts of size (big/ little) and quantity (a little, a lot, more).
- Use some adult grammar - "two cookies", "bird flying", "I jumped".
- Use more than 350 words.
- Use action words - run, spill, fall.
- Begin taking short turns with other children, using both toys and words.
- Show concern when another child is hurt or sad.
- Combine several actions in play - feeds doll then puts her to sleep; puts blocks in a train then drives train and drops blocks off.
- Put sounds at the start of most words.
- Produce words with two or more syllables or beats - "ba-na-na", "com-pu-ter", "a-pple".
- Recognize familiar logos and signs - Home Depot or Canadian Tire, stop sign.
- Remember and understand familiar stories.
Toddlers like it when you:
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Let them touch and hold books while you point to and name the pictures.
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Use real words instead of baby talk - "give me" instead of ta ta or "bottle" instead of baba.
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Take the time to listen to them - they want you to hear all of their new sounds, words and ideas.
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Give them simple directions to follow - "Go find your red boots".
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Use lots of different words when you talk to them - opposite words like up/ down, in/ out; action words like "running", "splashing"; and descriptive words like "happy", "big", "little", "clean", "dirty".
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Encourage them to play with other children - at the library, play groups, park.
Source: Your baby's speech and language skills from birth to 30 months. Government of Ontario, 2007.