Speech and Language Milestones, Ages 3 to 5 Years

Overview

Language and communication milestones relate to two areas:

• Receptive language. This is the ability to understand words and sounds.
• Expressive language. This is the ability to use speech and gestures to communicate meaning.

A child's language and communication skills become more advanced starting around age 3 through age 5. Receptive language skills during this period become more sophisticated. A child learns to make subtle distinctions between objects and relationships. Also, the child can understand multi-step requests. Most children also gradually speak more fluently and use proper grammar more consistently.

Language and communication milestones

Age	Milestones
3-year-olds:	Talk with you in conversation using at least two back-and-forth exchanges. Ask "who," "what," "where," and "why" questions. Say what action is happening in a book or picture when asked. Say their first name when asked. Talk well enough for other people to understand most of the time.
4-year-olds:	Say sentences with four or more words. Say some words from a song, story, or nursery rhyme. Talk about at least one thing that happened during their day. Answer simple questions.
5-year-olds:	Tell a story they heard or made up with at least two events. Answer simple questions about a book or story after you read it or tell it to them. Keep a conversation going with more than three back-and-forth exchanges. Use or recognize simple rhymes.