Speech and language development, age 3 to 5 years
Speech and language development milestones relate to receptive language (the ability to understand words and sounds) and expressive language (the ability to use speech and gestures to communicate meaning).
A child's speech and language development becomes more advanced beginning 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. In addition, the child can understand multi-step requests. Most children also gradually speak more fluently and use proper grammar more consistently.
Speech and language milestones Receptive language Expressive language 3-year-olds:
- Follow two-part requests, such as "put your pajamas in the hamper and your slippers in the closet."
- Learn new words quickly; know most common object names.
- Understand the concept of "two."
- Understand gender differences.
- Know their own full name.
- Begin correctly using plurals, pronouns, and prepositions more consistently.
- Frequently ask "why" and "what."
- Often use complete sentences of 3 to 4 words.
4-year-olds:
- Know the names of colors.
- Understand the difference between things that are the same and things that are different, such as the difference between children and grown-ups.
- Can follow three-step instructions, such as "Go to the sink, wash your hands, and dry them on the towel."
- Use the past tense of words.
- Use sentences of 5 to 6 words.
- Can describe something that has happened to them or tell a short story.
- Can speak clearly enough to be intelligible to strangers almost all of the time.1
5-year-olds:
- Understand relationships between objects, such as "the girl who is playing ball" and "the boy who is jumping rope."
- Usually can carry on a conversation with another person.
- Often call people (or objects) by their relationship to others, such as "Bobby's mom" instead of "Mrs. Smith."
- Can define words such as "spoon" and "cat."
| Author: | Debby Golonka, MPH | Last Updated: January 5, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics | |
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