| Age | Language and Communication Milestones | Emerging Literacy Skills |
| 4 months | - Turns to voice
- Coos (makes sounds like "ooo" and "ah")
- Makes sounds back when caregiver talks to them
- Makes sounds to get attention
- Opens their mouth when hungry
- Smiles spontaneously to get caregiver's attention
| - Looks at their hands with interest
|
| 6 months | - Imitates speech sounds (takes turns making sounds with caregiver)
- Squeals
- Does raspberries
- Laughs
| - Reaches for book
- Brings book to mouth
- Looks at pictures
- Vocalizes or pats at pictures
- Prefers pictures of baby faces or bright objects
|
| 9 months | - Babbling begins (consonant-vowel combinations such as babababa)
- Shows several facial expressions (eg, sad, happy, angry)
- Looks when caregiver calls their name
- Smiles when caregiver plays peek-a-boo
| - Looks for objects (eg, a book) when dropped out of sight
|
| 12 months | - Understands "no"
- Says "dada"/"mama" specifically
- Waves bye-bye
- Plays pat-a-cake
| - Holds book with help
- Turns board book pages with assistance
- Prefers pictures of familiar objects
|
| 15 months | - Follows simple 1-step directions when caregiver uses words and gestures
- Says 1 or 2 words in addition to mama and dada
- Looks at familiar objects when named
- Points to ask for something or to get help
| - Exhibits shared attention over book
|
| 18 months | - Follows simple 1-step directions when caregiver uses words but no gestures
- Says ≥3 words in addition to mama and dada
| - Brings book to caregiver
- Turns board book pages easily
- Points to show caregiver something interesting in a book
- Scribbles spontaneously
|
| 24 months | - Creates at least 2-word phrases
- Points to at least 2 body parts
- Uses more gestures (eg, blowing a kiss or nodding "yes")
- Seeks attention (eg, asks, "What's this?")
| - Learning to turn paper pages
- Looks "through" book for favorite pictures
- Points to objects in a book when named
|
| 30 months | - Follows 2-step directions
- Says about 50 words
- Uses "I", "me", "mine"
- Names at least 1 color
- Says ≥2 words with 1 action word (eg, "doggie run")
| - Turns book pages 1 at a time
- Names objects in a book when caregiver points and asks, "What's this?"
- May complete sentences or rhymes from familiar books
|
| 3 years | - Combines 3 to 4 words in simple sentences
- Speech is intelligible to others most of the time
- Uses additional pronouns
- Conversational speech (ie, at least 2 back and forth exchanges)
- Asks who, what, where, why
- Says first name when asked
- Says what action is happening in a picture when asked
| - Turns pages 1 at a time easily
- Recites whole phrases from favorite books, sometimes whole stories
- Corrects mistakes made by the reader
- "Reads" as part of creative play
- Draws a circle when shown how
|
| 4 years | - Follows 3-step directions
- Creates sentences with ≥4 words (eg, talks about ≥1 thing that happened today; answers simple questions like, "What is ... for?")
- Speech is approximately 90% intelligible
- Names a few colors
- Repeats 4 digits
| - Developing awareness of print
- Recognizes some letters of the alphabet
- Beginning writing skills
- Draws a person with ≥3 body parts
- Tells what comes next in a favorite story
- Holds a crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb
|
| 5 years | - Speech is clearly understood by most people
- Creates complete (>5-word) sentences (eg, tells a story with at least 2 events; conversation with >3 back and forth exchanges)
- Uses future tense, irregular verbs
- Counts to 10
| - Understands the direction of printed language (eg, from left to right or top to bottom)
- Answers simple questions about a book or story after it's shared
- Uses or recognizes simple rhymes
- Names some letters of the alphabet, writes a few (most likely the letters in their name)
- Names some numbers (eg, 1 through 5) when caregiver points to them
- Learning letter sounds
- Learning to spell and write first name
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