Developing language is a skill that takes time, according to the Center for Child Well-Being. While various stages are somewhat predictable, all children are not the same. They often start talking and putting together complete thoughts into sentences at different ages. Language charts and developmental milestone lists are helpful to guide parents in a general direction. If you are concerned that your child varies drastically from the norm, consult your pediatrician because the earlier developmental delays are discovered, the better chance a child has at successful treatment.
First Year
By six months, a baby should recognize her name and respond when called. She should be able to vocalize various emotions such as anger, sadness or joy through her intonations. Fragments of words or complete words begin to appear in children around nine months to one year. By one year, children respond to instructions and understand when they are being addressed. Physical cues help babies younger than 12 months respond appropriately.
Two Years
Most children develop a vocabulary of close to 30 words by the time they are a year and half. They primarily use nouns for communication and have not developed understanding of verbs and pronouns. Children at this age often repeat their words. A child's vocabulary typically increases to anywhere from 150 to 300 words by the time they reach the age of 2 years. According to the Child Development Institute, children between the ages of 18 months and 2 years begin to form short sentences and understand simple pronouns such as me and you. The concept of me and mine is one of the first nuances of language apparent in child development.
Three Years
Children should know all the basic parts of their bodies, their names, how to express their thoughts in simple sentences and be able to ask questions by the time they reach the age of 3. Three-year-olds usually understand plural and past-tense words. A 3-year-old's vocabulary should be close to 1,000 words even though he might not be able to respond appropriately to all questions using those words. Close to 90 percent of the words spoken should be intelligible. Reasoning develops around this age as children begin to understand words that pertain to themselves, such as thirsty, hungry and tired.
Five Years
Understanding begins to shine through a child's eyes as she approaches 4 and 5 years of age and recognizes pictures and colors in books. She should be able to name many animals, objects and people. Repetition is common in this stage of development and 4-year-olds tend to talk while they are doing other things. While not all of a 5-year-old's words and sentences are completely understandable, most of what they say should make sense. Time concepts such as day and night are understood by 5-year-olds, most of whom should be able to count to at least 10 by this age. Longer sentence development continues through the age of 5 and most sentences are grammatically correct.
