Show off your toddler’s newly acquired language skills with these 25 common words!
As parents, don’t we all look forward to the day when they say their first words? Now that your two-year-old’s no longer babbling words and is actually learning how to speak, it’s time to take their vocabulary up a notch with this 25-word checklist.
According to Leslie Rescorla, director of the Child Study Institute at Bryn Mawr College who developed the checklist, he claims that the 25 words act as the baseline for toddlers, and that a two-year-old’s normal range of vocabulary is from 75 to 225 words. What’s great about this list is that these are basic words that are most commonly used in everyday conversations, which will make it easier for your little talker to incorporate into their vocabulary.
25 words to know:
- Mommy
- Daddy
- Baby
- Milk
- Juice
- Hello
- Bye-bye
- Yes
- No
- Dog
- Cat
- Ball
- Nose
- Eye
- Banana
- Cookie
- Car
- Hot
- Thank you
- Bath
- Shoe
- Hat
- Book
- More
- All Gone
Other words that you may want to include in their vocabulary:
Please, sorry, again, walk, sleep, run, watch, up, down, scary, funny, sun, rain, cookie, candy, ice cream.
While it’s important to note that every child develops their language abilities at their own pace, the aforementioned words are general milestones that will help to ensure that your toddler’s on the right page. But if your child has yet to master this at two year old, they may be displaying signs of speech/language delays, hearing problems or autism spectrum disorder. In this case, it may be best to consult your pediatrician for advice.
In the meantime, you can do your part as a parent by engaging them in genuine conversations more often. It’s one of the best ways to encourage your kids to become more vocal and expand their vocabulary naturally – the more they listen and hear you talk, the more they feel inclined to speak!
