Communication Milestones

Communication is a big part of how children learn, connect, and explore the world around them. But with so much information out there — and every child developing at their own pace — it can be hard to know what’s expected, and when to seek support.

That’s where communication milestones come in. They offer a simple guide to what skills typically emerge at different ages, including:

Communication milestones can help you notice what’s going well, identify areas that might need support, and start conversations with health professionals or educators if needed. Your child doesn’t need to tick every box — but if several skills aren’t yet emerging, or something just feels “off,” it’s okay to reach out for support.

How to Use This Page

Choose your child’s age range

Read through the communication skills typically seen at that stage

Acknowledge the things your child is doing — and celebrate those wins!

Highlight any skills that are not yet emerging or that feel tricky for your child

Notice some areas of difficulty? A quick check or assessment can be a helpful next step.

Communication Ages And Stages

09 to 12 months

Receptive Language

Responds when you call their name
Respond when you say “no”
Turn their head and look for a sound when they can’t see what is making it (e.g. a noise coming from inside the cupboard or something behind them)
Anticipate what will happen next (e.g. giggle before you take your hands away in a game of peek-a-boo)
Look at objects or people when attention is given to them (e.g. pointing to a picture/person or an object such as a plane up in the sky
Take your hand when you hold it out and say “let’s go!”
Understand common phrases/sayings used in the family

Expressive Language

Respond to someone by smiling or shying away
Use gestures, such as pointing, pulling or poking things to communicate what they want or need
Copy actions and sounds (e.g. clapping hands)
Vocalises some vowel like sounds (e.g. ee, oo)
Vocalise one or two consonant sounds (e.g. m, d, p)
Combine sounds to form a syllable (e.g. da, pa)
Seek attention from others around them
Play simple turn-taking games like peek-a-boo

12 to 24 months

Receptive Language

Identifies common objects and pictures (e.g. points to common pictures in books or picks them up from a group of obects on the floor)
Identifies common body parts
Responds to “NO”, “wait”, “stop” (even if only briefly!)
Understands common simple directions which involve words such as:
- Give it to me
- Show it to me
- Point to it
- Where is it?
- Put it down
- Pick it up
Understands common simple directions which involve words such as:
Understand simple “what’s that?” questions
Responds to “NO”, “wait”, “stop” (even if only briefly!)
Understands common simple directions which involve words

Expressive Language

Copies and imitates a lot of actions (like jumping, hand actions in nursery rhymes)
Copies and imitates lots of common words
Holds out toys or other objects to show people
Uses vocalisations to ask for things
Babble short strings which sounds almost like real words and sentences
Uses 50-200 words by 2 years
Combining 2 or more words together (e.g. “more ball”, “no mum”, “give me”, “put down truck”)
Label photos of objects
By 2yrs of age using words more often then gestures
Non-family members can understand 50-75% of the childs speech by 2yrs of age

2 to 3 years

Receptive Language

Understand describing words
- Open/close (car doors, doors, cupboards and toys)
- Wet/dry
- Big/little
- Same/different
Understand place words
- In/out
- On/off
- Up/down
- Under/over
- Top/bottom
Understand quantity words
- More/gone
- One/lots
- Empty/full
- Under/over
- Top/bottom
Understands common simple directions which involve words such as:
- Give it to me
- Put it here
- Pick up the teddy
- Understand the function of an object
- Whats this?
- Yes/no questions (e.g. “Is this your drink?”)
- What is the boy/girl doing?
Understand “wh” questions
- What do we do with a spoon?
Have a large noun and verb vocabulary where they can point to a range of pictures
Understand gender (e.g. “Is this a boy or a girl?”)

Expressive Language

Asks lots of questions (e.g. “What is that?”, “Where is it?”)
Label a large range of pictures and actions
Combines 2-4 word sentences often when talking
Answer simple “What’s this?”, “What is the boy doing?” and “Where is it?” questions
Answer “yes” and “no” questions
Uses “-ing” at the end of action words where appropriate (e.g. running)
Uses little words like “the”, “a”
People other than family members can understand 75-100% of the child’s speech by 3yrs of age

3 to 3.5 years

Receptive Language

Understand describing words (hard/soft)
Understand quantity words such as (one/some/all)
Understand questions such as, “who is that?”, “who is jumping/running/eating?”
Understand “where” questions (e.g. “Where is the ball?”)
Identifies 2-3 colours. Can point to 2-3 different colours when a selection of different coloured balls are placed in front of them
Understand negatives (e.g. “Point to the box with no toys”)

Expressive Language

Uses 3-5 word sentences (e.g. “the boy is jumping”)
Uses 800 words
Can answer simple questions (e.g. “who is that?”)

3.5 to 4 years

Receptive Language

Understand describing words (e.g. “tall/short”, “long/short”)
Understand place words such as “front/back”, “next to”, “inside/outside”
Beginning to understand “why?” questions

Expressive Language

Uses 1000-1500 words
Uses little words “is/are” and “he/she”, “I”, “me”, “mine” correctly
Beginning to respond correctly to “why?” questions (e.g. “Why do you brush your teeth?”)
Uses joining words such as “because”, “then”, “and” (e.g. “The boy is big and mean!”)
Can tell a story of 2 events in sequence (e.g. “I went to the shops then to McDonalds”)
Begins to use language for jokes and teasing
Might correct others
Asks a lot of “how”, “why” and “when” questions and expects detailed answers
Becoming very intelligble to others in conversation

4 to 5 years

Receptive Language

Understand time concepts such as “morning/afternoon”, “yesterday/tomorrow”, “before/after”, “now/later”
Understands and responds to “when” questions
By 6yrs of age knows “right” from “left”

Expressive Language

Using all pronouns correctly (“he/she”, “his/her”, “himself/herself”, “me”, “mine”, “I” etc)
Names days of the week in order
Tells a long story maintaining theme and sequence
Grammar is mostly correct
By 6yrs of age able to identify and label a number of alphabet letters
Can Identify similarities and differences in objects

References

Gard, A. Gilman, L. Gorman, J. (1993). Speech and Language Development Chart (2nd ed.). Austin, Texas: Pro-ed Owens, R.E. (2001) Language Development: An Introduction (5th Ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Paul, R. (2001). Language Disorders from Infancy through Adolescence: Assessment and Intervention(2nd Ed.). St Louis, Missouri: Mosby, Inc. Reynell, J. & Gruber, C. (1990). Reynell Development Language Scales. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services. Zimmeramn, I.L. Steiner, V.G. & Pond, R.E. (2002). Preschool Language Scale – Fourth Edition – Australian Language Adaptation (PLS-4). San Antonio: The Psychological Corporation.

Prefer a Downloadable Copy?

Our free downloadable checklists are simple, age-based tools you can use to keep track
of your child’s development over time.

They’re designed to help you feel more confident in understanding what’s typical at each stage — and to make it easier to notice when something might need a closer look. You can use them at home, jot down questions or observations, and bring them along to chats with your GP, educator, or therapist. Whether you’re just curious or thinking about next steps, they’re a practical starting point.

Need a Little Extra Support?

If you’re noticing some challenges or you’re simply unsure, you don’t need to wait until it becomes a major concern. A quick check-in can often provide clarity, reassurance, and a helpful starting point.

You can: